Archives for October 11, 2026

Wanna declutter your house and your life this Fall? This book is a must-buy!

The secret to decluttering sentimental items isn’t getting tougher about what you throw away, it’s getting smarter about how you preserve the memory.

Organizing expert Laura Wittmann provides a realistic take in her new book, Clutter Rehab: 101 Tips and Tricks to Declutter Your Home and Organize Your Space [Ulysses Press; May 2026]. 

Her philosophy? You don’t have to keep the object to keep the meaning.

One of Wittmann’s strategies is what she calls “Remember in Pictures,” taking photos of sentimental items before letting them go. Old trophies, childhood mementos, inherited knickknacks, stacks of artwork stuffed in closets… The photo becomes the memory trigger without the physical clutter taking over your home.

“The biggest reason we hang onto stuff is the memories attached to the item,” Wittmann said. “The memory is inside of us, not in the object itself, although I do agree that it helps to have a memory trigger.”

Her method helps families navigate overflowing keepsake bins, crowded garages, and emotional attachment to “stuff.” In Clutter Rehab, Wittmann also shares practical systems for managing children’s memorabilia without drowning in paper clutter, including memory binders organized by school year and designated keepsake totes that create healthy boundaries around what’s truly worth saving.

“I always ask myself, ‘Is this my memory or theirs?’” Wittmann said. “What we hang on to is what is important to them, not me.”

About the Author
Laura Wittmann is the founder of the popular blog I’m an Organizing Junkie (www.orgjunkie.com), a website dedicated to providing encouragement and education for organized living with a good dose of fun. She loves to help overwhelmed families learn to manage their clutter and chaos so they can experience the joy that comes with peaceful, organized homes. Laura lives in Alberta, Canada, where she is addicted to the “high” that comes from living a life of simplicity and order and is always on the lookout for her next “fix.”

Self Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book to feature. The cover image was also provided.

OUR FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK by Ashley Franklin and Rahele Jomepour is a fun book for kids to read! Young kids will enjoy the story and characters.

In the follow-up to the bestselling and beloved Our Favorite Day of the Year, Musa and his friends return to share their favorite days of the week and why each day is special to them.

The heartwarming lesson of this story is that every day can be special to someone and the reasons why we find a day special can be personal and meaningful, which offers an alternative, positive perspective to how days of the week are often talked about in popular culture (like Monday having negative connotations).

Like the first book, Our Favorite Day of the Week is set at school and features the conversations classmates have with each other, making it the perfect book for back-to-school reading.

Welcome to Broadway by Carolyn Sloan (On Sale 9/15/26; $29.99)! The newest addition to the widely successfulWelcome to Music! series, Welcome to Broadwayis an interactive picture book about the history of musicals, complete with 12 sound buttons that play iconic show tunes, sung by real Broadway stars! 

Follow three adorable pigeons as they explore New York City’s famous theater district and learn about musical theater while listening to classic songs sung by Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning performers, such as “For Good,” from Wicked (sung by Alyssa Fox and Janine LaManna), “Mama Will Provide” fromOnce on This Island (sung by Lilias White), “Tomorrow” fromAnnie(sung by Avery Hope), and many more. 

Readers ages 4 and up will embark on a dazzling adventure through Arief Putra’s lively illustrations, learning all the sensational elements of a Broadway show, from patter songs and ballads to costumes and choreography. 

This interactive book features seven of the best of today’s K-Pop girl groups. Can you help K-Pop Demon Hunters’ HUNTR/X battle the demons through a Golden maze? Or prove you’re the ultimate Blackpink stan with a pretty savage crossword? Test your loyalty with a TWICE Bias bingo? Decode LE SSERAFIM song titles? Explore the 32 pages of activities, then decorate your life with 16 sheets of full color stickers featuring song references and music video iconography. 

This unique fanbook is filled with puzzles, games, stickers, and symbols from hit songs, albums, and band lore. This book is recommended for ages 7 and up.

Puzzle-a-Story: Pizza Night by Margot Nicoletta, illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens. This unique book has built-in, reversible puzzle pieces that readers collect throughout the book, then fit together to create a pizza pie on the final page! 

