Category Description and A Few Possible Suggestions for Elem/MG Spec. Fiction Nominations for Cybils

Fall is in the air, well at least it feels like it today with our temperature being 30 degrees, brrr.  Fall's also one of my favorite time's of the year because it means that Cybils book nominations opened last week and I love seeing all the books that get nominated.   I hope you'll consider nominating your favorites in children and YA published in the U.S. or Canada between October 15, 2016, to October 15th, 2017 (one book nomination per Category per person).  Nominations will only stay open until October 15th, so don't delay.     

 There are lots of different categories to choose from and you can get more information here.  I'd especially love to see more nominations in the elementary/mg speculative fiction category!   And here's the category description from Charlotte Taylor:

"This past year has seen another excellent crop of wonderfully inventive speculative fiction books for kids! Along with the expected spells and space rockets and aliens, this is the category for books with talking animals, time-travel, ghosts, and paranormal abilities, and all the other books that might not have obvious magic on every page, and which are set here on Earth, but which push past the boundaries of daily life into what is almost certainly impossible.

The two main criteria of the Cybils are excellent writing and kid appeal, and these come first and foremost when we assemble our shortlist. These books will be ones whose creativity, world-building, and characters fly off the rapidly turning pages and into our hearts and minds.

This category is for both Elementary and Middle-Grade books; that is, books written for eight- to twelve-year-olds. Some will be just a small step up from easy chapter books, perfect for the younger end, and others will fall into the “tween” category of books perfect for middle school kids not yet interested in full-blown YA books."

Might a suggest a possible few? Or twenty, okay twenty, but I have to stop there.  Some I've read and others I would like to read.  I hope I'm right on them all being in the correct nominations range, and I'm sure I've missed a bunch published after October 15th, 2016 but I still hope you'll nominate your favorites!   

Middle-Grade Spec. Fiction

The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide by Chis Colfer

The Girl With The Ghost Machine by Lauren DeStefano

Hamster Princess:  Giant Trouble by Ursula Vernon

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis 

The Bone Snatcher by Charlotte Salter

Ghosts of Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Lockwood & Co.  The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud

The Crooked Sixpence (The Uncommoners)  by Jennifer Bell 

Beast & Crown by Joel Ross

If The Magic Fits: 100 Dresses by Susan Maupin Schmid

The Wonderling by Mira Bartok 

The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

Thornhill by Pam Smy

The Silver Mask by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

The Adventures of Henry Whiskers by Gigi Priebe

Wing & Claw:  Cavern of Secrets by Linda Sue Park

Simple Plans: Evolution Revolution by Charlotte Bernardo 

Dream Magic by Joshua Khan

Serafina and the Splintered Heart by Robert Beatty

The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie 

    

                            

MG Realistic Fiction Review: Sled Dog School by Terry Lynn Johnson

Sled Dog School
Author: Terry Lynn Johnson
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Number of Pages: 198
Published:  October 3rd, 2017

Source:  Author in exchange for an honest review.

11-year-old Matt's family lives the simpler life, "off the grid." They have an outhouse, don't use gas or electricity, and the only phone is a landline for emergencies.  Matt is pretty responsible for his age, helping take care of his younger sister, while his father sells his pottery and his mom is doing research.  The family also raises and runs sled dogs, which Matt is pretty adept at.   Recently, Matt has been having difficulties with his math at school and with Jacob, a kid who's been bullying him and calling him "smoky" because of his families lifestyle.  He's also been reluctant to ask for help from his parents or his teacher and dreads the idea that he might be placed in remedial math.  When Matt's teacher, Mr. Moffat assigns an extra-credit project to design a business plan and run it, Matt knows that it's his only hope of raising his grade. From this, the Sled Dog School is born. The first step, advertising the lessons to find at least three customers.  The first to apply is Tubbs, who was hoping Matt could train his willy dog Flute to behave like the sled dogs.  Then there is Alex, who on her first day exudes confidence but with the skills to back it up.  Business seems to be getting off to a great start, now if Matt could only figure out how to keep track of his operating costs, use formulas to show salaries and keep things running for at least six weeks, he just might pass his math class.  

