Kid Lit News: Released This Week

Check out these exciting children's and middle grade books that were released just this week! Personally, I have been eagerly anticipating Some Kind of Courage ever since I read Dan Gemeinhart's gorgeously written The Honest Truth. But I am also a huge fan of anything that Jennifer Nielsen writes and I really love that the talented Holm team has started a graphic novel series for very young readers.

So, without further ado - here is the latest and greatest...

I'm Grumpy (My First Comics)

By Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm

From the bestselling creators of Babymouse and Squish and the author of The Fourteenth Goldfish comes a new comic board-book series about feelings! Eisner Award winners Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm use panel frames, speech balloons, and thought bubbles to teach children how to read a story. In I’m Grumpy, a grumpy cloud upsets his friend Sunny and must make amends. A sweet, funny, and simple introduction to the impact that emotions can have on those around you

Girl & Gorilla: Out and About

By Rick Walton, illustrated by Joe Berger

Girl and Gorilla are best friends. Girl and Gorilla want to play at the park. But how will they get there? They can . . . Hopscotch! Or jump rope! Maybe they can just close their eyes and wish they were there! But when they open their eyes . . . they are not at the park. Will Girl and Gorilla ever get to play at the park?

Frankencrayon

By Michael Hall

This picture book has been canceled. Wait. How can we be on the front flap of a canceled book? Good question.

Grady Gets Glasses

By Dede Rittman

GRADY GETS GLASSES is for children 2-8 years old, with or without glasses, who like rhymes, fun illustrations, and bunnies. Grady – the rabbit with glasses – is the narrator, and he describes how his new glasses help him to see the world so much better. Grady even explains “near-sighted” and “far-sighted” in simple terms, and he shows the reader how his glasses help him to see everything in his world clearly!

Comics Squad: Lunch!

By Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Dan Santat, Raina Telgemeier, Dav Pilkey, Dave Roman, Eric Wight, Ursula Vernon, Gene Luen Yang

Wowza! Calling all kidz! Do you like comics? Do you like laughing till milk comes out of your nose?! Look no further—do we have the book for you! All your favorite comic creators are right here in this handy-dandy hilarious book! This all-star tribute to classic Sunday comics includes eight sidesplitting, action-packed stories about every kid’s favorite subject—RECESS! With popular characters from Babymouse and Lunch Lady and brand-new soon-to-be favorite characters from superstars including Dav Pilkey! Raina Telgemeier! Gene Yang! and many more! Comics Squad also features Pizza Monsters! Secret ninja clubs! Aliens! Talking desserts! Dinozilla! Death-defying escapes! Bad guys! Good guys! Medium guys! Superheroes! Bullies! Mean girls! Epic battles! True love! Outlandish schemes! Evil plans! Fun! Jokes! Terrible puns! And other surprises that will tickle your funny bone! WARNING: THIS BOOK MAY CAUSE EXCESSIVE LAUGHTER AND POSSIBLE SILLINESS. No assembly required. (Pizzatron 2000 not included.)

Audacity Jones to the Rescue

By Kirby Larson

Audacity Jones is an eleven-year-old orphan who aches for adventure, a challenge to break up the monotony of her life at Miss Maisie's School for Wayward Girls. Life as a wayward girl isn't so bad; Audie has the best of friends, a clever cat companion, and plenty of books to read. Still, she longs for some excitement, like the characters in the novels she so loves encounter. So when the mysterious Commodore Crutchfield visits the school and whisks Audie off to Washington, DC, she knows she's in for the journey of a lifetime. But soon, it becomes clear that the Commodore has unsavory plans for Audie--plans that involve the president of the United States and a sinister kidnapping plot. Before she knows it, Audie winds up in the White House kitchens, where she's determined to stop the Commodore dead in his tracks. Can Audie save the day before it's too late?

Spirit Week Showdown

By Crystal Allen

Kristin Rens at HarperCollins imprint Balzer + Bray has acquired Crystal Allen's middle grade series, Magnificent Mya Tibbs, about a fourth grader who defeats her best frenemy and saves the school “bully.” The first book,Spirit Week Showdown, is set for winter 2016; Jennifer Rofé at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.

Some Kind of Courage

By Dan Gemeinhart

Joseph Johnson has lost just about everyone he's ever loved. He lost his pa in an accident. He lost his ma and his little sister to sickness. And now, he's lost his pony--fast, fierce, beautiful Sarah, taken away by a man who had no right to take her. Joseph can sure enough get her back, though. The odds are stacked against him, but he isn't about to give up. He will face down deadly animals, dangerous men, and the fury of nature itself on his quest to be reunited with the only family he has left. Because Joseph Johnson may have lost just about everything; but he hasn't lost hope. And he hasn't lost the fire in his belly that says he's getting his Sarah back--no matter what.

Rise of the Wolf (Mark of the Thief #2)

By Jennifer A. Nielsen

Nic may have escaped enslavement in the mines outside of Rome, but his troubles are far from over. The Praetor War—the battle to destroy Rome from within—is in full force, and Nic is caught in the crossfire. The secretive Praetors are determined to unlock a powerful amulet—one sure to bring the empire to its knees. Worse, the Praetors believe Nic holds the key to finding this amulet, and they will stop at nothing to steal it, even if that means harming the people Nic holds most dear. When the Praetors capture Nic’s mother, Nic knows he must do anything to save her. He challenges the Praetors to a chariot race. If he wins, they will release his mother. But if he loses, he must hand over a magic that will certainly destroy Rome and end his own life. Can Nic once again harness his magic and gather the strength to defeat his enemies? Or will he lose his mother and bear witness to Rome’s destruction?

Anna and the Swallow Man

By Gavriel Savit

Kraków, 1939. A million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. This is no place to grow up. Anna Łania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father, a linguistics professor, during their purge of intellectuals in Poland. She’s alone. And then Anna meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall, a skilled deceiver with more than a little magic up his sleeve. And when the soldiers in the streets look at him, they see what he wants them to see. The Swallow Man is not Anna’s father—she knows that very well—but she also knows that, like her father, he’s in danger of being taken, and like her father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced. She follows him into the wilderness. Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgment, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous. Even the Swallow Man.

Now, if you will excuse me... I need to head to the bookstore.

#kidlitnews #justreleased #january2016