August is a good month for reading, and we’ve got you covered with some fun New Releases.
Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson
From mega-bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson comes this highly anticipated follow-up to her Edgar Award-winning, instant middle-grade bestseller Blood in the Water.
Ghost in the Night is another spine-tingling, can’t-put-it-down murder mystery, this time set in America’s Most Haunted City.
Savannah, Georgia, with its mossy trees and ornate old homes, is a place rich in history…and ghosts. Ghosts are what pique Harmony Roundtree’s interest. Still reeling from her losses back home, Harmony wants to believe in ghost stories…but isn’t sure what’s real. When she goes on one of the many ghost tours around town, she takes a photo of what might be a ghost. Or is it a hoax?
With two new friends, Harmony sets out to investigate… and stumbles upon clues leading to an unsolved murder. The deeper she digs, the more Harmony realizes that what she saw on the ghost tour might be connected to a shocking crime. But making connections can be dangerous–even more dangerous than ghosts.
New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another action-packed mystery full of surprises and secrets that will give readers goosebumps.
Level Up by Daka Hermon
From the author of Hide and Seeker comes a new thriller where an iconic childhood game turns creepy.
Keenan is used to running. He loves it. He is good at it. He is a track star, after all. Now he and his mother are escaping his father, trying to start a new life in Tennessee.
But he has never been on the run like this before. This new town has monsters of its own. The students in his school seem to be under some sort of trance, and Keenan is the only one who isn’t affected. Which means he is the only one who can do anything about it.
It’s time for Keenan to stop running and face his fears.
He cannot let the monsters win.
The Third Period Comeback by E.K. Johnston
New York Times bestseller E. K. Johnston’s middle-grade debut is an utterly charming, witty, and gloriously inclusive magic-tinged caper in the Canadian wilderness.
Hayley Rilko was born to play hockey—and cursed to ruin whatever team she plays for. As long as she’s still a kid, the curse’s magic doesn’t stick, but everyone knows her time is running out. The two things Hayley has on her side are her family–four generations of it, all carrying the same curse she does–and one last summer vacation in the Ontario Northwoods, where her great grandfather disappeared and the curse began.
As the clock runs down and the magical mysteries pile up, Hayley realizes that just following the evidence isn’t going to be enough. She’s going to have to talk to someone who has the information she needs—even if it means raising the dead. With her cousins on her team, Hayley sets out to do what no one else has been able to: find her great grandfather’s body and break the curse, no matter what it takes.
Who Circled the Globe in Seventy-Two Days? Nellie Bly: A Who HQ Graphic Novel By Melanie Gillman (Author), Rebecca Mock (Illustrated by)
Follow trailblazing journalist Nellie Bly on a record-breaking trip around the world in this exciting graphic novel about one of America’s first female investigative reporters.
Presenting Who HQ Graphic Novels: an exciting addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling Who Was? series!
Discover how Nellie Bly made headlines in 1889 with one of her most iconic and sensational stunts—a world record–setting race around the globe. A story of daring, adventure, and pushing boundaries, this graphic novel highlights how Nellie Bly challenged traditional gender norms and helped pave the way for women in journalism. Atmospheric full-color illustrations bring this sharp narrative to life, immersing readers in Nellie’s globe-trotting exploits.
The Invisibles by Holly Kowitt
For fans of The Breakfast Club who wished every member was a nerd, this new middle grade novel stars a totally uncool boy who gets adopted by a group of other uncool kids in a bid to take over their school.
Jimmy Stern can’t catch a break.
As the new kid at school, he just wants to keep his head down and read his favorite Weird Walt comics. But when he accidentally drops Kyle Scott’s phone in the toilet, his social status goes down the drain. Being targeted by the most popular guy in school sucks.
Or, at least, it did suck, until Jimmy receives a note from a mysterious group of students called The Invisibles. Social outcasts like himself, The Invisibles have a plan: elect Jimmy as Art Week Secretary and stop Kyle’s favorite actor, Bayleigh White, from visiting their school. Jimmy quickly agrees, realizing that he can ask Weird Walt to do the Art Week visit instead.
But as campaign tactics spiral out of control, Jimmy will have to decide what he’s willing to do to get even. Smart, fast-paced, and laugh out loud funny, this is a must read for any kid (or adult) who has felt uncool.
