August is a good month for reading, and  we’ve got you covered with some fun New Releases.

 

Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson 

From mega-bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson comes this highly anticipated follow-up to her Edgar Award-winning, instant middle-grade bestseller Blood in the Water.

Ghost in the Night is another spine-tingling, can’t-put-it-down murder mystery, this time set in America’s Most Haunted City.

Savannah, Georgia, with its mossy trees and ornate old homes, is a place rich in history…and ghosts. Ghosts are what pique Harmony Roundtree’s interest. Still reeling from her losses back home, Harmony wants to believe in ghost stories…but isn’t sure what’s real. When she goes on one of the many ghost tours around town, she takes a photo of what might be a ghost. Or is it a hoax?

With two new friends, Harmony sets out to investigate… and stumbles upon clues leading to an unsolved murder. The deeper she digs, the more Harmony realizes that what she saw on the ghost tour might be connected to a shocking crime. But making connections can be dangerous–even more dangerous than ghosts.

New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another action-packed mystery full of surprises and secrets that will give readers goosebumps.

 

Level Up by Daka Hermon

From the author of Hide and Seeker comes a new thriller where an iconic childhood game turns creepy.

Keenan is used to running. He loves it. He is good at it. He is a track star, after all. Now he and his mother are escaping his father, trying to start a new life in Tennessee.

But he has never been on the run like this before. This new town has monsters of its own. The students in his school seem to be under some sort of trance, and Keenan is the only one who isn’t affected. Which means he is the only one who can do anything about it.

It’s time for Keenan to stop running and face his fears.

He cannot let the monsters win.

 

The Third Period Comeback by E.K. Johnston

New York Times bestseller E. K. Johnston’s middle-grade debut is an utterly charming, witty, and gloriously inclusive magic-tinged caper in the Canadian wilderness.

Hayley Rilko was born to play hockey—and cursed to ruin whatever team she plays for. As long as she’s still a kid, the curse’s magic doesn’t stick, but everyone knows her time is running out. The two things Hayley has on her side are her family–four generations of it, all carrying the same curse she does–and one last summer vacation in the Ontario Northwoods, where her great grandfather disappeared and the curse began.

As the clock runs down and the magical mysteries pile up, Hayley realizes that just following the evidence isn’t going to be enough. She’s going to have to talk to someone who has the information she needs—even if it means raising the dead. With her cousins on her team, Hayley sets out to do what no one else has been able to: find her great grandfather’s body and break the curse, no matter what it takes.

 

Who Circled the Globe in Seventy-Two Days? Nellie Bly:  A Who HQ Graphic Novel By Melanie Gillman (Author), Rebecca Mock (Illustrated by)

Follow trailblazing journalist Nellie Bly on a record-breaking trip around the world in this exciting graphic novel about one of America’s first female investigative reporters.

Presenting Who HQ Graphic Novels: an exciting addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling Who Was? series!

Discover how Nellie Bly made headlines in 1889 with one of her most iconic and sensational stunts—a world record–setting race around the globe. A story of daring, adventure, and pushing boundaries, this graphic novel highlights how Nellie Bly challenged traditional gender norms and helped pave the way for women in journalism. Atmospheric full-color illustrations bring this sharp narrative to life, immersing readers in Nellie’s globe-trotting exploits.

 

The Invisibles by Holly Kowitt

For fans of The Breakfast Club who wished every member was a nerd, this new middle grade novel stars a totally uncool boy who gets adopted by a group of other uncool kids in a bid to take over their school.

Jimmy Stern can’t catch a break.

As the new kid at school, he just wants to keep his head down and read his favorite Weird Walt comics. But when he accidentally drops Kyle Scott’s phone in the toilet, his social status goes down the drain. Being targeted by the most popular guy in school sucks.

Or, at least, it did suck, until Jimmy receives a note from a mysterious group of students called The Invisibles. Social outcasts like himself, The Invisibles have a plan: elect Jimmy as Art Week Secretary and stop Kyle’s favorite actor, Bayleigh White, from visiting their school. Jimmy quickly agrees, realizing that he can ask Weird Walt to do the Art Week visit instead.