The last story I read by Terry Lynn Johnson was Ice Dogs, it was a wonderful action-packed adventure story set during the harsh winter conditions of Alaska where a girl gets lost while out dog sledding and then stumbles upon an injured boy who she tries to rescue,  a riveting story you shouldn't miss this one either.  In Sled Dog School, Johnson continues to draw from her experiences of running Alaskan huskies and writes a story geared this time toward younger children.  There's plenty of action alternating with chapters of Matt's and his classmate's progress on their assignment at school.  The dangers the kids face while learning to dog sled seemed to match the age of the intended audience while keeping the action moving, being informative and adding just the right amount of humor.  There are these funny scenes where Tubbs is trying to avoid the "poop spray" and Alex is flying through the air when she gets thrown from the sled.   Children can easily relate to Matt's struggles over asking for help from his parents or teachers and that in the end, it takes courage to ask for help.   Matt also learned how to be a better sled dog teacher and that there is a big difference between doing something he loves like dog sledding using his rote memory skills and needing to break things down into steps in order to be able to teach it to Tubbs and Alex.  Matt's parents were also wonderful, I really enjoyed how Matt's mom emphasized with him that it wasn't the grade on his schoolwork that she was most worried about, but what he learned from it.  That "education is about much more than going to school.  It's about learning from experiences."  Included at the back of the book are a glossary of terms, and a detailed picture identifying the different parts of the sled and positioning of the sled dog team.  With themes of friendship and overcoming struggles at school, I would recommend Sled Dog School to kids who enjoy animal stories, reading about sled dogs and mushing.  

Ghosts of Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Ghosts of Greenglass House
Author: Kate Milford
Format: E ARC 
Publisher: Clarion Books
Number of Pages: 464
Publishing:  October 3rd, 2017

Source:  Edelweiss Above the TreeLine

Opening lines:  "Frost was pretty much the worst.  It was like a promise with nothing behind it.  It was like not enough icing on a cookie, not enough butter on toast."

Milo is once again getting ready to spend his winter vacation at Greenglass House, but his holiday gets off to a rocky start.  Not only is he cranky about the lack of snow, he's also distressed over an incident that occurred at school with his History teacher,  and his friend Meddy has mysteriously been missing since last year.  Plus Emmett Syebuck, a guest of the Inn has overstayed his welcome sketching their stained glass windows.  Things do begin to brighten up when Clem and Georgie show up using a girls bachelorette weekend as a cover for a heist they did that went wrong leading them to need a safe place to hide from their double crossing partner and a rival thief.  Things take an unexpected turn for the worse when a group of carolers from Liberty of Gammerbund, a Rest Home for the Mentally Chaotic or asylum near Nagspeake show up, and some of the singers are involved in accidents resulting in everyone spending the night.  When Clem and Georgie's loot from their heist also goes missing, we once again have an Inn full of guest's who are not who they seem.  Someone among them is Gilawfer the fence and another is Canlebone, the famous thief.   

I really enjoyed reading Kate Milford's Greenglass House because of its setting and characters, so when I saw the sequel was available on Edelweiss, I jumped at the chance to read it.   Ghosts of Greenglass House did not disappoint, but I do recommend starting with the first book in the series, even though many of the same characters make a reappearance, there is a key piece of information that is revealed in the first book and the mystery and the campaign that Milo and Meddy played in Greenglass House would be such a shame to miss out on.  

