Top Fives from the Fall 2016 #MacKidsPreview

Posted on by missprint

Last week, I was lucky enough to attend Macmillan’s Fall 2016 preview. The event was at Macmillan headquarters in the Flatiron Building and organized by Macmillan’s School & Library marketing department. The preview covered books from Farrar Straus Giroux, Feiwel & Friends, Swoon Reads, Imprint (Macmillan’s newest imprint), Henry Holt, Roaring Brook Press and First Second.

missprinttopfivesInstead of recapping the entire preview, Estelle pointed out that I could do some kind of top five list of books I’m excited about.

Without further ado, here are ten books I can’t wait to read from Macmillan’s Fall 2016 preview:

Picture Books:

  1. Good Morning City by Pat Kiernan, illustrated by Pascal Campion: If you aren’t a fan of New York One, you aren’t going to understand my excitement for this book. If you are, however, you’ll know that Pat Kiernan being the author is a big draw. Having read an early copy of this title, I can tell you it’s a delightful story about the city waking up in the early hours of the morning. Campion’s illustrations are stunning. If you have any interest in picture books set in the big city, this is a must read.
  2. How to Find a Fox by Nilah Magruder: Foxes are sneaky and harder to find than you’d think in this sweet debut about staying positive.
  3. Cat Knit by Jacob Grant: Cat and Yarn are best friends. But one day Cat’s little girl decides she wants to play with yarn too. Afterwards yarn is changed and Cat isn’t happy in this story about accepting change.
  4. First Light, First Life by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Julie Paschkis: From the team behind Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal come a multicultural creation story.
  5. Leave Me Alone by Vera Brosgol: One grandmother embarks on an epic quest to find some peace and quiet to finish her knitting. Complete with black holes and space travel. Subversive and irreverent, this debut is already being compared to Extra Yarn.

Middle Grade:

 

  1. Gertie’s Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley: This debut middle grade novel is illustrated Jillian Tamaki (of This One Summer fame). With a heroine compared to Ramona Quimby and a pitch that says this book is perfect for older fans of Clementine even picky middle grade readers (like me) are extremely excited.
  2. Super Happy Party Bears by Marcie Colleen, illustrated by Steve James: In this full color read perfect for reluctant readers (and younger readers), the Super Happy Party Bears live in the Grumpy Woods where parties and dancing solve a surprising number of problems. An anticipated eight book series.
  3. The Left-Handed Fate by Kate Milford: A new middle grade fantasy set in Nagspeake. A high seas adventure set during the War of 1812 where a privateer ship is looking for a magical war engine that can end all war.
  4. Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke: An unusual take on Jack and the Beanstalk with Hatke’s signature artwork and connections to his first graphic novel series, Zita the Spacegirl.
  5. Bera the One-Headed Troll by Eric Orchard: Bera finds a baby human and decides to protect it. The only problem? A lot of things in troll land want to eat or kill baby humans. A dark premise but tender at heart.

Young Adult:

  1. A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody: Groundhog’s Day meets Some Kind of Wonderful in this YA novel where a girl spends an entire week repeating the worst Monday of her life.
  2. Into White by Randi Pink: Latoya’s prayer to be “anything but black” is answered in this story inspired by the author’s own experiences as a black girl at a mostly white high school. With a fantastic cover and a unique premise this book is already being touted as provocative.
  3. Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roerhig: In this auspicious debut readers are drawn into a thriller filled with action and emotion. Thrillers seem to be the micro-trend of 2016 so expect this one to get a lot of buzz.
  4. Nemesis by Anna Banks: A princess’ unique ability is about to be weaponized forcing her to flee to an enemy kingdom where an inconvenient romance starts between her and the enemy prince.
  5. The Ones by Daniel Sweren-Becker: In a world where genetic engineering goes mainstream, only to be shot down during an anti-discrimination suit in the Supreme Court, the teens who received these genetic advantages find themselves in the minority. A debut pitched as Kyle XY meets Homeland (with just a touch of Gattaca).