It’s pizza night! Gather all the ingredients and learn how to make a pizza from scratch with Grandma. Toss the dough, simmer the sauce, and spread the cheese. Collect the 4 ingredient puzzle pieces, flip them over to “bake,” and put them together to assemble your delicious feast! Little ones will love this fun book!

 NIGHT OF MADNESS by New York Times bestselling author Ryan Douglass is perfect for the Halloween season!

Mara is a horror buff whose only fond memories of her dad are bonding over movies by Jack Stanley—the producer of the eighties. Stanley’s campy slasher movies may have kept Mara’s fraught parental relationship on life support and gained a cult following, but the man himself has faded from the public eye…until he announces a contest centered around Asylum, his most terrifying film. Five teen influencers will be invited to spend the night on the fully constructed set; whoever sticks it out until morning wins a hundred thousand dollars.

Stuck in a dead-end job, Mara seriously needs that cash. She may not be a famous influencer, but there has to be a way to manufacture an online presence that will capture Stanley’s attention. With the help of her brother and best friend, Mara finds some creative solutions to her dilemma and lands herself onto the roster of the lucky chosen few by way of her engaging authenticity.

When Mara and the other contestants arrive on set, it’s a horror fan’s dream being immersed in the asylum setting, but as the night wears on, they realize the danger is more than movie magic… They’re not there to win or lose but to live or die. As Mara fights to survive, she discovers an inner ruthlessness she didn’t know she had. Just how far will she go to see the sunrise—and will she still recognize herself by the end?

For the first printing only! This hardcover features sprayed stenciled edges while the special edition supply lasts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ryan Douglassis the author of young adult horror novel The Taking of Jake Livingston, a New York Times bestseller and an ALA Rainbow Book List Pick; The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay, a reimagining of The Great Gatsby set in 1920s Harlem; and Night of Madness, a collaboration with the company behind Clown in a Cornfield. His work explores the ways young people fight to survive in hostile worlds. He lives in Atlanta with his dog and spends his free time baking ambitious desserts and scoping out true crime documentaries.

Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books. Cover images were also provided.

After decades of being blown to bits by bombs, demolished by dynamite, mangled by magnets, battered by boulders, trampled by trains, tricked by tunnels, sprung by springs, steamrolled by steamrollers, maligned by misfires, bedeviled by bungees, rattled by rockets, backstabbed by bat suits, rocked by rocket skates, upended by unicycles, quaked by quake pills, rubberized by rogue bands, and hurled headlong off every cliff in the Southwest, Wile E. Coyote (Genius) finally fights back. Teaming up with billboard accident lawyer Kevin Avery, he takes on slick corporate counsel Buddy Crane and ACME, Inc., the profit-obsessed conglomerate behind every one of the Coyote’s chaotic catastrophes.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Braedyn M. says: “The best way to sum up Coyote vs. ACME – pure, hilarious, cartoon chaos. Combining a mix of live-action and animation, classic Looney Tunes antics, and a story full of plot twists, this movie had me laughing on the edge of my seat the whole time.” Kennedy P. adds, “Get ready to laugh, because this film is absolutely Looney TUNES! Coyote vs. ACME is a hilarious celebration of the ultimate underdog, Wile E. Coyote, packed with gags, slapstick comedy and classic cartoon fun that fans know and love. I especially love seeing so many classic Looney Tunes characters make appearances throughout the movie. The combination of live action and animation is so much fun and reminds me of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Mary Poppins.” See their full reviews and interviews below.

Coyote vs. ACME
By Braedyn M., KIDS FIRST Film Critic, age 17

The best way to sum up Coyote vs. ACME – pure, hilarious, cartoon chaos. Combining a mix of live-action and animation, classic Looney Tunes antics, and a story full of plot twists, this movie had me laughing on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Meet Wile E. Coyote, a rather unique individual whose only goal in life is to catch the infamous Roadrunner.  Using equipment and weapons provided by the megacorporation ACME, he dedicates his days to finding any way possible to catch this bird; but the thing is, anytime he uses ACME products, he gets trampled, blown-up, smashed, crashed, or otherwise obliterated in countless ways.  After one too many times that an ACME item backfires (quite literally) in his face, he decides to sue the company itself for defective products with help from down-on-his-luck human lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) and his determined and a bit stubborn niece, Paige Avery (Lana Condor).  What starts out as a simple lawsuit turns intense when the court is in session; old enemies are reunited, and a haunting ACME secret is discovered.  Now, it’s up to the Coyote, Kevin, and Paige to find what’s hiding behind closed doors, assemble their case, and share the truth. 

