New for Children
Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek
by Kwame Mbalia
On his 12th birthday, Jackson “Jax” Freeman arrives at Chicago’s Union Station alone, carrying nothing but the baggage of a scandal. He’s been sent away from home to live with relatives he barely knows. At his new school, Jax is assigned to a special class for “summoners,” even though he has no idea what those are … until he accidentally unleashes an angry spirit on school grounds. Soon Jax is embroiled in all kinds of trouble, from the disappearance of a new friend to full-out war between summoning families.
The Junior Plant Lover’s Handbook: A Green-Thumb Guide for Kids
by Molly Williams and Michelle Carlos (Illustrator)
This interactive, illustrated guide is perfect for any burgeoning plant lover. It breaks down everything from basic light and water needs to soil and temperature requirements for over 50 plants and will help you find the right plant(s) for your personality, regardless of where you live or how much space you have.
On The Block: Stories of Home
edited by Ellen Oh
Twelve families, twelve cultures, one building. Welcome to the Entrada, home to these everyday Americans, including the new kid on the block, who is homesick and curious; a popsicle-bridge builder; a ghost hunter; a lion dancer; and their families, friends, and neighbors from all around the world!
This anthology features inspiring stories celebrating family, friendship, culture, and American immigrant life today.
New for Teens
All Better Now
by Neal Shusterman
An unprecedented condition is on the rise. It behaves like a virus, but those who contract it experience a long-term effect that no one has ever seen: utter contentment. Soon after infection, people find the stress, depression, greed, and negative feelings that used to weigh them down are gone. But people in power who depend on malcontents know this new state of being is bad for business. Soon campaigns start to convince people that being happy all the time is dangerous. There’s even a vaccine developed to rid people of their inner peace. It’s impossible to determine the truth when everyone with a platform is pushing their own agendas. In the midst of this, two teens from very different backgrounds who’ve had their lives upended by the virus find themselves in the center of a dangerous power play.
Aisle Nine
by Ian X. Cho
Even though the world is filled with portals to hell and bloodthirsty demons pop out of them, Jasper spends his days and nights working as a checkout clerk at the Here For You discount mart. Sure, there’s a hell portal in aisle nine, which means he could be maimed, dismembered, or even eaten whole during every shift, but at least at the mart he can be near his crush, Kyle Kuan. That she doesn’t seem to even notice him seems about right to Jasper, because Jasper can’t remember anything that happened to him before his accident five months ago.
New for Adults
Awake in the Floating City
by Susanna Kwan
Bo knows she should go. Years of rain have drowned her city, and almost everyone else has fled. Her mother was carried away in a storm surge and ever since, Bo has been alone. Half-heartedly, she allows her cousin to plan for her escape, but as the departure day nears, she finds a note slipped under her door from Mia, an elderly neighbor who wants to hire Bo to be her caregiver. Now Bo has a reason to stay. Mia can be prickly, and yet she and Bo forge a connection. Mia shares stories of her life that pull Bo back toward art, toward the practice she thought she’d abandoned. Listening to Mia, allowing her memories to become entangled with her own, Bo is struck by how much history will be lost as the city gives way to water. Then Mia’s health turns, and Bo determines to honor their disappearing world and this woman who’s brought her back to it.
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
by Rick Atkinson
Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson provides a riveting narrative covering the middle years of the American Revolution.
Stationed in Paris, Benjamin Franklin woos the French, and in Pennsylvania, George Washington pleads with Congress to deliver the money, men, and materiel he needs to continue the fight. Meanwhile, in New York, General William Howe, the commander of the greatest army the British have ever sent overseas, plans a new campaign against the Americans—even as he is no longer certain that he can win this searing, bloody war. The months and years that follow bring epic battles at Brandywine, Saratoga, Monmouth, and Charleston, a winter of misery at Valley Forge, and more appeals for sacrifice by every American committed to the struggle for freedom.
