Get ready for Rick Yancey‘s The 5th Wave to fulfill heavy expectations when it arrives next week. The first in a new series, it is one of many  debuting from both well-known and first time authors with the arrival of the summer publishing season. Also look for  the first collaboration  between two bestselling YA authors, Andrea Cremer and David Levithan in a book young people in love, somewhat complicated by the fact that one of them is invisible.

All the titles highlighted here and more, are available on our downloadable spreadsheet, Kids New Title Radar, Week of 5.6.13

Picture Books

Yoo-Hoo, Ladybug! Mem Fox, Laura Ljungkvist, (S&S/ Beach Lane Books)

Mem Fox is the master of the early childhood read aloud (Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes). Her rhythmic rhyming text is just right for the seek-and –find pictures. (Hint: to find her in the spread below, consider which vehicle a ladybug would drive).

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If You Want to See a Whale Julie Fogliano, Erin Stead (Roaring Brook Press )

A quiet, playful and imaginative take from the award-winning team that brought us the 2012, And Then It’s Spring.

The Great Lollipop Caper, Dan Krall, (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

The whole family will enjoy this edgy silly fun with its cartoon-y graphic illustrations. The book trailer reflects the book’s spirit:

Beginning Readers

Pancakes, Pancakes, Eric Carle,  (Simon Spotlight )

Rooster Is Off to See the World, Eric Carle, (Simon Spotlight)

Classic Carle titles return in their original format (we know and love them as picture books, but they were originally easy-to-read books). These are particularly welcome as interesting low-level readers are the most difficult to find. Newly fluent kids eat them up like popcorn.

Chapter Book

Sugar, Jewell Parker Rhodes, (Hachette/Little, Brown BYR)

A gripping historic fiction tale of friendship set on a Southern sugar plantation from the author of the Coretta Scott King honor, Ninth Ward,

Middle Grade

Doll Bones, Holly Black, Eliza Wheeler (S&S/McElderry;Listening Library:

Black returns to her Spiderwick audience with this gripping creepy middle grade horror tale. Do not read before bedtime. You have been warned.

Young Adult

The Lucy Variations , Sara Zarr (Hachette/Little, Brown BYR)

Zarr’s is always the first galley I read from the Little, Brown galley pile. I can’t say it better than Kirkus, in a starred review, “What makes Lucy’s story especially appealing is the very realistic way this ‘entitled brat’ (as grandfather called her) acts out as she experiments with new identities. … The combination of sympathetic main character and unusual social and cultural world makes this satisfying coming-of-age story stand out.”

The 5th Wave, Rick Yancey, (Penguin/Putnam)

Arriving with a major promotional campaign from Penguin, this cross between King’s The Stand and Hunger Games is s a roller coaster ride. My heart was in my throat the entire read. Entertainment Weekly featured the book trailer, with the headline, “Is this the Next Big Thing?” The answer is “Yes.”

Reboot, Amy Tintera, (HarperTeen)

There’s been enthusiasm on YA GalleyChat for this new addition to the dystopian genre, readers calling it “Dark and twist-y, with well rounded characters.” The only prepub review, from Kirkus, is equally enthusiastic, characterizing it as a “compulsively readable science-fiction debut [that] will appeal widely… Superb concepts and plotting will hook readers from the start… [with] plenty [for] those who appreciate romance.”

Several charming picture books are on their way next week (gotta love that pug in Everyone Sleeps), Lauren Myracle is set to reach a younger audience and screenwriter Paul Rudnick publishes his first YA novel with a cover that lives up to the title, Gorgeous.

All the titles highlighted here, and more (including a roundup of several new board books and several middle grade series that shouldn’t be overlooked, plus roundup of graphic novels and superhero comics), are on our downloadable spreadsheet, Kids New Title Radar, Week of 4.29.13.

Picture Books

My Lucky Birthday, Keiko Kasza, (Penguin/Putnam Juvenile)
From the creator of the storytime favorite My Lucky Day, another animal trickster romp.

Everyone Sleeps, Marcellus Hall, (Penguin/Paulsen)
Illustrator Hall (City I Love, Cow Loves Cookies) strikes out on his own, writing as well as illustrating his first picture book, featuring and adorable pug.

When You Wander: A Search-and-Rescue Dog Story, Margarita Engle, illus by Mary Morgan, (Macmillan/Holt BYR)
A gentle portrayal of the work of search and rescue dogs. Don’t worry about getting lost, they will find you.

Early Chapter Book

The Life of Ty: Penguin Problems, Lauren Myracle, illus by Jed Henry, (Dutton)

Myracle is known by YA readers for several titles including Shine. To 9- and 10-year-olds, she is known for the Winnie Years series. She’ll soon to be known to a younger crowd with Ty, Winnie’s younger brother, appealing to fans of Judy Moody’s brother Stink. What are his “penguin problems”? Ty smuggles one out of the local zoo.

Young Adult

Gorgeous, Paul Rudnick, (Scholastic; Scholastic Audio)

The first YA novel by the stage and screen writer and frequent contributor to the New Yorker, a fantasy princess romance with a snarky voice and social commentary (PW says the writing is “hilarious, profane and profound — often in the same sentence”), likely to find an audience with the Princess Diary crowd.

Graphic Novels

Note:  superhero comics arriving next week are rounded up in the spreadsheet.

My Life as a Cartoonist, Janet Tashjian, Jake Tashjian, (Macmillan/Holt BYR)
In this sequel to My Life as a Book and My Life as a Stuntboy, Derek is being bullied by a tough kid who, upending the stereotype, is in a wheelchair. A Wimpy Kid look alike.

New Moon: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 , Stephenie Meyer, Young Kim, (Hachette/Yen Press)
Continues the graphic version of  the Twilight series.

Oz: Road to Oz, Skottie Young, Eric Shanower, (Marvel)
The graphic retellings of the Oz series are collected in this bind-up. Eric Shanower is the Eisner Award-winning and New York Times best selling cartoonist of Age of Bronze series, a graphic novel rendition of the Trojan War.

