Tag: HarperCollins

Posted in Horror, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Cosmic horror lets loose in the Hamptons?! You’ve Awoken Her

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

You’ve Awoken Her, by Ann Dávila Cardinal, (June 2025, HarperCollins), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063299559

Ages 12+

HOLY COW, folks, you are going to love this book. I’ve been on a bit of a spooky kick for a little bit, and this tale was everything I needed between two tidy covers. Gabriel – Gabi to his friends – is a kid living in Astoria, Queens. His best friend, Ruthie, has moved away and is living the posh life in the Hamptons, and he’s on his way to spend some time with her, despite a warning from a complete stranger on the train platform that “they’ve awoken her”. It’s New York, he figures it’s nonsense – despite that creepy feeling in his gut – and heads to the Hamptons, where he sees Ruthie is a party girl and so different from the girl he knew. And he’s not thrilled with her smug rich-boy boyfriend, Frost, either. When a woman drowns by the water at one of Frost’s parties, AND he sees what looks suspiciously like a tentacle near the drowning woman – he starts digging into the town’s secrets. When more residents start dying, Gabi knows that his discomfort is about so much more than Hamptons society: he’s sure Frost is behind this somehow. Now, he just has to convince Ruthie that he’s not jealous of her new boyfriend or new lifestyle. Cardinal hooks readers from page one and doesn’t let up, introducing exciting characters and creepy scenarios. She also takes on Lovecraft by reframing cosmic horror in an inclusive, diverse lens: Gabi is Puerto Rican; there are LGBTQ+ characters in the story. More importantly, Cardinal addresses Lovecraft’s shortcomings within the story while creating a new way of reading and enjoying works influenced by his ideas. Don’t miss this book – it’s a good one.

Posted in Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Divining the Leaves is magical

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Divining the Leaves, by Shveta Thakrar, (March 2025, HarperCollins), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063255265

Ages 13+

Ridhi is a 17-year-old young woman deeply connected to nature: she blends flora into delectable scents, wears flower crowns, and feels the trees as if they speak to her, and she wants desperately for the nature spirits – yakshas – to allow her entry into the enchanted forest. Nilesh is a young man who used to be her friend but has veered away from the “weird girl” with flowers in her hair. Nilesh’s world falls apart when he discovers that not only are his parents divorcing, but that their marriage has been an illusion for years. He gets suspended from school and sent to live with Ridhi’s family while his parents sort themselves out. While staying with Ridhi’s family, Nilesh encounters Kamini, part of the Yaksha court. He’s smitten, but Kamini’s affections may not be all they seem to be. Meanwhile, Ridhi has made connections of her own in the Yaksha world, striking up a deal with one of the noblewomen of the Yaksha court. The nobles are playing the mortals like chess pieces, but the mortals have their own agendas. Rich with Hindu and Buddhist mythology, Thakrar allows Divining the Leaves readers to get lost in the beauty of the writing. She creates a story that invites readers – like her main characters – to escape from the frustrations of daily living to get lost in the magical beauty of the enchanted forest and the Yaksha court and Night Market. Invite readers to create their own flower crowns and nature-inspired art projects to extend an activity for this beautifully woven story. Invite your fantasy readers to get lost in this world.

Posted in Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

2025 is all about the dragons: A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Language of Dragons, by S.F. Williamson, (Jan 2025, HarperCollins), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063353848

Ages 13+

Dragons have always been popular, but 2025 is shaping up to be THE year for Dragon Lit. We all know about Onyx Storm hitting shelves later this month, but do you know about A Language of Dragons? Pull up a chair, let’s talk. Set in an alternate London in 1923, dragons are in the world but it’s an uneasy existence with humans. A rigid class system is in place that moves people up and down among classes like chess pieces. Viv Featherswallow isn’t concerned with any of this, though. She’s got a level of privilege as a member of the Second Class, and has her life sorted: she’s going to get a summer internship studying dragon languages and attain a comfortable job as a dragon translator. She may have done some awful things to keep her comfortable spot, but she did what she has to do. Until the night her parents are arrested for being part of a rebellion. Viv’s world is turned upside down; desperate, she leaves her sister with family friends, focused on one task that will destroy evidence against her parents. All she has to do is free one dragon. By midnight, she’s sparked a civil war. Viv is brought to Bletchley Park as a codebreaker – translate the dragons’ hidden language, and she and her family will go free. But it’s never that simple, and the more Viv discovers about the hidden language, the more she learns about the Peace Agreement between Britannia and the dragons, and the corruption that goes all the way to the top: the Prime Minister. Will Viv give the Prime Minister the information she needs, putting all of dragonkind at risk, or will she risk her family’s safety? A Language of Dragons has it all: a conflicted heroine, a romance, and a richly layered story with very high stakes. Unputdownable for fantasy fans and dragon aficionados.

