Here they are, the very best books of 2015 by category. Quickly peruse some of the best writing on offer from the previous year and get up to speed on what to read, or what to give as a gift to the avid book fan in your life.
Fiction
Rising Strong is a self-help book for people who don’t like reading self-help books. It’s not an anecdotal, change your life with positive thoughts or visualizing abundance book. It’s one-hundred percent practical and research based. Texan Rene Brown lays out, in plain language, the commonalities between people who’ve been knocked down and gotten up again.
This fascinating chronicle of the Central Intelligence Agency is a non-fiction book that reads like an espionage thriller. It tells the story of Allen Dulles, long-time Director of the CIA, and his brother, John Dulles, a former Secretary of State. It’s an unflinching account of the lengths to which these two men went to battle the Soviets though the Cold War.
This profound and moving book by Hanya Yanagihara was a National Book Award finalist and made the short list for the Man Booker Prize and the Kirkus Award for fiction. This riveting story plumbs the depth of early trauma and the challenging road to recovery. Along the way it explores the importance of friendship, and the ability of humans to find light in the darkness.
Magda Szabo writes a disconcerting tale of a deep and unusual friendship between two very different women. Set in Communist Hungary, Emerence, the educated intellectual, and Magda, her uneducated housekeeper, develop an intense relationship that skirts on co-dependence. When Emerence writes a breakthrough book, there’s a shocking revelation you’ll have to read to believe.
This novel made the New York Times Best Seller List, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and was a top pick of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition Book Club. The tile evokes all the passion and intensity of a Greek Tragedy, and the story delivers. It’s a tale of love, marriage, honesty, dishonesty, and how one couple stays together through it all.
Rachel Cusk writes a spare, sleek novel that’s told through ten conversations with the various conversation the main character has as she teaches a summer creative writing course in Athens, Greece. It explores the nature of story and narrative in life, and questions whether anyone is capable of telling their own story with honest and objectivity.
This novel follows the story of Sonya, an Indian American who returns home when her father falls into a coma. Sonya reconnects with her sister, and as they get to know one another again, they remember disturbing facts about their family and themselves that are difficult to face. It’s a story of the liberating power of truth.
This satirical novel shows comic writer Paul Beatty at the height of his powers. The story follows a race trial, which begins at a black Chinese restaurant south of Los Angeles, and makes its way all the way to the Supreme Court. It explores issues related to race, the US Constitution, and father-son relationships.
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth
This coming-of-age novel explores the events following a family tragedy which lands the main character, Kevin, at his grandfather’s home in rural Kentucky. Told through memories, Kevin recalls the events surrounding the fight between a small town and the mining industry. The summer set the stage for Kevin’s adult life, and changed the town forever.
This is an intense tale of family love and loyalty that weaves contemporary world events into an exciting read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It follows the story of an Afghan family and their flight from home after the rise of the Taliban. They cross Iran, Greece, and finally Europe in search of place to rebuild.
Non-Fiction
The Oregon Trail is the stuff of legend. The westward expansion of the United States is filled with all the myth and lore that makes this phase of US history so fascinating. This tale follows a family as they take a covered wagon from Missouri to Oregon. It’s an illuminating, hilarious, myth busting account of adventure.
DARPA—the mysterious acronym for the Defense Department’s Advanced Research Programs—is the agency behind all the advances in military technology over the past half century. This is the first chronicle of DARP ever written. It’s a must for any conspiracy nut who wants the real story.
This New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller gives an inside glance at the world of computer-based crime. Everyone knows their data can be hacked, but in this book Marc Goodman brings to light the astounding lengths cyber criminals will go—and are going right now—to game the digital world.
This New York Times bestseller by Robert Kurson is more than simple historical non-fiction. It’s an exciting tale of action and intrigue about the search for a lost treasure ship. The real-life explorers Chatterton and Mattera realize they have to think like real pirates if they’re going to succeed.