Next week brings the fourth James Patterson hardcover of the year, putting him on track to match his record output last year. Joe Hill, once known as the offspring of two best selling authors, Stephen and Tabitha King, and now an established best selling author in his own right, publishes a new novel with a title based on a clever vanity plate, NOS4A2. Our watch list begins with a memoir that librarians have been looking forward to for months.

All these and more titles arriving next week, are on our downloadable spreadsheet, New Title Radar, 4.29.13. Be sure to take a close look at the Media Magnets list — among the many authors battling for attention next week are Glenn Beck, Amanda Knox and Mark Bittman.

Watch List

The World’s Strongest Librarian, Josh Hanagarne, (Penguin/Gotham)

You don’t have to be a librarian to love this memoir. Booksellers appreciate it, too, and picked is as an IndieNext title for May: “Resplendent with the intelligence that comes from accumulated experience, seasoned with sudden and delightful humor, and written with great sensitivity, Hanagarne’s memoir is one of this spring’s best surprises. It is not simply a love letter to anyone who has built a life around books, but also a moving autobiographical work of a gentle giant who refuses to let his sense of wonder about the world be displaced by his challenges and an insightful and informative exposition of what it is like to wake every morning and navigate life with Tourette Syndrome. Highly recommended!” —Aaron Cance, The King’s English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT

If you are a librarian, you’ll naturally be drawn to it. Robin Beerbower of Salem P.L, OR, calls it her favorite book of the year and is confident it will remain so.

Hanagarne’s web site, WorldsStrongestLibrarian.com, manages to combine the seemingly disparate worlds of strength-training and books. The author will be interviewed on BookTalkNation on Monday (sign up here).

In the book trailer he characterizes being a librarian as a “state of mind.”

In the Body of the World: A Memoir, Eve Ensler, (Macmillan/Metropolitan; Macmillan Audio)

Remember when certain publications wouldn’t print the title of Eve Ensler’s groundbreaking play, The Vagina Monologues? Seventeen years after its debut, it’s often performed by local theater groups, and the local newspapers have no trouble calling it by its real name. Even the Catholic Education Daily writes out the full titles (as part of an effort to get it banned). In Ensler’s memoir, she writes about more issues that some would prefer not to hear about; her work with Congolese women who suffered torture and rape and her own torture undergoing treatment for uterine cancer.

The Woman Upstairs, Claire Messud, (RH/Knopf; RH Audio; BOT)

Attention has already begun for Claire Messud’s first book since her celebrated and best selling The Emperor’s Children, (RH/Knopf, 2006). The Washington Post’s Ron Charles gives it this memorable assessment:

“Messud’s previous novel, the wonderful Emperor’s Children, sprawled out over more than 400 witty pages to skewer Manhattan’s young cultural elite. Her new book is an entirely different creature: a tightly wound monologue with the intensity of a novella that reads more like a curse.”

It’s a theme carried through in other reviews; NPR, “Friendly On The Outside, Furious On The Inside,”  and The Wall street Journal, “Claire Messud’s Furious Follow-Up.”

The book even manages to coax the Totally Hip Reviewer off his cozy Amazon perch.

Expect many more reviews.

The Civil War in 50 Objects, Harold Holzer, (Penguin/Viking)

Combine the interest in the Civil War, with the approach to history in the best-selling A History of the World in 100 Objects and you have the makings of a hit with Lincoln scholar Holzer’s new book.

Media Tie-in

What Maisie Knew (Movie Tie-In), Henry James, (Penguin Books)

Henry James’s 1897 classic is called “the inspiration” for a new film starring Julianne Moore and Alexander Skarsgard as Maisie’s battling parents, beginning a limited run next week. The Wall Street Journal writes today about this and other attempts to bring James’s novels to the screen.

Several sure-fire best sellers are coming next week, including new titles from David Baldacci, Amanda Quick and Kristin Hannah… but don’t overlook two debuts on our Watch List which arrive with breathless excitement … the media is already busy with Michael Pollan‘s new book and with a debut that claims Texas is Big, Hot, Cheap and Right.

All of the titles highlighted here and more, on our downloadable spreadsheet, New Title Radar, Week of April 22.

Watch List

The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope, Rhonda Riley, (HarperCollins/Ecco)

Kaite Stover picked this in her Booklist “Book Group Buzz” blog post; “A young woman rescues someone she thinks is a badly burned soldier from World War II and soon learns differently. Decades later, Adam and Evelyn have raised a family of beautiful accomplished daughters with otherworldly talents. The writing is captivating and the story is a page turner.” It’s a May IndieNext pick, with a particularly glowing recommendation, “… one of the most exquisitely beautiful novels that I have ever read. Unconditional love in the face of an extremely unusual beginning to a relationship is one of the hallmarks of Riley’s debut. The ability to just be, to enjoy each day to the maximum, and to let love grow and expand for years to come is something we all desire. I could not put this book down!” —Nona Camuel, CoffeeTree Books, Morehead, KY

The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker, (Harper; HarperLuxe; Thorndike Large Print)

The word most often used to try to describe this debut is “magical.” HarperCollins Library Marketer, Annie Mazes effectivelt communicates the in-house excitement, which is catching — it’s an IndieNext pick for May, a Wall Street Journal promising first novel as well as an Amazon Featured Debut. On GalleyChat, it’s been described as a “lovely meld of folklore, history and love story.”

Media Magnets

Big, Hot, Cheap and Right: What America Can Learn from the Strange Genius of Texas, Erica Grieder, (Perseus/PublicAffairs)

Already featured this week in the NYT’s Business Day, Bryan Burroughs (Barbarians at the Gate) writes, “Ms. Grieder’s is the rare book that takes stock of the Texas model without ridiculing many of its traditions and politicians … Ms. Grieder’s clear, vivid writing makes it downable in a single afternoon.” The author was interviewed yesterday on American Public Media’s Marketplace. Attention will continue next week with an appearance on Fox Business’s Stossel, MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Martin Bashir and All In with Chris Hayes.