That being said,  Ghosts of Greenglass House is still the perfect setting for a mystery with its long staircases, stained glass windows and the cold air of Winter blowing outside.  The one thing I found myself missing initially as much as Milo was Meddy,   I really wanted the two of them to get started on another campaign to help Georgie and Clem recover their loot.   At first, Milo thinks he can tackle the mystery, but playing the campaign on his own isn't half as fun and all the skills that he previously had with his character don't seem to be working for him in the same way.   Despite this, there were plenty of new characters to sort through and the setup of the new mystery linked to the legendary smuggler Violet Cross to keep me entertained.   Meddy does eventually return after sensing that something is wrong with Milo and together the two begin a new campaign.  Maybe it's the Dungeons and Dragons lover in me, but I really enjoy this aspect of the story.  Kids being creative in setting up all the details about their characters and skills and especially the way that Milo creates a character of the person he would like to be, complete with a backstory that helps him to understand some of his own history.  As a side note, in the first story, Milford explained the spark for Greenglass House was her own plans to adopt a Chinese boy and a desire to incorporate these themes into a story that one day he could read himself.   Within Ghosts of Greenglass House, Milford continues Milo's struggles over his feelings about being adopted as well as highlighting how making assumptions about people are wrong.  I was also pleasantly surprised with the historical details about the history and traditions of Liberty or the Rest Home near Nagspeake, details on Milo picking locks, as well as how cartography and maps were an important part of the story.  Oh and the continuation of each of the guests telling a story helping to piece together the mystery, just love it.  Now I know I haven't mentioned anything about the Ghosts in the title, and I'm really hesitant to do that now.  Suffice it to say, I liked the clever way in which things were resolved for Meddy and happy the ending leaves room for future mysteries for Milo and Meddy.    

Judges announced today for the Cybils

The Cybils are coming October 1st: 

I'm a Round 2 Judge!

Today's the day, judges for the Cybils were announced and  I'm very pleased to have been selected for the second round of Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction.  This is my first time being a second round judge, and I couldn't be more excited. 

 Our work starts on January 1st and runs up until February 12th when we will select the winner.    

Here's a link to information about the Cybils Awards and get your nominations ready for the opening on October 1st!   Rules for nominating are here. 

2017 ElementaryMiddle-Grade  Speculative Fiction Judges: 

First Round

Sherry Early

 Semicolon

@Semicolonblog

Melissa Fox 

Book Nut

@Book Nut

Katherine Kramp

ALibraryMama

@alibrarymama

Debbie Tanner

The Book Search 

@imtanner2

 

Charlotte Taylor

Charlotte's Library

@charlotteslib

Second Round

Mark Buxton

Say What?

Halli Gomez

The Winged Pen

@Ninja_writes

Jenna Grose

Falling Letters

@fallingletters

Rosemary Kaladitis

MomReadIt

@roesolo

Brenda Tjaden

Log Cabin Library

@logcabinlibrary

The Empty Grave (Lockwood & Co., #5) by Jonathan Stroud

The Empty Grave (Lockwood & Co., #5) by Jonathan Stroud
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Format:  Hardcover

Number of Pages: 437

Published:  September 12th,  2017

Source: Purchased

Why I wanted to read this:  Stroud has been one of my favorite authors ever since reading The Amulet of Samarkand and meeting the character of Bartimaeus. 

Opening Lines:  "Want to hear a ghost story?  That's good,  I know a few.  How about the one of the sightless blue face, pressed against the cellar window?  Or the apparition of the blind man holding a cane made of children's bones?"

So, I ventured into my last book in the series, a little uneasy with what to expect for the characters that I've loved reading, and despite a huge part of me wanting to race through the book to see if any of my predictions would come true,  I'm happy that I instead read it really slowly savoring every word.  

The Empty Grave begins with Lockwood & Company breaking into the Fittes Mausoleum, trying to prove or disprove revelations Skull made at the end of The Creeping Shadow, or whether or not Marissa Fittes remains really are within the tomb.  Meanwhile, Penelope Fittes has been building up the Fittes Agency by absorbing all of the smaller agencies,  changing rules and closely monitoring Lockwood and Company in hopes of catching them doing something wrong.  George continues researching their various cases and is instrumental in identifying a revenant they encountered in the mausoleum.   The gang also takes on a particularly dangerous mission to remove an evil spirit at the Tufnell Theater putting everyone in danger.  There's an unsettling trip to the graveyard, an eerie message for Lucy from a mechanical fortune teller machine and many, many precarious situations for our ghosthunters.   Not to mention, they begin to have suspicions regarding the real source of the Problem that has been causing all of the ghosts in London, and it ain't pretty.  

 Stroud has once again given me a book filled with suspense, the witty bantering of Skull and Lucy, a spooky atmosphere, creepy, eerie ghosts, the thrilling action, and this nerve-wracking feeling of impending doom that I couldn't seem to shake.  It was so engrossing that I  put everything else on hold just to read.  Only stopping for a brief moment over a particular scene that gave me goosebumps.  So many of the questions that I previously had were answered, albeit I was a tad disappointed by a few things that I would've loved more clarity on, or even had resolved completely regarding my beloved Skull, but at least there were touching moments between Skull and Lucy, Lucy and Lockwood and I'm very delighted with the way the story geared everything toward one final amazing battle.  