Little Monsters by Máire Roche
In this modern supernatural middle grade retelling of the beloved classic Little Women, the March sisters have a monstrous secret Meg will do anything to protect—especially with another beast lurking in the woods threatening to expose them.
Meg March and her three sisters are monsters. No, really. Meg has teeth that are a little too sharp. Jo gets furry under the full moon. Beth goes night flying on wings that are impossible to hide under her sweaters. And Amy? Well, don’t let her near a body of water or she’ll start sprouting her mermaid’s tail.
Meg is sure their foster mom, Marmee, wouldn’t like any of this if she knew. And Jo’s best friend Laurie, the nice boy next door, would run screaming. To make matters worse, Meg’s small town outside of Salem is on edge. A vicious beast has been spotted in the forest, and Farmer Bhaer believes it’s responsible for his missing chickens. Meg is sure to be blamed if anyone realizes she’s a monster in disguise. And the closer it gets to Halloween, the surer the town is that something evil is hiding in the forest.
Meg doesn’t always remember what she gets up to at night, and sometimes, she wakes alone in a mossy part of the forest and has to find her way back. With John Brooke determined to find out just what Meg is hiding and locals working to uncover the monsters in their midst, Meg must find the culprit herself—or risk losing the little home she’s found with her sisters.
No Place on Earth by Andrea Beatriz Arango
From the Newbery Honor-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All, comes a moving novel with a touch of magic, where two boys find themselves in each other’s dreams and slowly help one another face the real world.
Since moving to Yellowstone National Park for his mom’s job, Gustavo Santos Costa has had a lot on his mind.
- For instance: bison stampedes. Did you know that bison can run three times faster than the average person?
- Also: Why do people always stand so close to boiling hot springs?!
- Finally: the bad dreams. Why have they only gotten worse since the move?
And that’s all before Gus somehow meets his classmate Kordell inside his dreams. While Gus avoids sleeping (and nightmares) at all costs, Kordell finds that dreams seem to be a welcome escape from his real life . . . until one day, they’re no longer enough. Gus may be the only person who can help Kordell. But when most things already feel too big to take on, how can Gus find the courage to be there for his friends?
In this powerful novel from the Newbery Honor-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All, two boys confront their fears—and their dreams—to save themselves and each other.
Secrets at Sparhawk Point by Anna Rose Johnson
To draw tourists to their declining coastal town, a group of children claim to have seen a mythic creature from Ojibwe legend, the storm-monster Mishipeshu. But when their plan backfires, they’ll need to convince everyone the beast is only make-believe. But. . . what if it isn’t?
1943. Sparhawk Point, Michigan may be a small town, but it’s home. For the Swedish Ahlstrom girls, it’s the only place they’ve ever known—a place they may have to leave if their father’s church can’t find more parishioners. The Ojibwe Robicheaux boys are struggling, too: their father is off at war, and a lack of tourists means no income from their two rental cottages. These kids can’t bear the thought of leaving. . . so they’ll have to make new residents come to them, and fast.
After spotting an unknown object in the water, they find their solution. Drawing on inspiration from Ojibwe stories of the mysterious Mishipeshu—the riser of storms on Lake Superior—the children spread stories of their very own “American Loch Ness monster” to bring curious visitors to their shores. But their plan works too well! People become afraid to visit. To save their families, they’ll need to convince everyone that the creature isn’t real. . . even if that may prove to be their biggest lie yet.
Secrets at Sparhawk Point is a timeless summer adventure from acclaimed Ojibwe voice Anna Rose Johnson, whose first two books—The Star that Always Stays and The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry—have received an avalanche of awards, nominations, and media spots. This is another flawless, insightful, and glowing novel that marries a Native American perspective with myth, history, and a classic storytelling voice.
See anything you like? Let us know in the comments.
Rodeo Hawkins and her ragtag gang of interdimensional outlaws may have saved the multiverse. . . but when a vengeful enemy’s plans spell disaster for this group of unlikely heroes, who’s going to save them?
JCB: Yes, enormously satisfying! I particularly love the panels where Nicole captures the intense emotions with the expressions of the characters. She makes their reactions to all the mayhem they’re experiencing both hilarious and heartfelt.
Coffee or tea?
Favorite book from childhood:
