Archives for January 2025

 AS YOU WISH by Nashae Jones (out January 7th, 2025) where eighth grader Birdie has the chaos-loving West African trickster god offering to give her make the messy fight with her best friend, Deve, go away.

Middle schoolers are craving romance similar to classics from Meg Cabot and The Baby-Sitters Club, and Nashae perfectly captures that tween voice, making readers feel like they’re sitting down and chatting with their best friend.

This sweet and funny middle grade novel, with a dash of magic, offers the friends-to-more trope that tweens who love romance immediately pick up.

This is a fun and magical book!

Ten Purim Bears by Ron Atlas

Illustrations by Zach Horvath

The Collective Book Studio/February 4, 2025

$9.95 USD / $12.95 Canada

ISBN: 9781685552787

In Ten Purim Bears, one cheerful bear sits alone in a chair, waiting in anticipation for a festive surprise. Soon, another costumed friend joins, and then another, as one by one, ten playful bears gather to celebrate Purim together. With each new arrival, young readers will enjoy counting along, exploring the colorful costumes, and sharing in the excitement of what happens next.

This beautifully illustrated book combines simple counting and playful rhyming to engage children during the early learning stages. Parents and caregivers will love introducing little ones to the traditions of Purim, creating opportunities for storytelling, bonding, and celebrating together.

This delightful book is the perfect companion for family gatherings and holiday traditions, offering a joyful introduction to the customs and spirit of Purim and entertains and educates young readers while capturing the excitement of anticipation and celebration with friends, fostering meaningful emotional connections.

Perfect for preschoolers and early readers, Ten Purim Bears is more than a counting book—it’s a celebration of joy, friendship, and the enduring Jewish traditions of Purim.

In LILY’S DREAM (Aladdin; January 7, 2025; $18.99; Ages 4-8), a flightless fairy named Lily befriends a human girl named Willow and together, they create a safe space to learn from each other and grow despite their differences. And through their connection to the environment, they come together to inspire and build confidence in each other.

Lily is a young fairy determined to learn to fly just like the others who soar on shimmering, jeweled-colored wings, but she’s worried her own colorless wings will never lift her off the ground. Then she meets a young girl named Willow who helps her not only discover her special magic, but the truly magical gift of friendship.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR

Bea (Brittany) Jackson, the New York Times bestselling and award-winning illustrator of Parker Looks Up and Parker Shines On, attended the College for Creative Studies and was a grand prize winner of the L. Ron Hubbard’s Illustrator of the Future Award. In addition to her work as a children’s book artist and a character and concept artist, Bea’s art has been featured on books and comic covers as well as in various magazines. In 2021, Target launched Wondershop, a Christmas-themed collection, which included Bea’s art on gift bags, gift boxes, and wrapping paper. She lives in Detroit, Michigan.

This January, experience NFL Super Bowl champion Martellus Bennett’s picture book Dear Black Boy, a letter of encouragement to all boys of color who feel like sports is their only choice.

A different kind of coach for black and brown boys, and essential reading for children of every color, Dear Black Boy empowers kids to see new possibilities and follow their passions. Whenever self-doubt creeps in, they will find strength in its pages. With dreamlike illustrations that invite children to place themselves in the pages’ scenes, this uplifting picture book reminds kids that the biggest game they’ll ever play is the game of life. Off the courts and fields, people are rooting for them not as athletes, but as future leaders of the world.

Dear Black Boy will be available for purchase wherever books are sold on January 14, 2025.

For further information on Dear Black Boy please visit quarto.com.

On the surface, thirteen-year-old Kaya’s life is great. She lives in beautiful, beachy Lihiwai, Honolulu. She has ride-or-die best friends. She’s ultrasmart and killing it at school. She even works with a super-cute boy at her parents’ restaurant.

But she also has anxiety—serious anxiety, and she’s always had bad luck around the water. It’s hard to enjoy Hawaiian beaches when you’ve almost drowned more than once.

But as stranger and stranger things happen to Kaya around the sea, she realizes she has a special connection to it. Waves rise when she’s angry. Surf smooths when she’s calm. Fish come when she calls them. And when she learns the truth about her family and her divine ancestor, Mazu, she knows that she will need to connect with her most difficult emotions—or her potent powers may become dangerous to the people she loves.

KAYA OF THE OCEANby debut novelist Gloria L. Huang (Holiday House, January 7, 2025, Hardcover, eBook)is an exciting, fresh, and beautiful middle-grade fantasy about embracing who you really are. KAYA OF THE OCEAN gives tweens and their parents or guardians a jumping off point to discuss their own mental health, immigrant experience, and the complexities of growing up. Already selected as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection as well as the ALA’s Indies Introduce List spotlighted debuts, KAYA OF THE OCEAN is already impressing readers, booksellers and librarians. Kaya is sure to leave a mark on you, too! 

Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books. Images and information were also provided.

Happy New Year! Have a wonderful year of reading!

New Year, New Reads! Get started on that resolution to read more in 2025 with these bookishly fun new releases filled with wonder, new adventures, and sweet friends.

Sofia in Rome by Maria Castellucci Moore

Readers will love following Sofia on this epic journey through Rome as she discovers the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds of the city that make her feel alive. What better place to discover new things and appreciate the smaller things than in the Eternal City? This second book in this traveling mindfulness book series unites curiosity and wonder through exploring new places. Sometimes it’s the littlest things that bring you the greatest joy.

Mia and the Woodlands Mystery by Scott Haas

Deep in the heart of the woods, an exciting mystery is afoot! Join a lovable bear, a wise old owl, and many of their other forest friends on an inspiring adventure filled with friendship and teamwork. As they unravel the mystery surrounding the people-family living at the bottom of their mountain, they show young readers that when we work together, we can accomplish anything. Readers will love this enchanting tale filled with animals, nature, and the power of friendship.

Let it Glow by Marissa Meyer

When Aviva Davis and Holly Martin meet at the holiday pageant tryouts for their local senior’s center, they think they must be seeing double. While they both knew they were adopted, they had no idea they had a biological sibling, let alone an identical twin! The girls secretly trade lives, planning to stage a dramatic reveal to their families. Readers will enjoy this charming tale of sisterhood, family and holiday cheer as two virtual strangers swap homes causing lots of havoc.

Petit Pierre and His Wild Adventure By Johnette Downing

Petit Pierre has made a home for himself on the coast where Louisiana meets Mississippi, and now it is time for him to learn how to plunge-dive. Brown pelicans typically pick up this behavior by watching others do it. Will a new friend help Pierre learn how to dive? Young readers will follow his progress and, along the way, find out more about Gulf of Mexico marine life. Parents will love lessons on perseverance!

Happy New Year!

As you know, I am a big Snoopy fan! One of the biggest! So, I am thrilled about this first book!

LOVE FROM SNOOPY (on-sale now): Say I heart you with the world’s most loveable dog—the one-and-only Snoopy—in this uplifting and heartwarming picture book perfect for Valentine’s Day or any day of the year! Snoopy is a beagle with a heart of gold. Even when he’s soaring through the sky or having fun with other escapades, he has so much love for the rest of the Peanuts gang. Show your loved ones how much they’re adored with help from Charlie Brown’s best friend!

This would make a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift! One of my favorite pages in the book has Snoopy surfing and it simply says in response to Love…. “helps you catch that wave.”

LET IT GLOW  is a middle grade collaboration novel about twins separated at birth and adopted into families that celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas, from multi-New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer and award-winning author Joanne Levy. The girls secretly trade lives, planning to stage a dramatic reveal to their families at a pageant. 

Two virtual strangers swapping homes and holidays — what could possibly go wrong?

Here is a fun, sweet as sugar plum and satisfying as a latke story with a message about being open and curious to how holidays are celebrated by different faiths and cultures.

Happy January!

Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books to facilitate this post. Images and information were also provided.