Top Fives: Simon and Schuster Spring 2019 Preview #sskidspreview

Posted on by missprint

Here are my top fives from Simon and Schuster’s Spring 2019 preview for librarians and educators. (This preview happened in February and I’m posting this in July so many of these anticipated titles should already be available at your local library or bookstore!)

If you want to see all of the tweets from the preview, you can check out of the #sskidspreview tag on twitter. (You can also find all of my tweets from the preview too!)

Here are the top five titles I’m excited about from the preview:

Picture Books

  1. Duckworth the Difficult Child By Michael Sussman, illustrated by Júlia Sardà: This story is everything my weird picture book loving heart could want. When Duckworth is swallowed whole by a snake he has to get himself out when his parents decide to ignore his difficult behavior.
  2. Seagull and Sea Dragon by Sydni Gregg: Opposites collide in this picture book where opposites aren’t quite as different as Seagull or Sea Dragon might think.
  3. Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed, illustrated by Anoosha Syed: Bilal draws neighborhood kids in when his father asks Bilal to help cook his favorite dish—Daal! This looks delightful.
  4. Leila in Saffron by Rukhsanna Guidroz, illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova: I am always here for new books from Salaam Reads! Leila explores her heritage in this multi sensory story inspired by the author’s own multicultural upbringing.
  5. One Dark Bird by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon: Counting book about Starlings and their flocking behavior (murmurations). I love Starlings! I don’t even need help from Bird Watcher Twitter to find them.

Middle Grade

  1. A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata: Cynthia Kadohata’s new novel was six years in the making. A piercing story about a Japanese-American family who gives up their American citizenship after WWII to return to Hiroshima—never knowing the devastation they’ll find there after the atomic bomb.
  2. Order of the Majestic by Matt Myklusch: This preview started with a fantastic presentation from the author about talking about this series starter where low-key genius Joey as he discovers magic is real—but only if you believe in it. I am obsessed with the tagline: “The world is running out of magic. It needs a miracle. It got Joey Kopecky.”
  3. Cape by Kate Hannigan: Wonder Woman meets Hidden Figures in this high action story set in WWII America where three girls are transformed into new superheroes. Includes 48 pages of comic book panels too.
  4. The Trouble With Shooting Stars by Meg Cannistra: This story is being called Mary Poppins meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding in a story about healing and family.

Young Adult

  1. Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boetju: It’s Judy Blume meets RuPaul’s Drag Race in this debut about a queer teen who finds drag culture and the teen she was always meant to be.
  2. Hungry Hearts edited by Elsie Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond: Yessssss! Interconnected short story collection all about family, culture, and food. Authors include Sandhya Menon, Anna-Marie McLemore, Ron Chupeco, Rebecca Roanhorse. Ahhhhhh.
  3. The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World by Amy Reed: A. S. King meets Alice Hoffman in this story (blurbed by Nova Ren Suma!) where a friendship might literally be able to change the world. A surreal story with a strong sense of place, and a powerful ode to the importance of hope.
  4. The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu: “Trauma has a gravity of its own.” In this thriller where a toxic friendship turns deadly.
  5. Start Here by Trish Doller: A story about grief, loss, and how the ties that bind can just as easily unravel.
  6. Virtually Yours by Sarvenaz Tash: Shenanigans ensue when a girl decides to use a virtual reality dating app to try and get her ex boyfriend back.

Let me know if any of these were already on your radar or if this post helped you find some new titles for your to read list!