November/December 2021 Kids Indie Next List

November 9, 2021November 5, 2021 | Tasha

The November/December 2021 Kids Indie Next List has been announced. The books on the list are all released during in the fall of this year and were selected by independent booksellers from across the country. Here are the books that made the list:

#1 PICK

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

PICTURE BOOKS

Amos McGee Misses the Bus by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

Bathe the Cat by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by David Roberts

Dog’s First Baby by Natalie Nelson

Cover for Everybody in the Red Brick Building

Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter, illustrated by Oge Mora

Gladys the Magic Chicken by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Adam Rex

A Hundred Thousand Welcomes by Mary Lee Donovan, illustrated by Lian Cho

Our Table by Peter H. Reynolds

Read Island by Nicole Magistro, illustrated by Alice Feagan

Room for Everyone by Naaz Khan, illustrated by Mercè López

Sweater Weather by Matt Phelan

MIDDLE GRADE

African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History by Tracy Baptiste

Barakah Beats by Maleeha Siddiqui

Cover for Cold-Blooded Myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery 3)

Cold-Blooded Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Cover for Fifty-Four Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers

Fifty-Four Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers by Caela Carter

Frankie & Bug by Gayle Forman

Manu by Kelly Fernandez

Neverforgotten by Alejandra Algorta, Aida Salazar, Iván Rickenmann

Cover for Playing the Cards You're Dealt

Playing the Cards You’re Dealt by Varian Johnson

Cover for The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy

The Troubled Girls of Dragomire Academy by Anne Ursu

Tidesong by Wendy Xu

YOUNG ADULT

All of Us Villains by Amada Foody and Christine Lynn Herman

Cover for Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

The Keeper of the Night by Kylie Lee Baker

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

13 YA Books Coming in November to Wake Your Brain Cells

November 3, 2021October 25, 2021 | Tasha

Here are 13 buzzy YA books that have gotten starred reviews. All are coming out in November. Enjoy!

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman

Graceling: The Graphic Novel by Kristin Cashore, illustrated by Gareth Hinds

Himawari House by Harmony Becker

Listen, Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied

Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther’s Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

Sway with Me by Syed M. Masood

Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed edited by Saraciea J. Fennell

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

The Words in My Hands by Asphyxia

Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier

You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus

10 Children’s Books Coming November to Wake Your Brain Cells

November 2, 2021October 25, 2021 | Tasha

Here are ten children’s books released in November that have received buzz and starred reviews. There is a nice mix of nonfiction and fiction to enjoy.

Art of Protest: Creating, Discovering, and Activating Art for Your Revolution by De Nichols

Candidly Cline by Kathryn Ormsbee

Four Streets and a Square: A History of Manhattan and the New York Idea by Marc Aronson

Out of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper

Rise of the World Eater by Jamie Littler

Second Sleep by Diane Stanley

Stuck by Jennifer Swender

The Swag Is in the Socks by Kelly J. Baptist

A Tale As Tall As Jacob by Samantha Edwards

Cover for Tangled Up in Luck (The Tangled Mysteries #1)

Tangled Up in Luck by Merrill Wyatt

12 New Picture Books Coming in November to Wake Your Brain Cells

November 1, 2021October 25, 2021 | Tasha

Here are twelve new picture books getting released in November that have gotten lots of buzz and starred reviews. There is a lot of movement in release dates for books due to supply chain issues, so some may be delayed.

The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson, illustrated by Nikkolas Smith

Amos McGee Misses the Bus by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

The Big Bath House by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Gracey Zhang

Dear Little One by Nina Laden, illustrated by Melissa Castrillon

Dream Street by Tricia Elam Walker, illustrated by Ekua Holmes

Fox: A Circle of Life Story by Isabel Thomas, illustrated by Daniel Egneus

Cover for Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates

Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates by Cheryl B. Klein, illustrated by Abhi Alwar

Cover for Little Red and the Cat Who Loved Cake

Little Red and the Cat Who Loved Cake by Barbara Lehman

The Sky-Blue Bench by Bahram Rahman, illustrated by Peggy Collins

Soul Food Sunday by Winsome Bingham, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza

Stitch by Stitch: Elizabeth Hobbs Kekly Sews Her Way to Freedom by Connie Schofield-Morrison, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

The Story of a Story by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Hadley Hooper

11 new october ya releases to wake your brain cells

October 6, 2021September 24, 2021 | Tasha

Here are 11 great teen reads for your fall TBR pile. They have received plenty of starred reviews and praise and offer a nice mix of fiction and nonfiction titles. Enjoy!

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert

Briarheart by Mercedes Lackey

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

Punching Bag by Rex Ogle

Rise Up! How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy by Crystal M. Fleming

Thirty Talks Weird Love by Alessandra Narvaez Varela

The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life by Amy Butler Greenfield

11 October children’s books to wake your brain cells

October 5, 2021September 24, 2021 | Tasha

Here are some great children’s books and middle grade reads that are coming out in October. They have gotten praise and starred reviews. Enjoy!

Frankie & Bug by Gayle Forman

The Genius Under the Table by Eugene Yelchin

How Do You Live? by Genzaburo Yoshino

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll

Neverforgotten by Alejandra Algorta

Cover for The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne

The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne by Jonathan Stroud

Picturing a Nation: The Great Depression’s Finest Photographers Introduce America to Itself by Martin W. Sandler

Playing the Cards You’re Dealt by Varian Johnson

Cover for The School Between Winter and Fairyland

The School Between Winter and Fairyland by Heather Fawcett

The Swallow’s Flight by Hilary McKay

This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them and Us edited by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby

12 New October picture books to wake your brain cells

October 4, 2021September 24, 2021 | Tasha

Here are twelve of the upcoming picture books releasing in October that include favorite authors, new names, fiction and nonfiction. Enjoy!

Art Is Everywhere: A Book about Andy Warhol by Jeff Mack

Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter, illustrated by Oge Mora

Forty Winks by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Lita Judge

From the Tops of the Trees by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Rachel Wada

Inside Cat by Brendan Wenzel

The Longest Letsgoboy by Derick Wilder, illustrated by Catia Chien

The Message by Michael Emberley

Off-Limits by Helen Yoon

Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Room for Everyone by Naaz Khan, illustrated by Mercè López

Cover for Sonny Rollins Plays the Bridge

Sonny Rollins Plays the Bridge by Gary Golio, illustrated by James Ransome

Sweater Weather by Matt Phelan

22 September YA Books to Wake Your Brain Cells

September 3, 2021August 20, 2021 | Tasha

Here are 22 of the YA books releasing in September that have received starred reviews and praise. You will find a combination of well-known voices and new ones to discover as well as some amazing nonfiction among the novels. Enjoy!

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

Battle of the Bands edited by Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith

Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray

Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchison

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

For All Time by Shanna Miles

Hello (From Here) by Chandler Baker and Wesley King

Kneel by Candace Buford

Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

Cover for The Other Merlin (Emry Merlin #1)

The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider

Cover for Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People

Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon

So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow

Tell It True by Tim Lockette

Time Will Tell by Barry Lyga

We Are Not Broken by George M. Johnson

Cover for When Can We Go Back to America?

When Can We Go Back to America? Voices of Japanese American Incarceration during WWII by Susan H. Kamei

When We Make It by Elisabet Velasquez

Where I Belong by Marcia Argueta Mickelson

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora edited by Saraciea J. Fennell

You’d Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow

15 September Children’s Books to Wake Your Brain Cells

September 2, 2021August 19, 2021 | Tasha

Here are 15 books for children and middle grades coming out in September that have gotten starred reviews and praise. Lots of familiar names mix with new faces.