But as campaign tactics spiral out of control, Jimmy will have to decide what he’s willing to do to get even. Smart, fast-paced, and laugh out loud funny, this is a must read for any kid (or adult) who has felt uncool.

See what else is coming out in April over at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors.

 

 

April showers bring….a storm of brand new Middle Grade Releases. Take a look at the books coming your way this month.

 

A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic
Or, Like Lightning in an Umbrella Storm
by Philip C. Stead

A plucky young goatkeeper sets out on a misadventurous rescue mission in this uproarious debut novel with premium hardcover features, perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo and Lemony Snicket.

In a kingdom ruled by a capricious king, the castle rests on the backs of twenty-four goats, and the welfare of those goats rests on the back of a girl called Bernadette. So when one goat escapes, it’s up to her—with the help of a very forgetful wizard and a Boat That Does Not Grant Wishes—to bring it back safely.

Her task may be straightforward, but this book is anything but. Like a swirling herd of restless goats, the chapters are all out of order. The ending may prove to have been the beginning all along. All the while, the author of Bernadette’s saga—a character himself—hurries to write her a resolution, with very mixed results. And if you’re feeling lost, don’t worry; the story has twenty-four morals, of varying advisability, to edify you along the way.

Award-winning picture book author and illustrator Philip Stead makes a confident debut as a novelist in this laugh-out-loud, one-of-a-kind illustrated tale, chock-full of running gags, broken fourth walls, and underdog triumph.

 

 

Are Octopuses from Another World? Discover the Science Behind Teuthology
By Rosie Rowntree (Author) and Valeria Abatzoglu (Illustrated by)

It’s a big question–are octopuses from another world? These animals and their incredible, unique features help reveal fascinating facts about the animal kingdom.

Discover how teuthologists study octopuses and learn about . . .

• The incredible adaptations that let octopuses thrive in the world’s harshest conditions
• How octopuses can edit their own genes!
• Why these tentacled animals need nine brains and three hearts
• Incredible ways octopuses interact with the natural world around them . . . and so much more!

Beautifully bound with gorgeous illustrations, The Big Questions Answered is more than just a series of books–it’s a complete resource for kids, teachers, and parents to collect. Start a lifelong interest in science–it can change the world!

 

 

The Genie Game by Jordan Ifueko 

Harriet the Spy meets Black Mirror in The Genie Game, the start of a thrilling new middle-grade series from Jordan Ifueko, author of the New York Times bestselling fantasy Raybearer.

Valentine Adesanya has two missions: 1) become a Feared and Fabulous Film Director and 2) find her missing big sister, Mango. She suspects The Trio Trust, a collection of creepy mega-companies that now rule the United States, made Mango disappear.

A text lures Valentine to a magical boba shop, which comes to life and tells Valentine she is now a GENIE: a member of the General Employee Network of Immortal Engineers, an underground workforce run by the Trio Trust. Genies may only leave their bottles to grant the wishes of mortals. With each granted wish, The Trio Trust gains more magic, and so the Trio hosts a glamorous wish-granting competition, rewarding top players with fabulous prizes. The twist?

The greedy Trio forbids genies from using magic. Genies must grant wishes using nothing but smarts, luck, and elbow grease.

To free her sister Mango and escape the Genie Game, Valentine must score more wish-granting points than any other Genie. But how did the Trio Trust get so powerful in the first place? Why is a magical monster stomping through her home city of Gloss Angeles?

And why does the Trio Trust seem so afraid of 13-year-old Valentine Adesanya?

 

Lightfall: A Place Between by Tim Probert 

In the fourth installment of the award-winning, critically acclaimed Lightfall series, Bea, Cad, and their friends continue their quest to restore light on their dark world. Perfect for fans of Amulet and Avatar, this next book dives deeper into the magical world of Irpa, where ancient secrets and adventures abound.

