Happy Friday! It’s been, um… forever since I did a monthly #tbr post, but I’m bringing it back today!
Okay, full disclosure, I’ve already read three books this month, and I’m definitely including them on this list. But I haven’t read the rest of them yet! And… yeah, I don’t really have much else to say here, so let’s see what I’m going to read this month!
The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White Series: Camelot Rising #2
Also in this series: The Guinevere Deception, The Camelot Betrayal
Published on November 10, 2020 by Delacorte Press
Genres: YA, Fantasy, Retellings
Pages: 384
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram
The second book in a new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White, exploring the nature of self, the inevitable cost of progress, and, of course, magic and romance and betrayal so epic Queen Guinevere remains the most famous queen who never lived.
EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE IN CAMELOT: King Arthur is expanding his kingdom’s influence with Queen Guinevere at his side. Yet every night, dreams of darkness and unknowable power plague her.
View Spoiler »And who is she really deceiving–Camelot, or herself?
The Vanishing Girl by Josephine Ruby Series: Daphne and Velma #1
Published on March 3, 2020Genres: YA, Contemporary, Mystery, Retellings
Pages: 272
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It's the classic girl detectives like you've never seen them before!
Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley have a terrifying new mystery to solve - and this time, the culprit is far more frightening than any man in a mask....
Popular Daphne Blake and über-nerd Velma Dinkley are not friends. They aren’t enemies either, but they don't have any reason to speak to each other, and that’s how they prefer it. The two girls grew up together—they’d been best friends since pre-K—but when they hit middle school, Daphne dropped Velma and never looked back.
These days, Daphne’s deep in the popular crowd, daughter of the richest family in town, while Velma’s an outsider, hiding from the world behind her thick glasses. When they run into each other in the halls of Crystal Cove High, they look the other way.
But then Daphne's best friend, Marcy—who happens to be Velma’s cousin—goes missing. A century ago, there was a wave of disappearances in Crystal Cove, and many local people believe that supernatural forces were behind it. Now the whole town believes those same forces are back . . . and up to no good.
Daphne and Velma may be the only ones who can solve the mystery and save Marcy—if they can trust each other enough to try. Especially since the truth might be stranger—and scarier—than either girl can imagine . . .
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks Published on January 14, 2020 by Katherine Tegen Books
Genres: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Pages: 304
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Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime?
A crime he says he never committed.
Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’s worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she’s worthy of auditioning for Food Network’s Kids Bake Challenge.
But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus’s conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesn’t know how to balance. The only thing she knows to be true: Everyone lies.
The Game by Linsey Miller Published on August 4, 2020 by Underlined
Genres: YA, Mystery, Contemporary
Pages: 240
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Tumblr
Every year the senior class at Lincoln High plays assassin. Lia Prince has been planning her strategy for years and she's psyched that not only does she finally get to play, she's on a team with Devon Diaz. But this year, the game isn't any fun--it's real. Abby Ascher, Ben Barnard, and Cassidy Clarke have all turned up . . . dead. Can Lia stop the ABC killer before he reaches D?
Archimancy by J.A. White Series: Shadow School #1
Published on August 27, 2019 by Katherine Tegen Books
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mystery
Pages: 304
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Cordelia Liu knew Shadow School was going to be different. Black gates and ivied walls. Long hallways lined with old paintings. A tower with a window that looks like an eye. Different she expected; different she could handle. Still, Cordelia can’t shake the feeling that something’s not right—and that she’s being carefully watched.
The answer isn’t just in front of her eyes—it’s in her gym, next to the bulletin board, even in the cafeteria. The school grounds are filled with ghosts. Cordelia soon realizes she’s not the only one who can see them; her new friend Benji can too. Together with supersmart Agnes, the trio are determined to find out why the ghosts are there, and whether there’s a way to set them free. But the school was created with more sinister intentions, and someone is willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure that the ghosts remain trapped forever.
Dehaunting by J.A. White Series: Shadow School #2
Published on August 25, 2020 by Katherine Tegen Books
Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Fantasy
Pages: 272
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Cordelia Liu’s first year at Shadow School was a success. She studied hard and made friends. She also sent hundreds of ghosts into the afterlife, because Shadow School isn’t a normal school, and Cordelia Liu isn’t a normal girl.
But her second year is already different. Ghosts are refusing to move on, the teachers are acting weird, and Cordelia’s best friends, Benji and Agnes, aren’t as interested in rescuing the ghosts as they used to be. Benji is busy hanging out with the girl he befriended over the summer, while Agnes spends all her time building a machine that might be capable of dehaunting the school forever.
Cordelia is the only one who believes that something sinister is happening right under their noses. But what if it’s even worse than she could imagine?
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga Published on May 28, 2019 by Balzer + Bray
Genres: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Pages: 352
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I am learning how to be
sad
and happy
at the same time.
Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.
At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US—and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before. But this life also brings unexpected surprises—there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.
Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure by Ryan North Published on June 7, 2016 by Riverhead Books
Genres: Adult, Romance
Pages: 400
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Shakespeare’s plays weren’t meant to be read. They were meant…to be played.