A Language of Dragons has a starred review from School Library Journal.

Posted in Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate, Middle Grade, picture books

Holiday Shopping Suggestions!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’m back with more holiday book shopping ideas! Let’s see what we have today:

For the young entrepreneur:

Ryder K The Mini Boss: The Littlest Hands, Yet the Biggest Dreams, by Cheyenne Davis, Margaret Bowdre, & Ryder K Wharton/Illustrated by Niles Britwum, (Nov. 2024, Kingston Imperial), $16.99, ISBN: 9781954220782

Ages 5-9

Many will recognize 7-year-old entrepreneur and her mother, Cheyenne Davis, from MTV’s Teen Mom series. Here, Ryder tells the story of how she created her own nail polish line. The book features Ryder’s mom, Cheyenne, and her family, all who support Ryder in her efforts. With messages of empowerment and creativity, Ryder K The Mini Boss shows positive images of children and families of color. Ryder’s mom guides her through the process of becoming a “mini boss” with keywords written on a whiteboard: “Passion! Patience! Persistence! Play!” and Ryder still comes across as a playful child, pondering the upsides of abeing a “mini boss”: “Can I buy all the toys I want? I am a mini boss. Can I have candy every day? I am a mini boss”. An additional purchase.

 

 

For the middle grader who loves crafting:

The Best Friend Bracelet, by Nicole D. Collier, (Oct. 2024, HarperCollins), $18.99, ISBN: 9780063326163

Ages 8-12

Zariah (“like Mariah Carey, but with a Z”) has a tidy little business making best friend bracelets for classmates at Hurston Middle School. She puts a lot of thought into the process; her customers fill out a profile on their best friend so that Zariah can choose the right beads and make the perfect bracelet. The irony is, Zariah has no best friend: she suffered a best friend breakup that she’s still reeling from, but she hopes to have a bestie again one day. After inspiration strikes on a trip to the bead store, Zariah creates a stunning bracelet that goes viral on her school’s social media platform, but this bracelet is different: everyone who tries on the bracelet becomes Zariah’s best friend! Zariah uses this as the opportunity to audition new best friends, but her parent aren’t as thrilled with her bracelet as everyone at school is: her grades have been dropping and her mom lays down the ultimatum: pull those grades up, or lose the beading supplies. Zariah turns to a school loner for help… but could she be the best friend that Zariah’s needed? A fun story about best friends and learning that one size doesn’t fit all, readers will love Zariah’s voice and creativity.

The Best Friend Bracelet has a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

 

For the fantasy reader:

Princess Betony and the Unicorn (Princess Betony, Book 1), by Pamela Freeman/Illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $6.99, ISBN: 9781684647156

Ages 7-10

Princess Betony is a young princess surrounded by overbearing courtiers. The daughter of a human king and a dryad who retains a human form, Betony’s governess, Lady Pineal, complains and berates her and her father’s chancellor is rude and blustering. Betony longs to learn more about her mother’s Wild Magic, much to Lady Pineal’s and the Lord Chancellor’s chagrin. When Princess Betony sees her mother heading toward the forest one morning, she runs after her, afraid her mother has left her; she discovers other dryads who set her on a quest – catch a unicorn! – to prove she has the Wild Magic; then and only then will she be able to find her mother. With a seemingly impossible task against her, Princess Betony relies on her determination and her legacy as a child of a tree spirit. Storytelling has fantasy elements and black-and-white illustrations throughout and readers will quickly find themselves fans of Betony, who has a strong sense of who she is, a love of family, and a curious streak. Princess Betony and the Unicorn is the first in a series of four adventures, originally published in Australia from 2012-2014.

 

For the lovable and mischievous book-lover:

Nibbles the Very Hungry Book Monster, by Emma Yarlett, (Sept. 2024, Kane Miller), $17.99, ISBN: 9781684647897

Ages 5-8

Nibbles has long had a place in my heart – my middle schooler was a big fan as a little guy, and I’ve never grown tired of this goofy little book monster’s escapades. Nibbles is up to his usual silliness in this latest book, which is chock full of flaps and die-cuts as Nibbles chomps his way through a series of books, leaving holes in hilarious spots: a cookbook sports a peek a Nibbles’s bottom sticking out of a cake pan; a Hansel and Gretel cover has been chewed away to show Nibbles running at full speed; Old Macdonald Had a Farm shows Nibbles’s head peeking out atop the cow’s body. The little yellow monster gorges himself until he comes to the book’s close and his little crate: but will he go in, or will he eat his way through that, too? Great for an interactive readaloud or a scavenger hunt (just print a few Nibbles coloring pages here and set them around!), Nibbles is an enduring character whose antics always make for fun.

