June/July 2018 New Releases

What Is Light? – Markette Sheppard (Brd Bk), Illustrator – Cathy Ann Johnson

Light can be so many things! The twinkle of a faraway star, a firefly captured in a jar, a mother’s love, a turtle dove . . . Lyrical text and crisp, cheerful illustrations illuminate What Is Light?, each page revealing the sparkle found in a child’s simple but extraordinary world. Young readers will enjoy discovering the special glow in everything from nature to the smiles of loved ones. The light revealed on the final page makes a fitting finale for this sweet, bright tale. This board book edition is the perfect size for little hands.

The 5 O’Clock Band – Troy Andrews & Bill Taylor, Illustrator – Bryan Collier

In this companion to the Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award–winning Trombone Shorty, join a scrappy young musician named Shorty on a tour of his beloved New Orleans. After letting his band down by missing rehearsal, Shorty has some serious questions about what it means to be a leader. He hits the streets of New Orleans to find some answers and soak up inspiration. Along the way he’ll meet street musicians, a favorite restaurant owner, and the famous Mardi Gras Indians. Each has some NOLA-bred wisdom to share with Shorty about being an artist, a leader, and a friend. In The 5 O’Clock Band, Troy Andrews has crafted another unforgettable love letter to New Orleans illustrated by the incomparable Bryan Collier.

Shai Emmie Star in To the Rescue! – Quvenzhane Wallis & Nancy Ohlin, Illustrator – Sharee Miller

Best friends Shai and Emmie, two third graders destined for superstardom, plan a benefit concert to help stray animals in this third novel in the Shai & Emmie series from Academy Award–nominated actress Quvenzhané Wallis. Shai, Emmie, and the rest of the student orchestra are busy preparing for a benefit concert to help stray pets—a cause near and dear to Shai’s heart. So when she finds a tiny bunny alone in her backyard, Shai is determined to do what her mom would do: rescue the bunny and find it a good home! But the bunny rescue project is far more work than she imagined, and soon Shai doesn’t have any time left to practice for the benefit concert…

Learning to Breathe – Janice Lynn Mather

Indira Ferguson has done her best to live by her Grammy’s rules—to study hard in school, be respectful, and to never let a boy take advantage of her. But it hasn’t always been easy, especially while living in her mother’s shadow. When Indy is sent to live with distant relatives in Nassau, trouble follows her. Now she must hide an unwanted pregnancy from her aunt, who would rather throw Indy out onto the street than see the truth. Completely broke with only a hand-me-down pregnancy book as a resource, Indy desperately looks for a safe space to call home. After stumbling upon a yoga retreat, she wonders if perhaps she’s found the place. But Indy is about to discover that home is much bigger than just four walls and a roof—it’s about the people she chooses to share it with.

Grandad Mandela – Zindzi, Zazi, & Ziwelene Mandela, Illustrator – Sean Qualls

Nelson Mandela’s two great-grandchildren ask their grandmother, Mandela’s youngest daughter, 15 questions about their grandad – the global icon of peace and forgiveness who spent 27 years in prison. They learn that he was a freedom fighter who put down his weapons for the sake of peace, and who then became the President of South Africa and a Nobel Peace Prize-winner, and realise that they can continue his legacy in the world today.

Princess Cupcake Jones Saddles Up! – Ylleya Fields, Illustrator – Michael LaDuca

Princess Cupcake Jones loves adventures! Bored with her regular playtime activities, Cupcake goes on her own adventure to ride her pony, Lacey. But before she can begin her ride, she needs to saddle up her pony. This became a greater challenge that she expected and she got stuck in the process. The author delivers an engaging story that helps children and families understand that helping one another is important, no matter how big or old you are. Each illustration has the traditional ‘hidden word’ that children delight in finding in all books in the series.

Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams – Lesa Cline-Ransome, Illustrator – James E. Ransome

Venus and Serena Williams. Two peas in a pod. Best friends. Sisters. Six days a week they awoke before the sun came up to practice their serves and returns, to learn to run faster and hit harder. They were unstoppable. At age fourteen, Venus played her first professional match. Three years later, it was Serena’s turn. It wasn’t easy. Some tennis fans cheered for these two fresh faces, while those who were unhappy to see two black girls competing in a nearly all-white sport booed and taunted them. But they didn’t let it stop them.

Minecraft: The Crash: An Official Minecraft Novel – Tracey Baptiste

Bianca has never been good at following the plan. She’s more of an act-now, deal-with-the-consequences-later kind of person. But consequences can’t be put off forever, as Bianca learns when she and her best friend, Lonnie, are in a terrible car crash. Waking up in the hospital, almost paralyzed by her injuries, Bianca is faced with questions she’s not equipped to answer. She chooses instead to try a new virtual-reality version of Minecraft that responds to her every wish, giving her control over a world at the very moment she thought she’d lost it. As she explores this new realm, she encounters a mute, glitching avatar she believes to be Lonnie. Bianca teams up with Esme and Anton, two kids who are also playing on the hospital server, to save her friend.

But the road to recovery isn’t without its own dangers. The kids are swarmed by mobs seemingly generated by their fears and insecurities, and now Bianca must deal with the uncertainties that have been plaguing her: Is Lonnie really in the game? And can Bianca help him return to reality?

Wrong in All the Right Ways: A Novel – Tiffany Brownlee

An attraction between foster siblings sets fire to forbidden love in this contemporary reimagining of Wuthering Heights.

Emma’s life has always gone according to her very careful plans. But things take a turn toward the unexpected when she falls in love for the first time with the one person in the world who’s off-limits: her new foster brother, the gorgeous and tormented Dylan McAndrews.

Meanwhile, Emma’s AP English class is reading Wuthering Heights, and she’s been assigned to echo Emily Bronte’s style in an epistolary format. With irrepressible feelings and no one to confide in, she’s got a lot to write about. Distraught by the escalating intensity of their mutual attraction, Emma and Dylan try to constrain their romance to the page―for fear of threatening Dylan’s chances at being adopted into a loving home. But the strength of first love is all-consuming, and they soon get enveloped in a passionate, secretive relationship with a very uncertain outcome.

Proud: Living My American Dream (Young Readers Edition) – Ibtihaj Muhammad

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Ibtihaj Muhammad smashed barriers as the first American to compete wearing hijab, and made history as the first Muslim-American woman to medal. But it wasn’t an easy road–in a sport most popular among wealthy white people, Ibtihaj often felt out of place. Ibtihaj was fast, hardworking, and devoted to her faith, but rivals and teammates (as well as coaches and officials) pointed out her differences, insisting she would never succeed. Yet Ibtihaj powered on. Her inspiring journey from a young outsider to an Olympic hero is a relatable, memorable, and uniquely American tale of hard work, determination, and self-reliance.

Courage – Barbara Binns

Ever since T’Shawn’s dad died, his mother has been struggling to keep the family afloat. So when he’s offered a spot on a prestigious diving team at the local private swim club, he knows that joining would only add another bill to the pile. But T studies hard and never gets into trouble, so he thinks his mom might be willing to bear the cost… until he finds out that his older brother, Lamont, is getting released early from prison.

Luckily, T’Shawn is given a scholarship, and he can put all his frustration into diving practices. But when criminal activity increases in the neighborhood and people begin to suspect Lamont, T’Shawn begins to worry that maybe his brother hasn’t left his criminal past behind after all. And he struggles to hold on to the hope that they can put the broken pieces of their damaged relationship back together.

Such great titles, what are you excited about reading? This list may not include all of June and July’s new releases. Do you know of any that are not listed—traditional or self-published titles? Leave us a comment below.

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