I love this film’s unique blend of live-action and animation.  Though this movie is set in the real world, everywhere you look there are characters, items, or places that could only be found in the land of Looney Tunes.  I had the opportunity to ask director Dave Green what it was like mixing cartoons and real-life during production.  He informed me that the actors were able to actually interact with Wile E. Coyote during filming, thanks to the use of a life size Coyote puppet that moved and acted exactly as he does in the film; it was almost like having Wile E. Coyote as a co-star.  Will Forte and Lana Condor’s interaction with their animated cast members make their presence feel real even though they aren’t fully there during filming.  Coupling that with advanced film technology that allows for increased cartoon and human interaction, I found this line-up of characters to be truly ground-breaking. The storyline itself is a multilayered twisting and turning mystery, with only a few moments being hard to follow.  Showing how a simple incident can expand to literally decide the future of the Coyote and ACME gives intensity to the adventure, definitely more than what I expected.  But no matter how serious the quest, whenever there are cartoons, there is sure to be humor.  Wherever our pay Coyote finds himself, he’s always ready to laugh and light up a room, sometimes by unintentionally setting things or himself on fire.  All these elements and more make Coyote vs. ACME a true knee-slapping adventure, one that I and my family enjoyed.

This film’s message is to never give up on your goals, no matter how distant or far-fetched they may seem.  Taking on a megacorporation like ACME has its challenges, but trying to expose the corruption hidden deep beneath the surface is even more daunting.  And, although it seems impossible, our crazy Coyote and his determination shows Kevin, Paige, and everyone how to try, try again, and eventually succeed.

I give Coyote vs. ACME 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18, plus adults. Check it out when it pops into theaters on August 28, 2026!

Coyote vs. ACME Movie
By Kennedy P., KIDS FIRST!  Film Critic, age 12

Get ready to laugh, because this film is absolutely Looney TUNES! Coyote vs. ACME is a hilarious celebration of the ultimate underdog, Wile E. Coyote, packed with gags, slapstick comedy and classic cartoon fun that fans know and love. I especially love seeing so many classic Looney Tunes characters make appearances throughout the movie. The combination of live action and animation is so much fun and reminds me of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Mary Poppins. As a fan of cartoon adventure films like Space Jam, I loved this and recommend it to other cartoon fans.

After decades of being blown to bits by bombs, demolished by dynamite, mangled by magnets, battered by boulders, trampled by trains and basically tortured by every ACME invention imaginable, Wile E. Coyote (Eric Bauza) finally decides enough is enough. He fights back and teams up with billboard accident lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) to take on slick corporate attorney Buddy Crane (John Cena) and ACME, Inc., the profit-obsessed company behind all of the chaotic catastrophes. What starts as one desperate attempt to get justice turns into a hilarious adventure that puts Wile E. against the company that has been making his life miserable for decades.

This film has something for everyone, especially if you are a Looney Tunes fan.   I love how the animation and live action are blended in this film. The animated Looney Tunes characters fit naturally into the live-action world, creating a fun visual style that feels both nostalgic and fresh. Will Forte brings plenty of heart and humor as Kevin Avery, while John Cena is perfectly entertaining as the slick Buddy Crane. Of course, Eric Bauza, as Wile E. Coyote steals the show with his expressive reactions, determination and never-ending bad luck. The sets and locations create a bigger world for the story, while the mix of real locations, live-action characters and animation makes the movie feel like a giant Looney Tunes adventure come to life. The movie celebrates the underdog, standing up for yourself and believing that you can make a difference even when the odds are completely against you. It is a fun reminder that sometimes you have to keep chasing your goal, no matter how many times you get knocked off the cliff.

The film’s message is about fighting for what is right and refusing to give up, even when things get difficult. Wile E. Coyote may constantly find himself on the wrong end of an ACME invention, but he never stops trying.

I give Coyote vs. ACME 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18, plus adult.  It releases in theaters August 28, 2026. Look for it!