I’ll See You Again, Jackie Hance, with Janice Kaplan (Simon & Schuster; S&S Audio; Thorndike Large Print)

The mother of three girls who were killed while returning from a camping weekend recounts how she managed to cope with the tragedy. The author will appear on Rock Center with Brian Williams tonight (promo from the Today Show below).

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Next week, a new picture book arrives from Mo Willems and there’s not a pigeon in it (or a piggie, or an elephant) … the prolific Neil Gaiman is releasing two books … Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini publish THE middle-grade book of the season … and Kiera Cass continues her mashup of The Hunger Games and The Bachelor. 

All of the titles highlighted here and more, on our downloadable spreadsheet, Kids New Title Radar, Week of 4.22.13

Picture Books

Tiptoe Joe, Ginger Foglesong Gibson, Laura Rankin, (HarperCollins/Greenwillow)

Read-aloud perfection for the preschooler with a new sibling in the house. (“Shhh, the baby is sleeping!”) It’s a Kids IndieNext Spring: “One by one, Tiptoe Joe the Bear gathers his menagerie of friends to experience something special. As dear friends thud, stomp, and tiptoe towards the surprise, each wearing a colorful and different accessory, the happiness grows until wonderful treasures are revealed. Both inviting and suspenseful, this is a joyful book to share. Beautifully illustrated, Tiptoe Joe has the makings of a classic!” —Joanne Doggart, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Chatham, MA

That Is Not a Good Idea!, Mo Willems, (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray)

Employing the framework of a silent movie, the dastardly villain (a fox) entices an innocent damsel (a goose), all while the readers and their surrogates (the chicks) will be shouting the title refrain. Rock star Mo hits another read-aloud homerun.

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Fancy Nancy: Fanciest Doll in the Universe, Jane O’Connor, Robin Preiss Glasser (HaperCollins)

Is Fancy Nancy a guilty pleasure? Why do I have judgmental opinions about sparkly pink books? O’Connor is a brilliant writer who delves into the psyche of little girls and lets us wade in the everyday issues of childhood. There should be an award for that. Robin Preiss Glasser brings light and line and delight to every page, we KNOW Nancy and her family through her detailed portraits. Don’t miss it.

Bink and Gollie: Best Friends Forever, Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee, Tony Fucile, (Candlewick)

They are back!! Kudos to Alison McGhee, Kate DiCamillo and Tony Fucile for another delightfully dry easy-to-read tale about this pair of friends.

Dinosaur Zoom!, Penny Dale (Candlewick/Nosy Crow)

Dale who created the high-interest mashup of paleontological creatures and construction vehicles, Dinosaur Dig! is back with dinos driving cars as they hurtle to a birthday party.
 

Middle Grade

House of Secrets, Chris Columbus, Greg Call, Ned Vizzini, (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray)

This is THE MIDDLE GRADE BIG BOOK OF THE SEASON! Yes, I know I am shouting. Chris Columbus (the director of the first  two Harry Potter movies) and Ned Vizzini (It’s Kind of A Funny Story, The Other Normals) have teamed up to tell a tale that all the Riordan/Colfer/Rowling fans will be fighting over. Magic, adventures, good vs. evil AND its almost 500 pages!

Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain: Lunch Lady #9, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, (RH/Knopf)

One of my favorite graphic novel series for the Captain Underpants set.

Young Adult

Unnatural Creatures: Stories Selected by Neil Gaiman, (HarperCollins)

Gaiman has curated a selection of short stories that reads as if he were sitting across the table saying, “Read this…now read this…okay…read this.” Who wouldn’t follow this expert’s advice? He explains here why he put this volume together. Also out this week is the second InterWorld novel, The Silver Dream (HarperTeen) written with another sci fi master storyteller, Michael Reeves.

The Elite, Kiera Cass, (HarperTeen)

PW called the first in this series “A cross between The Hunger Games (minus the bloodsport) and The Bachelor (minus the bloodsport)” Teen readers will be anxious to get their hands on number 2. The CW is at work on a second pilot for a possible series (they scrapped the one shot last year). We’ll learn in a few weeks if it will go to series, but early buzz is good. Cass has a new YA romance series in the works, described as “Matched meets Never Let Me Go — children trained in academies to be perfect friends can be purchased by the wealthy as companions and a forbidden romance ensues.”

Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood, Abby McDonald, (Candlewick)

I like chicklit. There I said it. Books about women and girls navigating the world of friendships and romantic relationships. I missed McDonald’s Sophomore Switch, loved Boys, Bears & a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots (couldn’t resist the title). The title of this new one says it all. If you are looking for what the “trenders” are calling the “new young adult” or YA crossover, don’t overlook Abby McDonald.

Arclight, Josin L. McQuein, (HarperCollins/Greenwillow)

This debut is a Kids IndieNext Spring pick: “This is a page-turner of dystopian fiction unlike anything I’ve ever read. A stunning debut novel, there’s a reality throughout this work that one doesn’t usually find in science fiction aimed at adolescents. So much more than just an ‘entertainment for young people,’ this story of identity and the courage found when one faces one’s worst nightmares deserves a very wide audience.” —Keri Rojas, Cornerstone Cottage Kids, Hampton, IA

Next week brings a new opportunity to get boys excited about reading with a new title from the team of Griffiths and Denton. In picture books, get ready for another sure-fire bedtime book from the author and illustrator who created the enduring best seller, Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site. And, tie-ins are arriving for Lego’s latest theme.

All the titles highlighted here, and more, on our downloadable spreadsheet, Kids New Title Radar, Week of April 15.

Middle Grade

The 13-Story Treehouse, Andy Griffiths, Terry Denton, (Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends)

Next week brings a debut that may be a Newbery contender, Zebra Forest … Another debut, is a twisted modern version of Rumpelstiltskin … Tracy Kidder’s book about a remarkable doctor who works with the poorest in Haiti is rewritten for kids … Tie-ins are being released for the summer animated movie, Epic, based on William Joyce’s The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs.

All the titles highlighted here and many more coming next week, are listed on our downloadable spreadsheet Kids New Title Radar, Week of April 8.