 My favorite lines were when Skull is trying to convince Lucy to let him out of the jar

"Say I let you out.  What would you do?"  "I'd flit about.  Stretch my plasm.  Might strangle Cubbins.  Carry out a spot of casual ghost-touch, now and again.  Just simple hobbies.  It would be a darn sight more enjoyable than sitting here."  I grinned at it.  "You make your case so well..."  

Just love how he's all nonchalant about killing poor George.  And this one when Lucy confides in Skull about her concerns for Lockwood

"Skull,"  I said suddenly, "I'm worried about Lockwood."  The ghost seemed taken aback.,  "Lockwood?"  "Yes."  "Hey, you know me.  I love him like a brother."  

How Skull is all insincere with his concern for Lockwood, and then other times almost jealous, even the scene where he's kinda psychoanalyzing Lockwood to help Lucy understand why Lockwood's elusive.   Such amazing wonderful characters that I worried over,  watched grow and become closer across the series and who I really would've loved having cake and tea with.   This will be a series that I will continue to revisit and hold out hope that Stroud will one day return to writing books set in this world.   I'd even love something entirely different as long as there's a sassy character like Bartimaeus or Skull.  Until then, I'm thrilled by the news that the Lockwood and Company series is being adapted for television!

Cover Reveal Tour: Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library with synopsis, chapter excerpt & GIVEAWAY

I'm so excited today to be included in the cover reveal tour for Jessica Haight & Stephanie Robinson's newest book, Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library!  I love the cover and illustrations by David SanAngelo, doesn't it scream Fall, Halloween, and Spookiness?   And please don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway too.   

Eleven-year-old Fairday Morrow had no clue that moving from Manhattan to the small town of Ashpot, Connecticut, would lead to an unsolved mystery. Her parents’ dream of renovating a crumbling Victorian, called the Begonia House, into a bed and breakfast had seemed like treachery at the time. But Fairday found out that her new house kept secrets, and once inside its twisted front gates, anything was possible.

When mysterious notes start showing up warning that a librarian is in trouble and a bookworm is eating words, Fairday thinks the Begonia House has more skeletons in its closets. She notices a passage in her favorite book has been changed, and she’s certain something is dreadfully wrong. What happens to stories when their words get eaten?

The Detective Mystery Squad is ready to investigate! Fairday, Lizzy, and Marcus take off on a sticky trail and tumble into Nowhere. Like Alice in Wonderland, Fairday finds herself in a world where nothing makes sense and the lines of reality are blurred.

The three sleuths discover amazing things about themselves as they unravel more secrets within the walls of the Begonia House. Follow along with Fairday and friends as they open the next case in the DMS files to unlock the mystery of the Talking Library.

~ ONE ~

Strange Notes

Fairday Morrow woke to a loud crack of thunder. As she bolted upright in bed, her gray eyes flew open. Rain pelted against the window. Electricity charged the air. Lightning flashed, and she saw the old willow tree in her backyard lurching wildly. A whip-like branch smashed the glass and the storm raged into her room. BOOM! The sky lit up. The wind blew in like a tornado, tossing wet leaves and sticks around. Fairday shrieked and ducked under the covers.
“Fairday! Are you okay?” her dad shouted from the hallway.
Auntie Em, the family pug, was barking her head off.
“Yeah, I’m alright,” Fairday answered in a shaky voice. She peeked out from the blankets as a burst of light split the dark. For an instant, glass shards twinkled like stars across the tattered lion-and-unicorn carpet; the heavy drapes flapped, twisting in the wind. On the next lightning strike, Fairday saw a paper blow in through the broken window. But the second she glimpsed it, thunder boomed, the house shook, and everything blacked out.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library