What if Romeo never met Juliet? What if Juliet got really buff instead of moping around all day? What if they teamed up to take over Verona with robot suits? This choose-your-own-path version of Romeo and Juliet—packed with fun puzzles, secrets, and quadrillions of possible storylines—lets you decide where the plot goes every time you read. You might play as Romeo, or as Juliet, or as both of them at the same time. You might even unlock additional playable characters!
That’s right. We figured out how to have unlockable characters in books.
Once Upon an Eid by S.K. Ali, Aisha Saeed, Randa Abdel-Fattah, Huda Al-Marashi, Sara Alfageeh, Hanna Alkaf, Ashley Franklin, Asmaa Hussein, Hena Khan, Rukhsana Khan, Ayesha Mattu, Candice Montgomery, N.H. Senzai, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, G. Willow Wilson Published on May 5, 2020 by Amulet Books
Genres: Middle Grade, Anthology
Pages: 272
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Once Upon an Eid is a collection of short stories that showcases the most brilliant Muslim voices writing today, all about the most joyful holiday of the year: Eid!
Eid: The short, single-syllable word conjures up a variety of feelings and memories for Muslims. Maybe it’s waking up to the sound of frying samosas or the comfort of bean pie, maybe it’s the pleasure of putting on a new outfit for Eid prayers, or maybe it’s the gift-giving and holiday parties to come that day. Whatever it may be, for those who cherish this day of celebration, the emotional responses may be summed up in another short and sweet word: joy. The anthology will also include a poem, graphic-novel chapter, and spot illustrations.
Last Day on Mars by Kevin Emerson Series: Chronicle of the Dark Star #1
Published on February 14, 2017 by HarperCollins/Walden Pond Press
Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Pages: 336
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It is Earth year 2213—but, of course, there is no Earth anymore. Not since it was burned to a cinder by the sun, which has mysteriously begun the process of going supernova. The human race has fled to Mars, but this was only a temporary solution while we prepare for a second trip: a one-hundred-fifty-year journey to a distant star, our best guess at where we might find a new home.
Liam Saunders-Chang is one of the last humans left on Mars. The son of two scientists who have been racing against time to create technology vital to humanity’s survival, Liam, along with his friend Phoebe, will be on the very last starliner to depart before Mars, like Earth before it, is destroyed.
Or so he thinks. Because before this day is over, Liam and Phoebe will make a series of profound discoveries about the nature of time and space, and find out that the human race is just one of many in our universe locked in a desperate struggle for survival.
The Oceans Between Stars by Kevin Emerson Series: Chronicle of the Dark Star #2
Published on February 13, 2018 by Walden Pond Press
Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Pages: 432
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It is Earth year 2223, but the Earth, along with the entire solar system, is gone.
Liam and Phoebe, having barely escaped our exploding sun with their lives, are in stasis for the decade-long journey to the rogue planet Delphi, where they hope to meet up with the rest of the human refugees, find help for their injured parents, and pass along the devastating things they discovered on Mars: that someone destroyed their world intentionally, and that that someone might still be after them, trying to finish the job.
Phoebe is carrying her own dark secret. One that finds her waking up secretly at various points in their journey, changing their path through space. One that will decide the fate of the human race, and many more besides. One that, very soon, she must reveal to Liam, whether he’s ready for the truth or not.
The Shores Beyond Time by Kevin Emerson Series: Chronicle of the Dark Star #3
Published on February 12, 2019 by Walden Pond Press
Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Pages: 504
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It is Earth year 2256—but the fate of the few who even remember Earth is perilously in doubt. Mina Saunders-Chang and many of the surviving humans are stranded in the Centauri system, having barely survived their confrontation with the Telphon refugees. Now everyone—human and Telphon alike—is caught in the blast zone of the Centauri supernova. And yet there’s only one question Mina is asking:
Where are Liam and Phoebe?
Having barely made it through the battle at the Centauri system with their lives, Liam and Phoebe awake on a mysterious ship in the middle of a dead universe. The ship bears the markings of a human starliner that disappeared decades ago—but even more disturbing than that is the massive alien machine floating in the starless space before them.
A machine long abandoned but now showing signs of life. A machine that has begun speaking to Liam in a voice only he can hear. . . .
The Cassandra Curse by Chantel Acevedo Series: Muse Squad #1
Published on July 7, 2020 by Balzer + Bray
Genres: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Retellings
Pages: 368
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Callie Martinez-Silva didn’t mean to turn her best friend into a pop star. But when a simple pep talk leads to miraculous results, Callie learns she’s the newest muse of epic poetry, one of the nine Muses of Greek mythology tasked with protecting humanity’s fate in secret.
Whisked away to Muse Headquarters, she joins three recruits her age, who call themselves the Muse Squad. Together, the junior muses are tasked with using their magic to inspire and empower—not an easy feat when you’re eleven and still figuring out the goddess within.
When their first assignment turns out to be Callie’s exceptionally nerdy classmate, Maya Rivero, the squad comes to Miami to stay with Callie and her Cuban family. There, they discover that Maya doesn’t just need inspiration, she needs saving from vicious Sirens out to unleash a curse that will corrupt her destiny.
As chaos erupts, will the Muse Squad be able to master their newfound powers in time to thwart the Cassandra Curse . . . or will it undo them all?
What books are you planning on reading this month? Let me know in the comments below and have a splendiferous day!
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