 

 

 

Posted in Teen, Tween Reads, Young Adult/New Adult

Being a Jane Austen Murder Mystery Spin-Off: In Want of a Suspect by Tirzah Price

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

In Want of a Suspect (A Lizzie & Darcy Mystery), by Tirzah Price, (Nov. 2024, HarperCollins), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063278028

Ages 12+

The Jane Austen Murder Mysteries brought some of the author’s favorite characters to cozy mystery life, but author Tirzah Price gives us more in a new spin-off starring Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy! In Want of a Suspect features Lizzie, working as a solicitor in her father’s firm, and Darcy working as a solicitor in his family’s firm, Pemberley. Lizzie’s called in to investigate a suspicious warehouse fire and locate a person of interest seen at the location… which leads Lizzie to a woman Darcy once courted. When the key suspect turns up dead and Lizzie doggedly refuses to give up her investigation, she may be putting her own life on the line next. The interaction between Lizzie and Darcy makes the story. It’s alternately playful and cautious as the two blend their personal and professional lives and navigate expectations of young men and women in Austen’s time. Lizzie’s feelings for Darcy are in direct conflict with the knowledge that she would be expected – not by Darcy, but society – to leave her work and become a homemaker; Darcy feels the pressure to declare his intentions to Lizzie’s parents if he calls on her at home, relying instead on accompanying her on her investigations. The mystery itself is perfectly cozy, with the deaths occuring off-page; plot twists keep the whodunnit moving. You don’t need to have read the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries to jump into In Want of a Suspect, but it will be helpful as Price refers to previous events. Other characters from Austen’s novels make appearances. If you have mystery fans and Austen readers – YA and beyond! – this is a great add to your shelves.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Apocalyptic Bargains! Check out Aisle Nine!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Aisle Nine, by Ian X. Cho, (Sept. 2024, HarperCollins), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063206809

Ages 13+

Jasper is a 17-year-old checkout clerk working in the local discount store. He puts up with all the things store clerks do, like bickering customers or customers who want to use one coupon for an entire shelf’s worth of toilet paper. The one thing that sets Jasper apart is that his store has a demonic portal in Aisle 9. It’s been closed off to the general public, sure, but every now and then, something will come through and he has to help shut the store down until the entity is dealt with. Jasper also has amnesia, so he has no idea what his life was like before, but he’s heard from everyone around him that Hell Portal Day – the day portals opened up all over the world and the demons attacked – was pretty terrible. He’s pretty sure, from the claw marks in his carpet, that he lost his parents on Hell Portal Day, too. His store manager lets staff know that the coming Black Friday – the start to holiday shopping season – is going to be the biggest one in recent memory, and as Jasper tries piecing together bits of his memory, he learns more and more about Hell Portal Day, the corporate entity that claims to protect the citizenry from the demons, and even the people he work with. Bitingly witty, Cho introduces us to a hero we can root for while taking aim at corporations monetizing terror in a way that readers will laugh at and shake their heads in agreement with. Supporting characters, including an adorable sidekick and a strong female love interest, make things even more interesting. Cho deftly mixes comedy with horror and a touch of romance in a dystopian setting. This is a great choice for YA collections.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

From generation to generation: Still There Was Bread

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Still There Was Bread, by Lisl H. Detlefesen/Illustrated by David Soman, (Oct. 2024, HarperCollins), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063216556

Ages 4-8

The warmth of a family kitchen comes through the pages in this intergenerational story of baking, family, and love. A young boy awaits his grandmother’s arrival, a big moment on the rise: he’s going to learn to make “Nana Rolls”: a special family bread that “Nana’s mama taught my mama when she was my age, and now Nana is going to teach me”. The two don their aprons and get to work and Nana relates stories of how different generations made the bread through the years; the boy reflects on the differences from then to now: his great-great grandmother had to collect eggs from the chicken coop, where he just has to go to the store; she had to mix the dough by hand, rather than with a mixer; she had to use a woodburning stove, where he just has to preheat an electric oven. Going deeper, the story of bread – and family – as sustenance links generations through the Depression, polio, and the Covid pandemic. The boy and his grandmother talk about breads across different cultures “for times they can be together and times they can’t”, like naan, challah, fry bread, and other breads. Soman’s pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations glow with warmth, the front endpapers showcasing different types of breads across a blue-and-white checked tablecloth pattern. Soman makes wonderful use of natural light to add depth. Back matter includes an author’s note and a recipe for her grandmother’s “Nana Rolls”, the inspiration for the story. A heart-filling story that works for storytime and any time.