Jessica Haight & Stephanie Robinson, Co-authors 

Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson have been friends since they met freshman year of high school. After discovering they both loved the same books, their friendship grew, and they went on to co-author The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow. The first mystery in the Fairday Morrow series, released with Delacorte Press in December 2015. Stephanie and Jess are excited to present the next case in the DMS files. Having the brilliant illustrations created by their close high school friend, David SanAngelo, has made bringing the story to life magical. To contact Stephanie and Jess or learn more about their journey, please visit: fairdaysfiles.com

David SanAngelo, Illustrator

David SanAngelo is an award winning illustrator, and a two-time Emmy nominated director of animated shows for children and he won a kite flying contest in the fourth grade. Dave attended high school with Jessica and Stephanie, and they've all been friends for a billion years. Some of Dave's favorite things are: old monster movies, superheros and shred-a-licious rock music. Although he grew up in New England, Dave currently lives with his wife and sons in Decatur, GA. To learn more about Dave's illustrations, please visit: davidsanangelo.com

Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library 

Book 2: Fairday Morrow series

Release date: October 2017

Age Range: 8 years old and up

Grade Level: 3-9

Publisher: Willow Press

PRE-ORDER THE BOOK!

Catch the first mystery before the next case in the DMS files opens on October 23rd!

The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow

Publish date: December 2015

Age Range: 8 years old and up

Grade Level: 3-9
Publisher: Delacorte Press

PICK UP A COPY OF BOOK 1

Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish  This week's Top Ten is Books on My Fall TBR List.  September was a really busy release month for book purchases for me,  with the first four being pre-purchases and  Under the Bottle Bridge one that I'm planning on purchasing for my birthday.  Now I just need more hours in the day to be able to read all of them.   

1.  Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Assassin Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry think she’s far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she’s no closer to ending Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo, or avenging her familia. And after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself.

When it’s announced that Scaeva and Duomo will be making a rare public appearance at the conclusion of the grand games in Godsgrave, Mia defies the Church and sells herself to a gladiatorial collegium for a chance to finally end them. Upon the sands of the arena, Mia finds new allies, bitter rivals, and more questions about her strange affinity for the shadows. But as conspiracies unfold within the collegium walls, and the body count rises, Mia will be forced to choose between loyalty and revenge, and uncover a secret that could change the very face of her world.  Published:  September 5th, 2017 by Thomas Dunne Books



2.  The Great Hibernation by Tara Dairman

The most important tradition in tiny St. Polonius-on-the-Fjord is the annual Tasting of the Sacred Bear Liver. Each citizen over twelve must eat one bite of liver to prevent the recurrence of the Great Hibernation when the town founders fell asleep for months.

This year is Jean Huddy's first time to taste the liver. It doesn't go well. A few hours later, all the adults fall asleep. And no one can wake them.

The kids are left to run things, and they're having a blast. That is, until the town bullies take over the mayor's office and the police force.

Jean suspects that this "hibernation" was actually engineered by someone in town. She starts to investigate, and inspires other kids to join her in a secret plan to save St. Polonius. Published:  September 12th, 2017 by Wendy Lamb Books


3.  The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie

A girl unravels a centuries-old mystery after moving into a haunted house in this deliciously suspenseful mystery.

Tessa Woodward isn’t exactly thrilled to move to rainy, cold Chicago from her home in sunny Florida. But homesickness turns to icy fear when unexplainable things start happening in her new house. Things like flickering lights, mysterious drawings appearing out of nowhere, and a crackling noise she can feel in her bones.

When her little brother’s doll starts crying real tears, Tessa realizes that someone—or something—is trying to communicate with her. A secret that’s been shrouded in mystery for more than one hundred years.With the help of three new friends, Tessa begins unraveling the mystery of what happened in the house on Shady Street—and more importantly, what it has to do with her! Publishing:  October 10th 2017 by Aladdin

4.  All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

Here is a thing everyone wants: 
A miracle.

Here is a thing everyone fears:
What it takes to get one.

Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars.