Picture Books

Tea Rex, Molly Idle, (Penguin/Viking)

This is Idle’s second book of 2013 after February’s charming word-less pink pas de deux Flora and the Flamingo, (Chronicle). Here, she brings the same sweet, stylish vision to a tea party where the guest of honor is bigger than life.

Middle Grade

Zebra Forest, Adina Rishe Gewirtz, (Candlewick; Brilliance Audio)

A compelling debut novel of family secrets and how to deal with them once they are revealed. Put it in the mix for your Mock Newbery discussions.

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin, Liesl Shurtliff, (RH/Knopf BYR)

The perfect next read for fans of Adam Gidwitz’s Grimm stories, a twisted fairytale with accessible characters and modern humor, as the following trailer demonstrates.

Nonfiction

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World, Tracy Kidder and Michael French,  (RH/Delacorte BYR)

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Tracy Kidder (Soul of the New Machine, Among the School Children, House) has reworked his profile of Dr. Paul Farmer to be accessible to readers in the 10 and up range. The doctor is an infectious disease specialist and humanitarian who works with the poorest of the poor in Haiti.

Movie Tie-ins

The 3D animated Fox movie Epic, coming to theaters May 24, is based on William Joyce’s The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs (HarperCollins, 2000).

See the trailer on the Official Web Site: EpicTheMovie.com

Epic: Welcome to Moonhaven, Annie Auerbach (HarperFestival, 4/9/13) — Ages 4 to 8

Epic: The Junior Novel, Annie Auerbach (HarperFestival, 4/9/13)  – Ages 8 to 12

Epic: Meet the Leafmen,  (I Can Read Book 2), Lucy Rosen, (HarperCollins, 4/9/13)

Epic: M.K. Saves the Day,  (I Can Read Book 2), Lucy Rosen, (HarperCollins, 4/9/13)

Leading in the number of holds among the titles arriving next week, is the new book by Mary Higgins Clark, Daddy’s Gone A Hunting, followed closely by Stuart Woods’ Unintended Consequences and Lisa Scottoline’s Don’t Go (in this standalone, Scottoline wries for the first time from a male perspective, a soldier returning from Afghanistan).

In nonfiction, we’re reminded that Mother’s Day is around the corner with two tender mother-daughter memoirs; one by Jane Fonda‘s adopted daughter and the other by Carol Burnett.

All the titles highlighted here, and more, are listed on our downloadable file, New Title Radar, Week of April 8.

Watch List

The Ashford Affair, Lauren Willig, (Macmillan/St. Martin’s; Thorndike Large Print)

A modern-day young lawyer investigates her family’s past  from 1906 into the 1930’s in London and Kenya in this novel, giving the publisher the shorthand that it brings “an Out of Africa feel to a Downton Abbey cast of unforgettable characters.”

It’s been buzzed by librarians on GalleyChat who say the writing made them go back to read the author’s earlier books (this is her first historical romance outside of her popular ten-book Regency Pink Carnation series). It’s also a hit with booksellers who made it an IndieNext Pick for April, calling it  “ a convincing portrayal of 1920s English society and a family history artfully hidden from the current generation … Rich details, realistically flawed characters, and a narrative that travels from England to the high life of the ex-pat community in Kenya and finally to present day Manhattan make this a book to remember.”

The Interestings, Meg Wolitzer, (Penguin/Riverhead; Dreamscape Audio)

Called “a big and deliciously complicated novel that follows a group of summer-camp friends through the decades” on the NPR web site, where an excerpt is posted as one of their “Exclusive First Reads.” The cover blurb, “The wit, intelligence, and deep feeling of Wolitzer’s writing are extraordinary, and The interestings brings her achievement, already so steadfast and remarkable, to an even high level,” is by Jeffrey Eugenides, the author Wolitzer cited last year when argued in the New York Times Book Review that fiction by women is often treated less seriously than that by men. She is getting respect, with an early review from Janet Maslin in the NYT and a unadulterated “A” from Entertainment Weekly.

Midnight at Marble Arch, Anne Perry, (RH/Ballantine; Thorndike)

The latest title in Perry’s series set in Victorian England arrives with an extra jolt of interest. A book coming in May delves into a real-life crime that Perry was at the center of. In New Zealand in the early 1950’s, two girls, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme murdered Parker’s mother. The story became the background for Peter Jackson’s 1994 film Heavenly Creatures, starring Cate Blanchett Kate Winslet in her first role as Hulme. Jailed as am accomplice, Hulme was later released and became, you guessed it, Anne Perry. Jennifer Dayton of Darien Public Library brought this up during this week’s GalleyChat, saying that the staff there is obsessed with a forthcoming book on the story, Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century, Peter Graham, (Skyhorse Publishing, May; digital ARC on Edelweiss).

Famous Mothers

The Lost Daughter, Mary Williams, (Penguin/Blue Rider; Tantor Audio)

Jane Fonda will join with her adopted daughter Mary Williams on Oprah’s Next Chapter this Sunday. Kirkus calls Williams’ book a “tender memoir of love and redemption.”

Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story, Carol  Burnett, (S&S; S&S Audio)

The beloved comedian writes in this memoir about her relationship with her eldest daughter, Carrie Hamilton, who died of cancer at age 38.

Media Magnets

The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth, Mark Mazzetti, (Penguin Press)

EMBARBOED: as we noted earlier this week, heavy publicity begins on Sunday for this book on the modern CIA, with a New York Times page one story and the author’s live one-on-one with Bob Scheiffer on CBS’s Face the Nation. On publication day, 4/9, the author is scheduled to appear on NPR’s Morning Edition, CNN’sSituation Room with Wolf Blitzer, and PBS’s Charlie Rose Show. Later in the week, comes MSNBC’s Morning Joe and NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, among others. The next week, Mazzetti is scheduled for the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Simpler: The Future of Government, Cass R. Sunstein, (Simon & Schuster)

As the former administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Sunstein streamlined government regulations (even overhauling the iconic “food pyramid”). His new book will get attention next week on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, the PBS Nightly Business Report, NPR’s Marketplace, and Comedy Central’s Colbert Report, among others. His “Ten Steps Toward a Simpler World” appeared in the Wall Street Journal this week.