After surviving a shipwreck on the Fuerre Sea, Cad washes ashore on the shores of Pellidyr. There, he searches for Lorgon, the Water Spirit, but instead finds the other spirits of Irpa who question if their planet can be saved. One of them offers to help Cad and transports him to A Place Between, a strange liminal realm between the living and the dead, where Cad works to uncover the reason Lorgon summoned them to Pellidyr in the first place.

Meanwhile, Bea awakens within the walls of the capital city. While Pellidyr’s leader has heard the tales of Bea’s derring-do and believes her to be a hero with all the answers, she’s never felt more uncertain about the future. What she does know is that she can’t accomplish anything without her crew. When Bea’s escape plan also brings her to A Place Between, she makes a shocking discovery that changes her understanding of everything that came before her…and what could soon follow.

 

 

Auntie Q’s Golden Claws Nail Salon by Van Hoang

A funny and heartwarming middle grade novel about first jobs and second chances where one girl’s summer punishment becomes a mission to save a struggling nail salon and bring her family together—perfect for fans of Front Desk and Millionaires for the Month.

Twelve-year-old Domi Pham had the perfect summer planned: lounging by the pool, making art with her best friend, and celebrating her escape from seventh grade. But one costly mistake puts her dream summer on hold. Instead, she finds herself deep in debt to her parents, and shipped off to New Mexico to work at her Auntie Q’s nail salon for the next three months.

At first, Domi is miserable—surrounded by nosy aunties, constant nail polish fumes, and endless work. But as she gets to know Auntie Q and the people in the salon, she starts to see their struggles and resilience in a new light. When she discovers that the salon is at risk of closing, Domi puts her creativity and determination to the test to help save it.

 

Laleh and the Language of the Birds by Perin Gurel (Author), Marjane Searl (Contributions by)

Thirteen-year-old Laleh Lateef’s world shatters when her ornithologist father vanishes from the bird sanctuary they called home. She’s forced to live with her grouchy uncle, quiet aunt, and rebellious cousin Ivy, who delights in calling her “Bird Nerd.” Life feels hopeless-until two crow brothers, Gold and Silver, begin delivering strange gifts.

When the gifts fit together into a magical device that lets Laleh talk to birds, she uncovers a breathtaking secret: Her father’s disappearance is part of a larger menace haunting the sanctuary. And her uncle is the likely culprit.

With the sanctuary and its feathered residents in danger, Laleh and Ivy must team up-whether they like it or not-and follow the clues through an ancient Middle Eastern legend known as The Language of the Birds. Their destination: Avesia, the mythical sky realm of perfect bird habitats.

The catch? No one has ever reached it without wings.

 

Rialto by Kate Milford

A standalone mystery from a New York Times bestselling, Edgar Award-winning author set in a contemporary world tinged with magic, in which two sisters spend summer vacation in a small town in the shadows of abandoned amusement park that is not what it seems.

Ivy and Dahlia Vicar know this summer’s trip to visit friends in Rialto, Missouri, is going to be different from their usual family vacations.

Twelve-year-old Dahlia, an artist who lives with anxiety, is looking forward to something new. Rialto, after all, has its own abandoned theme park! But mystery-loving, fourteen-year-old Ivy is struggling with how to be the right kind of big sister to Dahlia, and longs for the way things—especially vacations—were when they were younger.

In Rialto, it quickly becomes clear that this vacation will also be different in totally unexpected ways. For one thing, the town stands in the middle of an improbable forest that, according to local legend, swallowed it overnight decades before. Then there are Dahlia’s even more improbable sightings of impossible creatures—a giraffe with antlers and a leopard with wings. And there’s their new friend Remy, whose family inherited the house they’re all staying in from an aunt who left bequests for local friends that Remy must personally distribute.

When he enlists Ivy and Dahlia to help deliver these gifts, they find themselves drawn into a mystery going back to the time when Rialto Park was still open. And it begins to seem that, if they are going to help Remy solve it, they will have to find a way to believe in magic.

Themes of friendship, family, mental health, and resilience are expertly woven through this magical, richly imagined story of two sisters and an enigmatic town that transforms everyone who visits it.

See what else is coming out in April over at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors.