Welcome to the New Release Spotlight for April 23rd! We’ve got lots of great new titles this week, including new books from E.K. Johnston, Alicia D. Williams, Wendy Orr, Brendan Wenzel, and a short story anthology edited by Hena Khan. YA looks strongest to me this week! This week’s top picks Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta (YA) Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams (MG) Two Together by Brendan Wenzel (PB) PRESENTATION LINKS: All April Spotlight presentations are all designed in Canva. The three presentations linked below will grow each week in April. By the last Spotlight of this month ..read more

It’s New Release Spotlight day again! I’ve got 14 new titles for you this week… My top picks: Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare by Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy (YA) A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan (MG) Paige Not Found by Jen Wilde (MG) PRESENTATION LINKS: The downloadable Spotlight presentations are back this month! Just a reminder that all April Spotlight presentations are all designed in Canva. I really like this option better than Google Slides that I used previously because I have a lot more control over things like background colors and line spacing in Canva. V ..read more

Happy Eclipse Day! We won’t see totality in my neck of the woods (only about 60% here), but we’re excited to watch anyway! This week’s Spotlight is a medium-sized one, so I added a couple of titles from last week to round it out. Middle grades looks best to me! My top picks: Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier (YA) The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (MG) The Sea Hides a Seahorse by Sara T. Behrman (picture book) PRESENTATION LINKS: The downloadable Spotlight presentations are back this month! Just a reminder that all April Spotlight presentations will be designed in Canva. The three present ..read more

Closing out this last week in March with yet another massive Spotlight! March was a huge month for new book releases, particularly for middle grades. I’m especially excited about two YA Greek mythology retellings, a middle grade story with a sentient typewriter as the narrator, plus a graphic novel adaptation of Francisco Jiménez’s The Circuit, which I read many years ago and loved. This week features some big authors, too! In addition to the authors mentioned in my top picks, we have new titles from Cece Bell, Aaron Becker, and K. Ancrum. Overall, a fantastic list to finish March 2024! My top ..read more

Another week of great book releases! The past two weeks have been massive for middle grades. This week, YA and picture books both look strongest, with lots of new and diverse titles. My top picks: The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le (YA) Louder Than Hunger by John Schu (MG) The House Before Falling Into the Sea by Ann Suk Wang (PB) – Possible Caldecott contender for 2025? This week’s Spotlight titles are #3927 – #3942 on The Ginormous Booklist.   Dark Fantasy The Last Bloodcarver Author: Vanessa Le Publication date: March 19, 2024 Genre: fantasy, dark fantasy Setting: luxurious estate ..read more

Out of Body by Nia Davenport is a YA body-swap adventure that teens will love! Great writing and a fun premise that will be oh-so-easy to booktalk with a roomful of teens. Highly-recommended for high school libraries! This review is spoiler-free until I get to the “What I Didn’t Like” section. I will warn you first, but this is your heads-up in case you plan to read Out of Body yourself. Thriller Out of Body Author: Nia Davenport Publication date: February 6, 2024 Genre: thriller, science fiction Setting: Atlanta, Georgia, USA Recommended for: Grades 9-12 Themes: high school, betrayal, iden ..read more

I loved this! Not the Worst Friend in the World is from debut author Anne Rellihan, who clearly understands 6th grade girl drama well. Is she a 6th grade teacher? A mom of multiple girls who were once 6th graders? No idea. She knows her audience though. Mystery Not the Worst Friend in the World Author: Anne Rellihan Publication Date: February 6, 2024 Genre: mystery, realistic fiction Setting: Catholic school in Mayfield, Missouri Recommended for: Grades 3-7 Themes: fighting with best friend, remorse over things said, kidnapping, proving oneself, family problems, making new friends, helping ..read more

Phew! Just when I think I’m taking a little break from the Spotlight, we get a second week in a row with lots of incredible titles. Once again, middle grades are the true stars this week. I’ve added NINE middle grade titles. A couple of them were holdovers that were published last week. My top picks: 49 Days by Agnes Lee (YA) – graphic novel about death and Buddhism Spying on Spies: How Elizebeth Smith Friedman Broke the Nazis’ Secret Codes by Marissa Moss (MG) – Great for puzzle lovers and code crackers! Also an awesome choice for Women’s History Month. The Book That Can Read Your Mind b ..read more

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha is a gorgeous story set in 16th Century Korea, under the Joseon Dynasty. The illustrations are gorgeous. For me, the story starts off fantastic but fizzles out in the middle and ending. Graphic Fiction The Fox Maidens Author: Robin Ha Publication date: February 13, 2024 Genre: historical fiction, mythology, graphic fiction Setting: 16th Century Korea; during the Joseon dynasty Recommended for: Grades 8+ Themes: nine-tailed foxes, Gumiho, demons, destiny, family secrets, traditional female roles, sexism, warriors, menstruation, LGBT+, murder Protagonist: female, a ..read more

We’ve got a great Spotlight this week! Middle grades look especially strong. They look so great, in fact, that I am still finding new ones after this post went live. I will include those on next week’s list, which is also going to be a great one for middle grades! A reminder that there is no Google Slides presentation or printable list of the new titles this month. I am taking a much-needed break! This week’s top picks: The Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming (YA) One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome (MG) – I think this one will be HUGE! Partly Cloudy by Deborah Freedman (picture book) – Great ..read more