There’s so many significant titles coming out next week, that it’s almost a relief to note that one of them has been postponed; Jane Goodall’s Seeds of Hope (Hachette/Grand Central), due to accusations of plagiarism.

The media will have plenty to choose from next week. In addition to the titles featured below, Debbie Reynolds and Maya Angelou release their first memoirs in years, Gwyneth Paltrow brings out a new cookbook and Marie Osmond writes about losing her son (an excerpt is featured in People magazine this week). But the lion’s share of attention will likely focus on Mary Roach‘s examination of the alimentary canal, Gulp.

All the titles highlighted here, and more, are list on our New Title Radar, Week of April 1

Watch List

Life After Life, Kate Atkinson, (Hachette/Little, Brown/Reagan Arthur; Hachette Audio; Hachette Large Print)

Reviewers are expecting a great deal from the author of  Started Early, Took My Dog, as evidenced by the fact that Janet Maslin jumped the pub date to review it in the New York Times this week. She calls this novel about a woman who lives her life over and over again, a “big book that defies logic, chronology and even history in ways that underscore its author’s fully untethered imagination.” It shares the #1 spot as an IndieNext Pick for April (along with Jill McCorkle’s book, which happens to have the same title), Atkinson is featured in the New York Times Magazine and gets an unequivocal “A” from Entertainment Weekly.

Reconstructing Amelia, Kimberly McCreight (Harper)

Also receiving an “A” from Entertainment Weekly is this debut which actually live up to the claim that it is “this year’s Gone Girl.” Excitement about it has been building on GalleyChat for months. Booksellers agree, making it an IndieNext Pick for April — “Throw out all the cliched superlatives! McCreight’s remarkable debut novel is about Kate Baron, a high-powered lawyer who believes that her daughter Amelia has committed suicide — until she receives the anonymous text — ‘She didn’t jump.’”

All That Is, James Salter, (RH/ Knopf)

Salter’s first novel in 30 years is featured as an “Exclusive First Read” on NPR’s web site, which describes him as a “writer’s writer” and notes “Salter’s deceptively simple prose…His sentences flow one to the next with a limpid inevitability that carries us along.” Entertainment Weekly, gives it a “B+”,  marking him down because he “opts for a panoramic view of [main character] Bowman’s life, bloating the narrative with minor characters’ backstories.” Still, it is the prose that wins the reviewer over, “the sentence-to-sentence craftsmanship is stunning, and Salter can still write a perfect love scene.”

The Flamethrowers, Rachel Kushner, (S&S/Scribner; Brilliance Audio)

The author’s previous title, Telex From Cuba garnered an enviable line in Carolyn See’s Washington Post review, ” It’s the kind of thing you should stock up on to give sick friends as presents; they’ll forget their arthritis and pneumonia.” It went on to become a National Book Award finalist. In anticipation of this, her next book, Maud Newton wrote in the NYT ‘Room for Debate’: I’m already gearing up to be annoyed if Rachel Kushner’s second novel, The Flamethrowers, doesn’t win something major.”  David Ulin writes in the L.A. Times that this book operates “…in the space between creativity and politics, the saga of an artist who travels from Lower Manhattan in the late 1970s to become immersed in the white hot center of Italian radical politics. Kushner is a vivid storyteller, worth reading for her sentences alone.” It is scheduled for coverage on NPR‘s“Weekend Edition” on Sunday.

Without a Summer, Mary Robinette Kowal, (Macmillan/Tor Books)

The third in series, a GalleyChat favorite described as “Regency romance with magic,” that will appeal to both fans of Jane Austen and those who find her a bit to stilted.  Check out what Ali Fisher has to say about it on “Uncharted Pages”

Media Magnets 

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, Mary Roach, (Norton; Tantor Audio)

In Mary Roach’s last book, Packing for Mars, she revealed how astronauts deal with poop in space. Will her new book deliver equally memorable moments? Tons of media attention is in the works next week, so we will soon be hearing about “poop transplants,” rectal smuggling and Elvis Presley’s megacolon. Hats off to the creative person in St. Louis who came up with the idea of a  “Dinner and Digestion” program, featuring the author. She is scheduled to appear on Fresh Air on Monday (which happens to be April Fool’s Day), and gets to again match wits with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show (see below for her previous appearance).

Instant Mom, Nia Vardalos, (HarperOne)

Wonder what happened to the writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding? She became a parent, but not instantly as the title suggests. Here she recounts her efforts to become pregnant, what happened after she did and what her Hollywood life is like. Appearances are scheduled next week for the Today Show, The Katie Couric Show, and many others.

All You Could Ask For, Mike Greenberg, (HarperCollins/Morrow)

The cohost of ESPN’s popular sports show, Mike and Mike in the Morning, Greenberg’s most recent book was titled, Why My Wife Thinks I’m an Idiot, so his shift to what Kirkus describes as “chick lit, with somber overtones” is, as Booklist dryly notes, a”seemingly incongruous choice of subject matter.” It will be fun to see how this one is handled on talk shows.

Next week brings the inspired collaboration of Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen on a picture book about childhood’s greatest demon; the dark. Many series continue, of course, including the 53rd outing of Geronimo Stilton, which keeps on giving first-time fluent readers the opportunity to zip through another adventure. In Young Adult, the second in His Fair Assassin series will not disappoint the legions of Grave Mercy fans.

All the titles highlighted here and many more coming next week, are listed on our downloadable spreadsheet Kids New Title Radar, Week of April 1.

Picture Books

The Dark, Lemony Snicket, illus. by Jon Klassen, (Hachette/Little, Brown BYR)

Snicket takes the ordinary childhood fear and elevates it as he gives voice to “the dark.” Caldecott winner (This Is Not My Hat) Klassen represents light and dark so that we “see” the anxiety yet understand that there is really nothing to be afraid of … Really.

Can You See What I See?: Out of This World: Picture Puzzles to Search and Solve, Walter Wick, (Scholastic/ Cartwheel Books)

The ninth title in a series from the creator of the I SPY books, who is a wizard, packing each photograph with interesting objects and clues for the younger set.

