Many Reads for May

Just in time to kick off your summer reading--new books for May!

Two Little Monkeys


Yes! Yay! A new picture book from Mem Fox always makes me happy. It sounds similar to the "Two Little Blackbirds" fingerplay, except with monkeys trying to escape a leopard.  I don't have to quote reviews, do I? You know they're marvelous!

Three Times Lucky

This is getting a lot of love, my friends! Now, I'm a little out of sorts, because while Kirkus Reviews's review makes me feel all happy and giddy (how else should I feel when they say it has the heart of Because of Winn Dixie and the action of Holes? I just went starry-eyed.), Mrs. Yingling Reads thinks that it's a bit precious. While Mrs. Yingling and I occasionally have very different reactions to books (such as Young Fredle), I'm also a bit allergic to precious stories.  In fact, I just looked up her review, and she called it "quirky Southern to the extreme." Oh, dear. Quirky drives me nuts. Quirky SOUTHERN makes my skin crawl. This will be interesting.

Beach Feet


Our patrons enjoy "seasonal" books, so I'm sure that Beach Feet will not stay on the shelves very long this summer. This is a translation of a Japanese picture book; I love getting books from other countries, so the fact that this enthusiastically reviewed book has an international flair pleases me to no end. 

Chloe


I adore Henry in Love, so the fact that Chloe, Henry's beloved, stars in her own picture book makes me a very happy girl. There's a message about too much television time, but it doesn't seem heavy-handed.

Code Name Verity


Code Name Verity is getting a ton of attention and awesome praise. Liz B  recently gave it a fantastic review; it's received four starred reviews from the major review publications (doesn't look like School Library Journal has reviewed it yet). That's quite impressive.  In order to stave off her execution by the Nazis, a young female British spy confesses what she knows about the British war effort; in doing so, she tells the tale of her friendship with Maddie, the pilot who dropped her into Occupied France.  Reviews say that this is a thrilling, emotional, heartbreaking, and mature tale that is not for the faint of heart. 

Deadweather and Sunrise


We can't have too many pirate stories for the middle grade set, can we, matey? Especially when they're apparently as well-written and spirited as Deadweather and Sunrise, the first in a series set upon the high seas.  A young boy, orphaned by a hot air balloon incident, is on the run. Publishers Weekly says that author Geoff Rodkey "combines humor and adventure in a story full of cruise ships, wild pigs, treasure maps, and constant peril." Sounds pretty good to me.

Homer


Elisha Cooper's books are an automatic "add" for the collection, and I have a feeling that I'm going to have to order a third copy once I see this book.  Homer is an aging yellow Lab. As anyone who has had the benefit of knowing a Lab or two (or more), you know that while they may be very energetic pups (and have that personality long after most dogs their age have settled down), they inevitably slow down, as all dogs do once they reach their senior years. Homer doesn't need to be involved in constant activity; he's just content to doze on the porch and keep an eye on his family. I've read how it ends, and let me tell you.....awwww! Sniffle! (No, he doesn't DIE. Thank you, Elisha Cooper, for not ending the book with the sweet old doggie dying.)  It's also set in the summer, so yay! Another seasonal read.

Rush for the Gold: Mystery at the Olympics


Sportswriter John Feinstein's YA books enjoy a decent number of checkouts from time to time, but I'd like his teen sleuth mysteries to be better known. Hopefully, this tie-in to the 2012 Summer Olympics will draw new fans.  Stevie and Susan are once again on the detective trail, this time investigating a corrupt judge. Part of the fun of Feinstein's sports mysteries is that he includes real-life sports personalities as characters; reportedly, Bob Costas and Michael Phelps make appearances in Rush for the Gold.


This is only a sampling of the new children's and YA books we've ordered! If you want to keep up with our latest offerings, I really cannot recommend Wowbrary highly enough. You'll be notified of our latest orders before they hit our new shelves, letting you be among the first to request titles. It also includes the latest updates to our ebook collection; if that's not something that interests you, it's easy enough to filter out those results (and if you're only interested in the ebook updates, it's easy enough to filter out the books in print).