At the heart of this place, you will find the Soria family, who all have the ability to perform unusual miracles. And at the heart of this family are three cousins longing to change its future: Beatriz, the girl without feelings, who wants only to be free to examine her thoughts; Daniel, the Saint of Bicho Raro, who performs miracles for everyone but himself; and Joaquin, who spends his nights running a renegade radio station under the name Diablo Diablo.They are all looking for a miracle. But the miracles of Bicho Raro are never quite what you expect.  Publishing:  October 10th 2017 by Scholastic Press

5.   Under The Bottle Bridge by Jessica Lawson

In the tradition of Rooftoppers and Three Times Lucky, critically acclaimed author Jessica Lawson returns with her fourth whimsical, lyrical, and heartfelt middle-grade novel about a girl who’s desperately trying to keep her life together, when everything seems to be falling apart.

In the weeks leading up to Gilbreth, New York’s annual AutumnFest, twelve-year-old woodcraft legacy Minna Treat is struggling with looming deadlines, an uncle trying to hide Very Bad News, and a secret personal quest. When she discovers mysterious bottle messages under one of the village’s 300-year-old bridges, she can’t help but wonder who’s leaving them, what they mean, and, most importantly…could the messages be for her?

Along with best friend Crash and a mystery-loving newcomer full of suspicious theories, Minna is determined to discover whether the bottles are miraculously leading her toward long-lost answers she’s been looking for, or drawing her into a disaster of historic proportions.   Published:  September 5th, 2017 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers


6.  Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. . . .

Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with her crow friend Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this "wishtree" watches over the neighborhood.

You might say Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experiences as a wishtree are more important than ever.  Publishing:  September 26th, 2017 by Feiwel & Friends


7.  The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo


Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.  Publishing:  September 26th, 2017 by Macmillan/Imprint


8.   Embers of Destruction by J. Scott Savage

It's time to take the battle to the dragons.

In the third and final volume of the bestselling Mysteries of Cove series, Trenton and Kallista--along with their friends, Plucky, Simoni, Angus, and Clyde--fly their mechanical dragons south toward San Francisco, looking to rescue any survivors from the battle of Seattle.

Arriving in San Francisco and investigating the area in secret, the young riders are reunited with Kallista's father, Leo Babbage, who reveals that the humans in the city are working as slaves to the dragons, but that they don't want to be rescued--himself included. He says they are being protected by their new master: a huge, powerful white dragon who lives in an impenetrable tower fortress overlooking the city. Kallista is stunned by the news. Why would her father ever willingly want to work for dragons?

Trenton and his friends are confronted by the guards and their mechanical dragons are seized. Evading capture, the young riders escape and begin looking for a way to break the white dragon's hold over the city--and over Leo. Working with the kids from the city, the young riders track down the source of the dragon's power to an underground chamber that is accessible only through an underwater passageway below the tower fortress.

With the white dragon watching their every move, Trenton and Kallista will need every bit of creativity and ingenuity they can manage to find a way to retrieve their stolen dragons, enter the tower fortress, and take down the dragons once and for all.  Publishing:  September 26th, 2017 by Shadow Mountain


9.  Keeper of the Lost Cities:  Nightfall by Shannon Messenger


Sophie Foster is struggling. Grieving. Scrambling. But she knows one thing: she will not be defeated.

The Neverseen have had their victories—but the battle is far from over. It’s time to change tactics. Make sacrifices. Reexamine everything. Maybe even time for Sophie to trust her enemies.

All paths lead to Nightfall—an ominous door to an even more ominous place—and Sophie and her friends strike a dangerous bargain to get there. But nothing can prepare them for what they discover. The problems they’re facing stretch deep into their history. And with time running out, and mistakes catching up with them, Sophie and her allies must join forces in ways they never have before.   Publishing:  November 7th 2017 by Aladdin

10.   The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris


When street magician Carter runs away, he never expects to find friends and magic in a sleepy New England town. But like any good trick, things change instantly as greedy B.B. Bosso and his crew of crooked carnies arrive to steal anything and everything they can get their sticky fingers on. 

After a fateful encounter with the local purveyor of illusion, Dante Vernon, Carter teams up with five other like-minded kids. Together, using both teamwork and magic, they'll set out to save the town of Mineral Wells from Bosso's villainous clutches. These six Magic Misfits will soon discover adventure, friendship, and their own self-worth in this delightful new series.  Publishing:  November 21st, 2017 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

What books made it on your Fall TBR list? Or are you looking forward to any of the books that I've picked?  Feel free to leave a comment or link to your TTT.