Easy Readers

Mia Sets the Stage, Robin Farley, illus. by Olga Ivanov, (HarperCollins)

I am thrilled to get my hands on more of the adventures of this dancing cat and her cohort. These emergent readers with limited language are some of the best new easy-to-read books.

Middle Grade

Genie Wishes, Elisabeth Dahl, (Abrams/Amulet)

Genie, the official blogger for her 5th grade class, is dealing with her own set of issues; a BFF who seems ready to defect. This debut will resonate with middle grade readers.

Write This Book: A Do-It-Yourself Mystery, Pseudonymous Bosch, (Hachette/Little, Brown BYR)

The readers who cut their teeth on Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events took to Pseudonymous Bosch with ease, delight and fervor. This entry into the series that began with The Name of This Book Is Secret is more of a “consumable” as readers are encouraged to participate in the creation of the story. Yet, if you are thinking about satisfying a rabid reader, this is a must-have (just catalog it as reference for programming or as part of your Writing Box program. You do have a Writing Box program? If not, download this Writing Box How-to).

Hollywood, Dead Ahead, Kate Klise, illus. by M. Sarah Klise, (Harcourt)

I have read everything by the sisters Klise since a special education reading teacher turned me on to Regarding the Fountain. Kirkus calls this one,  Number 5 in the 43 Old Cemetery Road, series that began with Dying To Meet You, “Another winner for this inventive series.”  Agreed.

Goosebumps Most Wanted #3: How I Met My Monster, R.L. Stine, (Scholastic Paperbacks)

A little creepier than the originals (these have real nightmare-inducing covers), but still embedded with humor. Must-have horror for the early chapter book readers.

Spy Mice series, Heather Vogel Frederick, (S&S, pbk reprint)

The Black Paw
For Your Paws Only
Goldwhiskers

Okay, I admit I missed this exciting middle grade series on its first go-round. Simon and Schuster caught my attention with sharp paperback repackaging. The first three — The Black Paw, For Your Paws Only and Goldwhiskers –are about the unlikely relationship of misfit Oz Levinson and spy mouse in-training Glory Goldenleaf as they embark on James-Bond-like adventures. Heather Vogel Frederick knows how to tell a story. Most librarians are familiar with her delightful Mother-Daughter Book Club series.

Young Adult

Dark Triumph, Robin LaFevers,  (Houghton Mifflin)

This sequel to last year’s Grave Mercy holds up to the first. A fantasy world of court intrigue and killer nuns. What’s not to like?

Fans can look forward to new titles in popular series next week, including those by Donna Leon, Jacqueline Winspear, J. R. Ward and Robert Ludlam (as channeled by Kyle Miles). Reviews are already starting for Elizabeth Strout’s The Burgess Boys, the author’s next book after her Pulitzer Prize winning Olive Kitteridge. Also arriving is a novel widely expected to be the next Paris Wife, about another “Real Housewife of Historical Fiction,” Zelda Fitzgerald.

All titles and more are included on our downloadable spreadsheet, New Title Radar, Week of 3.25.13

Watch List

The Burgess Boys, Elizabeth Strout, Random House; RH Audio; BOT

Strout’s previous book, Olive Kitteridge was considered a dark horse when it won the Pulitzer Prize in 2009. It went on to spend over a year on best seller lists in trade paperback. Her new book will again test readers’ willingness to accept some unlikeable characters, this time in novel form, rather than interconnected short stories. Signs are positive. It gets an unequivocal A from Entertainment Weekly and Ron Charles in the Washington Post says “…the broad social and political range of The Burgess Boys shows just how impressively this extraordinary writer continues to develop.”

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, Therese Anne Fowler, (Macmillan/St. Martin’s; Macmillan Audio; Thorndike Large Print)

Back in the early 70’s, Nancy Milford’s biography Zelda (Harper) shed new light on the F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wife Zelda. It became a long-running best seller and is still in print. Jazz era fascination continued with Robert Redford’s portrayal of The Great Gatsby on film. Flash forward to today. Baz Lahrmann’s Great Gatsby arrives this summer and is preceded by a heavily-promoted book about Zelda, titled simply Z, after the way she signed her letters.

People designates it a Pick in the new issue, saying it is “richly imagined… sometimes reads like an insider’s delicious account of gossip-column fodder. But these characters aren’t caricatures and Zelda’s tales are told with restraint and insight… here, her touching story is also fascinating and funny and it animates an entire era.” Entertainment Weekly gives it a B+

Other forthcoming books that feature Zelda include a bio (UPDATE: this title is a novel), Beautiful Fools: The Last Affair of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald by R. Clifton Spargo (Overlook Press; May 2) and another novel, Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck (Penguin/NAL Original Trade Pbk., May 7).

Life After Life, Jill McCorkle, (Workman/Algonquin; Thorndike Large Print)

As we noted earlier, this is the first of two novels arriving this season with the same title, both of which are #1 IndieNext picks for April. The IndieNext annotation reads,

Let yourself be drawn into the world of Pine Haven Estates in Fulton, North Carolina, and treat yourself to a cast of characters so rich that you will be bereft every time the point of view changes, only to find yourself enchanted anew. Pine Haven Estates is a retirement community, where life and death are inevitable companions. Its inhabitants and the people who care for and about them are at the center of this story that examines the cycle of life — what it means to be alive as well as how one faces the end of life. McCorkle’s first novel in 17 years depicts a community well worth visiting and offers a wonderfully satisfying reading experience. —Terry Gilman, Mysterious Galaxy Books, San Diego, CA

Media Magnets

Brothers Emanuel: A Memoir of an American Family, Ezekiel J. Emanuel, (Random House RH Audio; BOT)

The eldest of the Emanuel brothers, a bioethicist, writes about his family, which includes brothers Rahm, Mayor of Chicago and Ari, a major Hollywood agent. All that star power brings attention, including an interview with three brothers by Brian Williams on NBC’s Rock Center tonight (promoted on The Today Show this morning) and features on the NPR’s upcoming Weekend Edition Sunday and CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight, CBS This Morning Saturday and MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Monday.

