It’s June! June is great. June is also wild: Pride Month, Summer Reading, so many family and friends’s birthdays (not to mention my own)… Anyway, here are some June releases I can’t wait to read—preferably on my favorite park bench near my neighborhood branch library. What are YOU reading this month?
NOTE: I’m doing things a little differently this month and linking book titles to their reviews in Kirkus rather than directly to IndieBound. Why? Kirkus links to Amazon, B&N and/or IndieBound for your purchasing needs, there aren’t any annoying pop-ups, and the reviews are A+.
For more June releases, check out PW’s on-sale calendar.
Board Books:
Light, Steve. Have You Seen My Lunch Box? (6/13/17)
0 stars. It’s like Light’s classic black-and-white illustrations fused with Pantone and made something extraordinary for babies. Count me in.
Picture Books:
Auerbach, Adam. Monkey Brother. (6/27/17)
0 stars. Are we tired of sibling books? Never. Certainly not when monkeys are involved.
Barba, Ale. Time Out! (6/27/17)
1 star. I’m surprised that this isn’t getting more love because the colors alone are absolutely gorgeous (see above).
Naberhaus, Sarvinder. Blue Sky White Stars. illus. Kadir Nelson. (6/13/17)
3 stars. I feel like we all need this book right now.
Petty, Dev. Claymates. illus. Lauren Eldridge. (6/20/17)
2 stars. Big fan of Dev Petty and big fan of claymation. Looks like a promising collaboration.
Rissi, Anica Mrose. The Teacher’s Pet. illus. Zachariah OHora. (6/20/17)
0 stars. I’ve posted about my devotion to OHora’s work before. I’ll read anything he works on. See also: the teacher in this book is me.
Todd-Stanton, Joe. The Secret of Black Rock. (6/13/17)
0 stars. You wouldn’t know this, but talking rocks/rock creatures are one of my favorite things. Also, the art looks like Adventure Time meets Song of the Sea and I’m 100% there for that.
Juvenile Fiction:
Baratz-Logsted, Lauren. I Love You, Michael Collins. (6/20/17)
0 stars. I’m feeling drawn to historical fiction connected to space lately. Dunno why. Blame the fact that I watched Contact a month or so ago?
Bradbury, Jennifer. Outside In. (6/6/17)
0 stars. I was sold when I read that there’s a GARDEN of recycled art. It’s like my Harriet the Spy movie dreams come true.
Cottrell Boyce, Frank. Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth. (6/20/17)
3 stars. Not going to lie, this might be one of my most anticipated titles this year.
Davis, Mandy. Superstar. (6/20/17)
1 star. Need. More. Books. About. ASD. I like that this one’s “unsentimentally sensitive.”
Haydu, Corey Ann. The Someday Suitcase. (6/27/17)
1 star. Do you know what CVID is? We all should. Plus, this book just sounds really powerful.
Mills, Geraldine. Gold. (6/1/17)
1 star. This is like an idea I once had for a book except better. Gonna shelve this right next to Airborn, Airman, Tom Swift and his Airship and all my other beloved stories about flying.
Juvenile Nonfiction:
Derby, Sally. A New School Year: Stories in Six Voices. illus. Mika Song. (6/27/17)
0 stars. School’s not even out yet but I already can’t wait to share this when summer wanes.
Pizzoli, Greg. The Quest for Z: The True Story of Explorer Percy Fawcett and a Lost City in the Amazon. (6/13/17)
1 star. Looks absolutely brilliant—like Tricky Vic. Will this be the book that gets Pizzoli his Caldecott?
Stewart, Melissa. Can an Aardvark Bark? illus. Steve Jenkins. (6/13/17)
1 star. Steve Jenkins is STEAM storytime gold.
Young Adult Fiction & Nonfiction:
Ali, S. K. Saints and Misfits. (6/13/17)
1 star. Salaam Reads is back with another book. Let’s all pay attention, yes? This one looks fantastic.
Geiger, J.C. Wildman. (6/6/17)
1 star. Setting = Washington & Oregon (AKA my homeland). I’m so glad I can finally read something that isn’t set on the east coast or California.
Pon, Cindy. Want. (6/13/17)
0 stars. Disguise? Taking down evil CEOs? Glitterati? There’s a lot to look forward to here.
Graphic Novels:
Pullman, Philip. The Adventures of John Blake: Mystery of the Ghost Ship. illus. Fred Fordham. (5/30/17)
1 star. Ok, so this one’s technically a May release but it’s Philip Pullman. Speaking of which, have you read this excerpt from the new Dust book yet?
The Stories Guy 