This thoroughly researched and meticulously documented work tells the story behind the current opiate epidemic in the United States. Quinones illuminates the complex relationships that link big pharmaceutical companies, Mexican drug traffickers, and addicts in rural America. Black tar heroin is here. Quinones tells us how that happened.
This book is the mind-candy that grammar nerds and punctuation fundamentalists have been waiting for. Mary Norris spent over thirty years in the copy department of the New Yorker, so she’s an expert. Who or Whom? That or Which? Norris addresses these and other common writing mistakes and issues with wonderful style and sense of humor.
This shocking and revealing narrative by best-selling author Jon Krakauer addresses the issue of rape on college campuses. The story focuses on the horrible experiences of several women in the all-American college town of Missoula, Montana. Krakauer explains how their stories are emblematic of campus rape nationwide, and how the justice system fails rape victims every day.
Jen Hatmaker writes a book about Jesus for both religious and nonreligious alike. With humor and a sharp wit, she explains how to use his example as a way for women to navigate modern life. Her insight and cheer exposes insanity behind our material-driven, social-media obsessed culture and gives tips on how to move forward with grace.
Computer have changed everything in our lives, including romance. Comic writer Aziz Ansari partners with scientists to offer his hilarious insight on the impact of internet dating on contemporary matters of the heart. This is a must-read for anyone who’s ever swiped left or swiped right on their phone or had to wade through their matches online.
This #1 New York Times best-seller by acclaimed author Ta-Nehisi Coates has been called “required reading” by the likes of Toni Morrison. Coates’ latest work explores the current state of race relations in the United States. He uses the history and present to offer transformational vision of our future.
Romance
This lovely novel is a perfect choice for a beach or poolside read. New York Times bestselling author Julie James pens a tale of a divorce lawyer who’s sworn off marriage forever. But that all changes when she meets an investigative journalist who comes to town to find the man who got his sister pregnant.
Author Brenda Novak serves up an interesting, complex story of love and redemption. It’s got mystery, suspense, and rich, multi-faceted characters. The protagonist—Phoenix Fuller—goes to jail for a crime that she didn’t commit. She serves her time, and returns home to make things right.
# 1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover offers a new novel about the lengths one person will go to for love, and how sometimes love is found hidden between lies and half-truths. Auburn Reed falls hard for a mysterious artist. His past might be the key to their love, or it might be the end of it.
This year, author Sylvia Day released the fourth installment in the #1 New York Times bestselling Crossfire series. Critics rave that this is the best one yet, and fans will be thrilled to know that all their favorite characters are back, along with the emotion, mystery, and intensity of the first three installments.
Blockbuster international romance writer Danielle Steel does it again. This novel tells the story of Stephanie Adams, a stay at home mom who’s married to a successful lawyer. When her husband suddenly dies and Stephanie has a chance encounter with country music megastar Chase Taylor, her life changes forever.
The Watt Lake killer abducted Sarah Baker and held her against her will for months before she escaped. Sarah lost her marriage, her child, and everything. She changes her name to Olivia West, and tries to move on. But when a detective who worked her case shows up, the story continues.
Best-selling author Elle Kennedy teams up with Sarina Bowen to craft an intriguing tale of love, intrigue, regret, and—hockey. A man who’s already out and his best friend—who’s not—meet again at the national collegiate hockey championships. Kennedy and Bowen create a sizzling story about the love and buried romance between two male friends.
The # 1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward spins yet another installment in the wildly popular Black Dagger Brotherhood Series. Protagonist Trez, born into a life of sexual servitude, escapes and lives life on the run. With only his brother iAM to help, he’s faced with a decision: face his fate or risk it all for love.
Alexa Holland has a past that she’s desperately trying to put behind her. Her father is a disgraced hero who lived a double life. She meets Caine Carraway, also wounded by Alexa’s father. Alexa and Caine dive into a torrid affair which brings them to the edge of danger—and to each other.