 

Posted in Animal Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Frankie and Amelia is a great buddy story

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Frankie and Amelia, by Cammie McGovern, (Oct. 2021, HarperCollins), $16.99, ISBN: 9780062463326

Ages 8-12

Franklin is a cat who ends up separated from his family. He finds a temporary home with a family, where he meets a dog named Chester, a service dog to a boy with autism named Gus. But Gus’s dad is allergic to Franklin, so he ends up with one of Gus’s classmates, a girl named Amelia, who loves cats, and who really needs a good friend.

Frankie and Amelia is a the companion book to Chester and Gus (2017), but you don’t need to have read it to enjoy Frankie and Amelia. It’s a gentle story about found families, inclusion, and autism, particularly how it’s often missed in girls. The story is narrated by Franklin, who grows as a character as the story progresses and he learns more about and becomes more sensitive to his adopted humans, Gus and Amelia. Chester, a seasoned seizure response dog, is Franklin’s guide into this new world and provides an incredible amount of information to readers on autism and the sensitivity that companion animals provide to their charges. Cammie McGovern, the parent of a child with autism, writes with an understanding and sensitivity to the topic, and creates characters that are kind, realistic, and lovable. By exploring the relationship between pets and people, she’s able to give readers a new understanding of autism, how people with autism are often perceived by others, and how autism presents differently in boys and girls.

A must-have for your shelves.

 

Posted in Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Dan Unmasked: Everyone has a story

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dan Unmasked, by Chris Negron, (June 2021, HarperCollins), $7.99, ISBN: 9780062943071

Ages 8-12

Nate and Dan are best friends. They share a love of baseball and a love of comic books, especially Captain Nexus by comics legend George Sanderson. They’re always talking, always together, until an accident at baseball practice leaves Nate in a coma. Dan feels crushing guilt that he caused the accident and desperately comes up with an idea that HAS to work: convinced that Nate is trapped, like Captain Nexus in his latest storyline, he’s going to create a comic that will show Nate the way out. He joins forces with Nate’s brother, Ollie, and Courtney, a friend from school to plot out a storyline that has to work. Right?

Dan Unmasked is as much a story of grief, loss, and recovery as it is about friendship, comics, and baseball. Chris Negron weaves all the parts of a middle schooler’s life together in his story, including parental relationships and relationships with school friends and teammates. He gives a reclusive comic book artist real life as a fully realized character with as rich a backstory as the main characters. Baseball fans will love the game narration; comics fans will love the comic book references he liberally sprinkles throughout. John David Anderson fans will easily jump into this story; it’s got that wonderful mix of the extraordinary and the everyday. Get this on your Summer Reading shelves.

The hardcover release (July 2020) of Dan Unmasked was an Independent Booksellers’ Debut Pick of the Season.  Author Chris Negron has a Dan Unmasked Curriculum Guide available for download at his author website.

Posted in Animal Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

The Endangereds: In this A-Team, the “A” stands for “Animals”

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Endangereds, by Philippe Cousteau & Austin Aslan/Illustrated by James Madsen, (Sept. 2020, HarperCollins), $16.99, ISBN: 9780062894168

Ages 10-13

This is a new adventure series that animal adventure fans are going to want to pay attention to. A team of endangered animals from all over the world – an orangutan, a narwhal, and a pangolin – meet at a rehabilitation and research facility called The Ark, and discover they are hyperaware. They can understand humans, and they can understand and communicate with each other. Nukilik, a polar bear, joins the Ark and is solely focused on one thing: going home. But when a mated pair of ferrets leave the Ark to be reintroduced into the wild and go missing, Nukilik joins the team as they launch into action to find their friends and discover an insidious plot to cause pure mayhem. A fun story, colorful characters with strong, standout personalities and solid backstories, and great pacing and dialogue, this is just nonstop action and great reading; there are strong themes of climate change and environmental encroachment that will appeal to younger readers, who will be motivated to think about our impact on the planet and how we can work to make things better for ourselves and the creatures we share this world with.

Philippe Cousteau, grandson of Jacques Cousteau and host of Xploration Awesome Planet, and award-winning author Austin Aslan – who also holds a master’s degree in Tropical Conservation Biology, have a great new series on their hands. I’m looking forward to seeing where the Endangereds go next!

Definite must-add for your animal fiction fans. Display and talk up with Tracey Hecht’s Nocturnals novels, The Lost Rainforest books by Eliot Schrefer, and Katherine Applegate’s The Ending series.