Decisive, Chip Heath and Dan Heath, (RH/Crown Business; RH Audio; BOT)

Following their influential and best selling business books, Made to Stick and Switch, the authors turn to the question of how we can make more rational business and life decisions. Heath published a story in the Wall Street Journal this week and the book has been in Amazon’s top 100 for 12 days, but libraries are showing modest holds at this point

Tie-ins

We’ve already featured two of the three tie-ins arriving this week, A Storm of Swords (RH/Bantam; HBO series begins March 31) and The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, (Mariner Books; movie begins a limited run on April 26).

The third is The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer by Anthony Bruno (RH/Bantam). The movie stars Michael Shannon as a real-life hitman, trying to balance family and career, and co-stars Ray Liotta, Wynona Ryder, Chris Evans and James Franco. It opens on May 3.

Next week, middle school kids will be clamoring for the next in a series they can easily recognize as written for them, the prolific James Patterson‘s third in his Middle School series, My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar (Hachette/LBYR). Newbery Medalist, Patricia MacLachlan, proves herself no slouch, with two new titles in one week and the hotly popular Cassandra Clare concludes the steampunk Infernal Devices series.

These, and more highlights, are included on our downloadable spreadsheet, Kids New Title Radar, Week of March 18.

Two from MacLachlan

White Fur Flying, Patricia MacLachlan, (S&S/Margaret K. McElderry )

Cat Talk, Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, illus. by Barry Moser, (HarperCollins/Katherine)

MacLachlan (best known for her Newbery medal winner, Sarah, Plain and Tall) rests not on her laurels. With two titles arriving this week, she makes even James Patterson look like a slacker. In Cat Talk, she and her daughter, who collaborated on two books about dogs, Once I Ate a Pie and I Didn’t Do It, bring their verse skills to the feline point-of-view, with artwork by Barry Moser, whose sublime kitty illustrations adorned My Cats Nick and Nora and Cheshire Cheese Cat. In White Fur Flying, MacLachlan’s spare style tells the moving story of a troubled boy and the dog that saved him.

Picture Books

Pug Worth, Valerie Worth, illus. by Steve  Jenkins, (Macmilla/FSG BYR)

Each season, the cover of a new picture book gets the place of honor above my desk. I have been looking up at this one since November and still adore it. Jenkins’s talents highlight Valerie Worth’s animal poems.
Ol’ Mama Squirrel, David Ezra Stein,  (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books)

A Kids IndieNext Spring pick, described as “equally a funny story of one courageous mom facing down the world and a thank you to all the moms out there in the world who have done the same — and continue to do so — for their children.”

Children’s Informational Books

Pranklopedia: The Funniest, Grossest, Craziest, Not-Mean Pranks on the Planet!, Julie Winterbottom, (Workman)

Looking for something for third grade boys to put a little spark in the winter doldrums? As the title guarantees, nothing too mean but many classic pranks in this compendium.
The Eagles are Back, Jean Craighead George, Illus. by Wendell Minor, (Penguin/Dial)

Naturalist Jean Craighead George left us bereft when she died last year. There will be no more wolves, falcons, and eagles to enchant us in novels, essays and picture books. Or so we thought. Her boon companion Wendell Minor brings his signature style to illustrated  one more revelatory story, the revival of the eagle in its habitat. Jean’s books ARE the Common Core; she was a visionary.

Chldren’s Fiction

Tallulah’s Toe Shoes, Marilyn Singer, Alexandra Boiger, (HMH/Clarion)

Singer’s ballerina series took flight with Tallulah’s Tutu. For all the little children who WANT, NEED, HAVE TO HAVE a ballet book, Tallulah is “every girl” and we are happy to have another to share.
 

Young Adult

Clockwork Princess, Cassandra Clare, (S&S/ Margaret K. McElderry)

More steam punk, please! This, the final volume in the Infernal Devices series arrives with much fanfare; with a ‘book trailer exclusive” on Entertainment Weekly’s Shelf Life blog, a feature in USA Today on Thursday, and an A- review from Entertainment Weekly, saying it may be the author’s ” best undertaking to date.” This series is the prequel to Clare’s Mortal Instruments, which will be coming to the big screen in August, starring Lily Collins. Clare and Holly Black (co-author of The Spiderwick Chronicles) are collaborating on another series, Magisterium, aimed at middle schoolers, with The Iron Trail, coming in September of next year.

Among the books arriving next week, Harlan Coben’s Six Years (Penguin/Dutton) leads in number of holds (over 800 in some libraries). Readers advisors will want to take a look at Once Upon A Flock, a memoir with chickens that caused Kirkus to go all mushy and a fiction debut about child-on-child crime that arrives here after much success in the U.K.

The titles highlighted in this post, and more, are listed on our downloadable spreadsheet, New Title Radar, Week of 3.18.13

The Guilty One, Lisa Ballantyne, (Harper/Morrow pbk original; HarperLuxe)

This debut by a Scottish author arrives here with advance buzz after having been a hit in the UK (it was chosen by the influential Richard and Judy Book Club). It may also be a hit here. It’s an IndieNext pick for March, described as “… a profound, heart-wrenching, thought-provoking, must-read. While it is primarily the story of a little boy accused of murder and his lawyer, it is also a mesmerizing study of the three main characters and how they are each affected by horrible events in their past.” The Washington Post gives it an early review, praising Ballantyne’s “crisp, reflective writing,” but objects to unlikable characters and grim subject manner (sound familiar? Like The Dinner, perhaps?)

Once upon a Flock: Life with My Soulful Chickens, Lauren Scheuer, (S&S/Atria)

Given the fascination with urban farming, there should be a ready audience for this book that Kirkus calls, “a charmingly quirky story of a woman and the flock of spirited chickens that stole her heart.” The chicken’s daily lives are documented “with drawings and photographs, which she includes on almost every page of the book.” Scheuer is a children’s book illustrator who writes the blog Scratch and Peck.

Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation, Dan Fagin, (RH/Bantam; BOT)

One of PW’s 10 “Most Anticipated for Spring” in the science category, described as a “science-centered detective story” that looks into New Jersey’s environmental disasters brought about by toxic industrial waste and government officials that looked the other way. It will be featured on NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered tomorrow.

The lead in library holds among the titles arriving next week is Breaking Point, C. J. Box’s latest thriller featuring Joe Pickett. Trailing it is Terry Brooks’ Bloodfire Quest: The Dark Legacy of Shannara, the second in a new series. In the media, the majority of air time for books will be focused on Facebook COO’s Sheryl Sandberg’s controversial Lean In.

The titles highlighted here, and more, are listed on our downloadable spreadsheet, New Title Radar, Week of March 11

Media Magnets

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, Sheryl Sandberg, (RH/Knopf; RH Audio; BOT)

Facebook COO Sandberg’s “sort of feminist manifesto” arrives after weeks of heated discussion; it’s been going on so long that the backlash has a backlash. If you’ve seen the author’s 2010 TED presentation (below), or her appearance on the PBS show Makers, you may wonder what all the fuss is about (and about the health of feminism in this country if a reasonable analysis of gender politics can still cause such a ruckus).

The New York Times’ Maureen Dowd dismissed Sandberg as the “PowerPoint Pied Piper in Prada ankle boots.” As if in response, Time magazine this week features Sandberg with the cover line, “Don’t Hate Her Because She’s Successful.” For women too busy having it all to read the book, the Washington Post offers a cheat sheet.

Much more attention is on the way, including appearances on CBS 60 Minutes this Sunday, followed by NPR’s Morning Edition, ABC’s Good Morning America, and Nightline.

—-

Until I Say Good-bye: My Year of Living with Joy, Susan Spencer-Wendel, (Harper)

Diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, Susan Spencer-Wendel decided to live her life to the fullest, rather than follow doctors’ advice to conserve her energy. Along with her husband, Bred Witter (who was the co-author of the best-selling book that celebrated a small-town library and its resident cat, Dewey’s Nine Lives), she writes about what she experienced and produced a video for the book. A round of media attention begins with NPR’s Weekend Edition tomorrow, followed by the Today Show, Inside Edition with Deborah Norville, a feature in People and a USA Today “Life Section” cover story.

Traps, Mackensie Bezos, (RH/Knopf)

In promotional material, author Bezos bio is brief. She “studied creative writing at Princeton University … lives in Seattle with her husband and four children.” More is added in a feature on the author in Vogue this month, which makes no bones about the fact that her husband is the founder of Amazon. Prepub reviews, are generally positive, if not overly enthusiastic. Publishers Weekly says, “Bezos (The Testing of Luther Albright) has a knack for the slow-build. In her second novel she galvanizes the mundane with a sense of dread, presenting four women trapped by sad circumstances and their own fallibility, as they gradually make their way through four tense days during which their lives intersect.”

Watch List

The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, Edward Kelsey Moore, (RH/Knopf; RH Audio; BOT; Thorndike Large Print)

Four women (nicknamed “the supremes”) bond during get-togethers in a small-town Indiana diner. Shelf Awareness‘s book review editor Marilyn Dahl gives it a strong readers advisory hook; “it may not be considered a ‘great’ book, like Billy Lynn’s Long Half-time Walk, but it’s an absolutely delightful book that brought me great joy, and I recommend it to everyone I know.” Entertainment Weekly says that in this “kindhearted debut, Moore (can it be called chick lit if a man wrote it?) shows a seasoned ease with his funny, damaged subjects, including the tipsy ghost of Eleanor Roosevelt. You’ll be casting the movie by the second chapter.”

Dark Tide, Elizabeth Haynes, (Harper Pbk Original; HarperLuxe)

Haynes’s first book, Into the Darkest Corner, was popular with librarians on GalleyChat. This second is reviewed on Edelweiss by librarian Halle Eisenman (Beaufort County Library); “A compelling story and satisfying mystery. A good recommendation for fans of Gillian Flynn, although if readers haven’t picked up Haynes’ first book, I’d recommend that as the more suspenseful and intense read.”

Wool, Hugh Howey, (S&S; simultaneous trade paperback and hardcover release)

Called the “Sci-fi Fifty Shades of Grey” (as in, a self-published book that became such a hit that Hollywood came knocking — NOT a story about bondage in outer space), Wool began life as short story, followed by four more titles, collected in Wool – Omnibus Edition (Amazon/CreateSpace) owned by several libraries. Now it gets its traditional publishing debut (complete with a cover blurb from The Passage‘s Justin Cronin), via a deal with S&S, which the Wall Street Journal examines in detail today.

Next week brings touching and humorous picture books and a new YA title by Sharon Draper. Series releases include the latest in L.J. Smith’s Secret Circle series, The Temptation and Kathy Reich’s third in her Virals series, Code. These, and more highlights, are included on our downloadable spreadsheet, Kids New Title Radar, Week of March 11

Picture Books

Otis and the Puppy, Loren Long, (Penguin/Philomel)

In this new intallment of the series by best-selling author Loren Long, beloved big-eyed farm tractor, Otis faces his own fears to rescue his new friend, the puppy.

Poetry

World Rat Day: Poems About Real Holidays You’ve Never Heard Of, J. Patrick Lewis,  Anna Raff, (Candlewick)

If you’re suffering from Poetry Month fatigue, here’s the perfect pick-me-up, wacky holidays honored with humorous poems by the Children’s Poetry Laureate.

Young Adult

Panic, Sharon M. Draper, (S&S/Atheneum)

A teenage girl is abducted. Her story, told in alternating viewpoints, is frightening and believable, with a cover that  is creepy, compelling and beautiful all at the same time. Draper has won several awards, including the Coretta Scott King for both Copper Sun and Forged by Fire. Her most recent, Out of My Mind was NYT best seller and received the Josette Frank Award from the Bank Street College of Education.

Starstruck, Rachel Shukert,  Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Memoirist/actress, Shukert tries her hand at the YA genre with successful results. A mystery set in 1930’s Hollywood, Starstruck gives an inside look at the struggles of young actresses (think Pretty Little Liars with an earlier setting).