Hannah and Garrett didn’t mean to end up together. They ended up on their date to help out their friends, and pursue different goals. But a chance kiss leads to a night of wild passion. Then they’re both faced with a whole new set of circumstances they never expected.
Teen
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
This coming of age and coming out novel has received overwhelming praise from critics and fans of teen fiction alike. Simon Speir gets busted for a compromising email when he leaves his computer terminal for a second. He spends the rest of the novel unraveling the events that follow.
This book targets the 7th -10th grade audience with a funny, heart-wrenching story of a teenage boy and girl who end up living together as common-law step-siblings. It addresses issues of acceptance, bigotry, bullying, and friendship. All put together, it’s a book about the true meaning of family.
It’s rare that the New York Times editorial review board puts a debut novelist on their Editor’s Choice list. However, this book by Adam Silvera makes the grade. It’s a complex coming of age story about a 16 year-old Puerto Rican boy name Aaron, growing up in the Bronx in the near future.
On the surface, this looks like an interracial YA romance that tells the story of star-crossed lovers in 1930’s Seattle. Little do they know it, but Flora and Henri are pawns in a high-stakes struggle between two immortal entities: Love and Death. If they fall in love, they live happily ever after. If they don’t, Death wins, and Flora dies.
In this # 1 New York Times bestselling novel, protagonist Mare Barrow lives in a world where fate is determined by the color of your blood. Mare discovers that she’s one-in-a-million: her blood is both Silver and Red. Then the fast-paced action begins, as the Silvers and Reds try to use Mare to their own ends—which don’t always coincide with her best interests.
This is the next installment in the # 1 New York Times bestselling series Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children Series. Library of Souls picks up right where Hollow City left off. In Hollow City, the children saved Miss Peregrine. In this story, the fate of all Peculiardom is at stake.
Set against an intriguing backdrop of tyranny and rebellion, this fascinating novel is testament to the strength of the human spirit against impossible odds. Elias, on the side of the tyrannical establishment, and Laia, one the side of the rebels, are drawn together by desire. Their journey toward one another is fraught with peril.
Madeleine Whittier is a girl in a bubble. Literally. She has a severe immune disorder that won’t allow her any contact with the outside world. Then Olly and his family move in next door, and Madeleines’ life begins to change. He plots to let her out while she strives to protect his emotions. The result is beautiful and heartwarming.
This is a fun and exciting mystery perfect for teenagers. There’s just the right amount of intimacy and action to keep the reader interested. Based on Arabian Nights, Shahrzad and the Caliph of Khorasan hurtle through an exciting plot to an unexpected conclusion.
This uproariously funny novel set in small town Texas is a victory for girls all over the world. Willowdean is a fat girl who doesn’t have to lose weight or change her appearance to get the guy. She wins the day through sheer character. This book is a refreshing lesson for everyone who reads it.
Sci-Fi
Fans of the # 1 New York Times bestselling author Neal Stephenson have anxiously awaited this novel for years. He does not disappoint. An extinction level event occurs on Earth, and humans have only two years to choose and load a fleet of spaceships to save humanity. The question of who gets to go and why form the central theme of this riveting novel.
This is the first book in a new series by # 1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher of The Dresden Files and Alexa Codera fame. The Cinder Spires series chronicle the events of a future in which the Spires tower of the world and protect all. The series kicks off with the adventures of Captain Grimm.
Critics call this book a hybrid of The Hunger Games, Enders Game, and a Game of Thrones. High praise, indeed. Book II in the Red Rising Trilogy picks up where Book I left off. The rebel Darrow continues his dangerous quest to lead his oppressed people to freedom.
This # 1 New York Times bestseller by ace storyteller Leigh Bardugo is a feast for the mind and the senses. Kez is a young criminal who’s at the top of his game in an unforgiving city. He receives a lucrative offer to pull off an impossible heist. He says yes, of course, and the action begins.
John Scalzi is a # 1 New York Times bestselling author with a Hugo Award under his belt. This novel is a direct sequel to 2013’s The Human Division. The story picks up with Lieutenant Harry Wilson of the Colonial Defense Forces fighting to save humanity, and other alien races, from total annihilation.
David Wong is a New York Times bestselling author and mastermind behind the popular comedy website, Cracked.com. In this hilarious novel, the future of humankind lies in the hands of a young woman from a trailer park and her stinky cat. Zoey and her kitty bravely battle insanity and depravity on every street corner on the way to the exciting finale.
This novel by the creators of the podcast Welcome to Night Vale brings the popular internet phenomenon to life. Night Vale is a town where aliens, angels, ghosts, and government conspiracies are as common as the sun rising in the morning. Pawn shop owner Jackie and PTA mom Diane do their best to unlock the mysteries of America’s weirdest town.
This is the conclusion to the New York Times bestselling series. The series began with Ancillary Justice, the only novel ever to win the Arthur C. Clarke, Hugo, and Nebula Awards for Science Fiction. The exciting conclusion puts the hero, Breq, in a life and death fight against impossible odds.
This page-turner combines all the elements of top-notch mystery novels with the imaginative speculation that Science Fiction fans love. Mike Erikson is from a small New England town and life is pretty normal. Until an old friend enlists his help with a secret military project deep in the California desert.
Fans of the epic conflict between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire will thrill to this new adventure in the Star Wars world. Rebel fighter Norra Wexley is on her home planet, Endor, when she intercepts a transmission from famed rebel pilot Edge Antilles. The Empire may have lost the battle, but Wedge’s transmission reveals they have sinister plans.
Horror
Leisel and Evelyn are best friends who have been through everything together. They’ve lost other friends. They’ve lost their husbands and their families. They made it though, because they had each other, and they had friendship. Now their friendship faces its biggest challenge: a Zombie Apocalypse.
This hypnotic novel takes the reader on a wild ride through a world of insanity and magic. There’s an old woman sitting alone in a home for the mentally deranged in a hospital in the Old City. When a fire hits the hospital, she escapes. Her journey back to herself—to why she was imprisoned, to who she is and who she was—takes her to the startling truth.
# 1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz is at it again with this latest installment in his Odd Thomas Series. Thomas has faced all manner of angels and demons since the beginning of his strange journey. Now he’s back where it all began, his home in Pico Mundo, California, to finally write the ending to his amazing story.
Daniel and Laura are ready to settle down. They decide to take one last wild trip before they begin their life. The trips starts out wonderfully, but a chance meeting with a strange young couple send them running home. Then they realize their journey has just begun—and it’s terrifying.
The latest offering from bestselling author Andrew E. Kaufman is a tense, psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. Dr. Christopher Kellan is a psychiatrist tasked with caring for the worst psycho-killers in the world. When he meets the latest, Donny Ray Smith, Dr. Kellan’s mind begins to crumble, and his orderly world unravels.
Horror icon Stephen King calls Sarah Lotz’s follow up novel to The Three “hard to put down and vastly entertaining.” A five day cruise in the Caribbean turns to nightmare when the ship breaks down on the fourth day. A deadly virus sweeps the ship. Dark forms are reported on the lower decks. When the ship is found—it’s empty. What comes next is scarier than the virus itself.
Award winning, best-selling author Robert McCammon returns with this epic tale of Earth on the brink of destruction. Two alien civilizations do battle across the Earth’s surface. Humanity crouches in the shadows. Ethan, a teenage boy afflicted with crippling amnesia, is Earth’s only hope. It’s up to Ethan to battle the aliens and save the world.
The Marianas Trench is the deepest place in the ocean. This novel tells the story of what happens when the Imagine Network sends a filmmaking team there to film a story on mermaids—which they know don’t exist. The team gets a surprise. Mermaids are real. And they aren’t so friendly.
This exciting novel is part mystery, part psychological thriller, and part supernatural ghost-story. Sarah and Angus Moorcroft move to a remote Scottish island to get their lives back together after the accidental death of Lydia, one of their twin daughters. When Kylie, the remaining daughter, claims she is Lydia, the mystery begins.
New York Times bestselling author Clive Barker brings back two of his most famous characters, Harry D’Amour and his nemesis Pinhead. This complex, frightening epic is the bloodbath Barker fans have been waiting for. The Scarlet Gospels are here. It’s time for a whole new generation of nightmare.
Mystery
Vince Flynn is back with a new story in his popular Mitch Rapp series. Rapp comes to the rescue and gets rid of a man who sold the CIA’s secrets to a dangerous enemy. But it’s too late, the secrets are out. Rapp races the clock to save America before it’s at the mercy of a new world superpower.
Horror, mystery, and suspense master Stephen King has created another masterpiece to pad his already mind-boggling resume. This sequel to his 2014 novel Mr. Mercedes explores King’s favorite themes. There’s murder, revenge, and his long-time obsession with writers and the craft of writing. King fans will rejoice.
This book became an immediate New York Times bestseller. The main character, Rachel, commutes to work on the train every morning. Every day at a particular crossing, she sees the same couple eating breakfast. Then one morning, she witnesses something terrible. She tells the police, and gets thrown into a series of events that change her world.
# 1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva delivers fans the next book in the critically acclaimed Gabriel Allon series. Allon is an Israeli spy who’s crossed swords with the world’s most dangerous villains, and beaten them all. This latest book pits him against master bomb maker and death merchant Eamon Quinn.
Robert Galbraith serves up the third book in his popular mystery series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his trusty sidekick Robin Ellacott. The story begins when Ellacot receives a gruesome package: a severed leg. The police pursue the wrong suspect, and it’s up to Stike and Ellacott to bring the true killer to justice.
Author Sandra Brown proves once again why she’s written seventy-two novels that hit the New York Time’s bestseller list. Her latest tells the story of Crawford Hunt, a former Texas Ranger who’s trying to win back custody of his daughter. When a masked gunman breaks into the courtroom during the custody hearing, the action takes off and doesn’t stop.
Edgar Award winning author Jason Matthews brings international espionage to the public in stellar fashion with his latest smash novel. Russian intelligence agent Dominika Egorova and her CIA handler Nate Nash are in love. This only complicates a story that includes Iranian assassins, a mole who’s out to get her, and Russian President Vladimir Putin himself.
William R. Forstchen returns with a superb sequel to his New York Times bestseller One Second After. His debut novel explored what would happen in the aftermath of an EMP attack on the United States. One Year After to the world he created twelve months after the EMP.
Sue Grafton gives her fans the next book in the Kinsey Millhone series. In this book, Millhone is up against a ruthless serial killer who leaves little to no trace of his crimes. Millhone discovers the killer’s identity, and the only question that remains is whether she catches him before he kills her.
Pulitzer Prize winning author John Sandford is back in action with the latest in the Lucas Davenport series. It’s about the Travelers—homeless vagabonds who move from city to city and live as panhandler. Someone starts killing them, and that’s where Davenport comes in. He plunges into Traveler subculture to find the killer.
Humor
This fun and hilarious book is a follow up to the best-selling book Let’s Pretend This Never Happened. Jenny Lawson bucks expectations and writes the story of her battle with severe anxiety, depression, and avoidant personality disorder. The topics aren’t always easy to read about, but Lawson will make you laugh one minute, and cry the next.
Mindy Kaling, best-selling author of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, is back with a series of essays about her life. She’s also the creator, writer, and star of the hit television series “The Mindy Project.” These essays give a frank and funny look at life, love, friendship, and weight-loss in the crazy world of Hollywood.
Binge is a romp through the mind of Tyler Oakley. Tyler made his fame as a YouTube star, expounding on topics like social rights and LGBTQ issues. He’s been to the White House, worked at Arby’s, crashed his car in front of his high school, and vomited on unsuspecting grandmothers.
Kunal Nayyar is best known as Raj, the lovable astrophysicist on the hit television comedy series “The Big Bang Theory.” In the spirit of Mindy Kaling’s book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, Nayyar writes a series of essays on his journey to fame. Across two continents and a language barrier, Kunal is a classic underdog who made it big.
Brittany Gibbon’s breakout book is a memoir of how to be happy, love yourself, and achieve success in relationships and life without driving yourself insane with diets and exercise. Brittany teaches people that being happy with yourself comes from the inside out. Anything else is just someone selling you a diet.
You’re Never Weird on the Internet
Felicia Day is a self-made superstar. This instant New York Times best-seller has a foreward from TV Sci-Fi guru Joss Whedon, a positive review from fantasy bigshot George R.R. Martin, and many more. Felicia tells her story, from being homeschooled in the Deep South to making it big in L.A., and all the stops in between.
Shane Dawson has over twelve million Youtube subscribers. In this funny and engaging autobiography, he tells the world of how he went from an overweight kid who couldn’t get a date to one of the biggest stars on the internet. His essays are made for all the kids out there fighting against the odds to bring their talent to the world.
Carrie Brownstein has been an underground indie rock hero for decades. Her band, Sleater-Kinney, came storming out of the Pacific Northwest with a sound that changed rock. Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon called this “the book everyone’s been waiting for.” Brownstein tells the story of how she escaped a troubled home life with music, and became famous as an afterthought.
The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy
Nerds of the world unite! This book is the go-to life manual for girls who live the life of the true blue girl geek. From the world of cons, to memes, to podcasts, to cosplay, and more, there’s a lot to know. This book has it all, complete with pictures, cheat-codes, and simple tips to make the life of a nerdy girl easier.
Before the current crop of female pop heroes like Adele, Lady Gaga, and Beyonce, there was this hot brunette in The Pretenders. Before Madonna and Cyndi Lauper. Even before Joan Jett and Debbie Harry there was Chrissie Hynde. This autobiography is her story. If you’re a rock fan, you want to read Chrissie’s book.
Fantasy
The new release from New York Times bestselling author Naomi Novik is bold and beautiful. Novik creates an entirely new world that has a solid foundation in classic stories and legends. Critics say it has the gravitas of a Grimm tale, but packs the boldness and intensity of modern fantasy fiction.
Neil Gaiman is an award winning #1 New York Times bestselling author. He’s written everything from graphic novels to realistic fiction to straight sword and sorcery fantasy. This latest release includes a trove of short fiction his fans will love. There’s an unpublished story from the American Gods world, and a “Dr. Who” written for the good doctor’s 50th anniversary.
Mark Lawrence is back with the second book in the Red Queen’s War series. The story picks up with Prince Jalan and his Viking companion Snorri ver Snagagson with their hands on Loki’s Key, one of the most powerful objects in the world. Hot on their heels is The Dead King, one of the most dangerous forces in the entire Broken Empire.
Samantha Shannon gives fans another epic fantasy filled with intrigue, action, and magic. The protagonist, Paige Mahoney, has escaped from an inhumane prison, but that’s just the start of her adventure. As she weaves her way through the secret catacombs beneath London, she contends with mime-queens, mime-lords, and the emergence of the dreaded Rephaim.
This is the first novel by award winning author Kazuo Ishiguro in over ten years. It’s a sweeping fantasy set in the Dark Ages of Britain, after the departure of the Romans and before the time of Arthur. An elderly couple set off on a quest to find their long, lost son. On the way they encounter adventure, magic, and intrigue.
New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop jumps back on the scene with the first installment in a new series called The Others. Blood prophet Meg Corbyn is battling addiction, but shape-shifter leader Simon Wolfgard knows he needs her help if the Others are to survive, an Meg has to say yes. Too many lives are at stake.
The city of London has long been the focal point for stories of magical fantasy and adventure. This story takes the idea of London a step forward, introducing a thrilling world where more than one London exists at the same time. There’s Grey London, Red London, and the London no one speaks of: Black London.
New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson delights fans with his return to the world of Mistborn. The heroes of the last Mistborn installation are now heroes of legend, and a new crop of characters step into the action. The new characters explore themes of magic and technology, terrorism, and a developing democracy.
The sequel to the national bestseller The Queen of the Tearling gives fans of Erika Johansen’s first novel everything they’ve been waiting for. Kelsea Glynn is coming into her own as Queen of Tearling, but danger is close at hand. The Mort army threatens the realm, forcing Kelsea to face her toughest test yet.
Shannon Meyer, best selling author or the novel Priceless, comes back with the first novel in her new series, The Elementals. The main character, Lark, is a fierce young Elemental faced with only two options: wander than lands in exile, or train to become an Ender, a member of the King’s Guards. Either option could kill her.
Children’s
This debut novel by Ali Benjamin became an instant New York Times bestseller, achieved the praise of critics, and was a 2105 National Book Award finalist. It’s about Suzy, whose best friend dies in a drowning accident. Suzy’s journey to acceptance leads her deep into her imagination, around the world, and finally, to love.
This delightful book is a companion to the book The Day the Crayons Quit. The protagonist, Duncan, talks to all the lost crayons. From Maroon, lost beneath the sofa, to turquoise, stuck in a pair of dirty socks, Duncan has work to do. All the crayons want to come home to the box, and only he can help.
This graphic novel debut is a perfect read for girls facing big things in their near future. Astrid and Nicole have been friends forever, but then Astrid falls in love with the Roller Derby and signs up for Derby Camp. She learns that she might just be strong enough to face her first derby, and middle school, on her own.
This book is an artistic masterpiece. It begins with 400 pages of pictures, and it’s followed by a story in prose. It begins on a ship in 1766, and follows protagonist Billy Marvel to a London theatre. Two hundred years later, Joseph Jervis runs away from home to live with an uncle in London. How do the stories connect? Young minds have all the best answers.
Written for children in grades five through eight, this beautiful work is a testament to the power of music and magic in the lives of human beings. Three young characters in contemporary America find their lives connected by a mysterious harmonica. This magical harmonica helps them face and overcome the daunting challenges in their lives.
The Wonderful Things You Will Be
This lovely preschool book is in the mold of Dr. Seuss’ classic “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” It encourages children to discover their innate kindness, explore their inner strength, and urges them to help the smaller things in the world to grow and flourish. This is a wonderful bedtime book for younger ones.
This book is well suited for children from preschool to first grade. Stick and stone—a “zero” and a “one”—come together as friends and find that their friendship makes them more than they were apart. In fact, they’re a “Perfect 10.” It’s told in rhyming couplets with well-done illustrations throughout.
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
New York Times bestselling author Rick Riordan hits the mark with Book One in his new Sword of Summer series. Protagonist Magnus is a kid with problems. He lives on the streets of Boston, ducking police and truant officers. Then one day his Uncle Randolph shows up and spins an unlikely yarn: Magnus is the son of a Norse God.
Author Kenneth Oppel teams up with artist Jon Klassen to create a riveting story perfect for older elementary and early middle school aged kids. Steve is filled with worry for his sick baby brother. When a wasp queen appears in his dreams and promises to cure the little boy, Steve faces the biggest decision of his young life.
This is a magical, well written picture book that will live long in the memories of any child. It addresses something that every child struggles with: waiting. A toy owl, puppy, bear, rabbit, and pig wait on a shelf for something to happen. What happens? The amazing world of imagination.
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