Cool New Books for July

July's roundup of Cool New Books includes PETER AND THE SHADOW THIEVES, the riveting and adventure-packed follow-up to Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's bestselling PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS; Lesley M. M. Blume's CORNELIA AND THE AUDACIOUS ESCAPADES OF THE SOMERSET SISTERS, a dazzling first novel that takes readers around the world and back again; and EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES, a picture book version of Lynne Truss's bestseller for adults containing hilarious proof that punctuation really does matter.

Stand-Alone Chapter Books/Middle Grade Novels

CORNELIA AND THE AUDACIOUS ESCAPADES OF THE SOMERSET SISTERS
Lesley M. M. Blume
Knopf
ISBN-10: 0375835237
ISBN-13: 9780440420255
Ages 8-12
272 pages

• Read a Review
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com

Eleven-year-old Cornelia, the daughter of two world-famous pianists, surrounds herself with dictionaries and other books to isolate herself from the outside world. But when a glamorous neighbor moves next door with her servant and a mischievous French bulldog, Cornelia discovers that the world is a much more exciting place than she had originally thought.

THE LEGEND OF ZOEY
Candie Moonshower
Delacorte Press
ISBN-10: 0385732805
ISBN-13: 9780385732802
Ages 8-12
224 pages

• Read a Review
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com

Zoey's family has a strange feeling about the two-tailed comet in the sky. But that doesn't mean Zoey will let them chaperone her class field trip to Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee --- especially since Grandma Cope grew up near there. What if Grandma tells everyone about being a Native American? Zoey has no interest in her family's past. All she wants is for her parents to get back together, and for herself to fit in at school. But she doesn't know what's hit her when, during the bus ride to Reelfoot, she's propelled back in time to 1811, when the lake was formed!

ORPHAN OF THE SUN
Gill Harvey
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
ISBN-10: 1582346852
ISBN-13: 9781582346854
Ages 8-12
320 pages

• Click here to buy from Amazon.com

Meryt-Re should consider herself lucky: her aunt and uncle take good care of her, a boy in the village wants to marry her, and the village itself is favored by the kings because it's home to the builders of the great Egyptian tombs. But as a teenage girl in Ancient Egypt, Meryt struggles with an uncle who wants to get rid of her, a village in turmoil over its leadership, and people not being quite as honest as they seem. Suspected of witchery and assumed to be ungrateful, Meryt must find her own way to happiness as she uncovers mysteries the rest of the village is too preoccupied to acknowledge.

Series Titles / Sequels

Sequel to PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS

PETER AND THE SHADOW THIEVES
Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Disney Editions/Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN: 078683787X
Ages 9-12
576 pages

• Read a Review
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com

In this riveting and adventure-packed follow-up to PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS, we discover Peter leaving the relative safety of Mollusk Island --- along with his trusted companion Tinker Bell --- for the cold, damp streets of London. On a difficult journey across the sea, he and Tink discover the dark and deadly, slithering part-man/part-creature Lord Ombra. It seems that the dreaded Ombra has a variety of mysterious powers including the ability to make shadows disappear.

When Peter reaches London, he sets out to find the indomitable Molly. Together they must combat Ombra's terrible forces to protect the Starcatchers and the treasured starstuff --- and most importantly to rescue Molly's mother from the clutches of evil.

Ulysses Moore

ULYSSES MOORE #2: THE LONG-LOST MAP
Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 043977439X
Ages 9-12
272 pages

• Read a Review
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com

Jason, Julia and Rick have discovered one of the secrets of Argo Manor --- the Door to Time. Now the door has transported them to Ancient Egypt, a mysterious land of labyrinths, riddles and secrets. But when they're accidentally separated, Julia ends up at Argo Manor again --- and she can't get back to Egypt, or the boys. Now Jason and Rick have to find the long-lost map of Kilmore Cove, hidden somewhere in the past. But where? And with the wicked Oblivia Newton and her servant, Manfred, on their trail, the stakes are higher than ever!

Andrew Lost

ANDREW LOST #14: WITH THE BATS
J. C. Greenburg
Random House
ISBN-10: 0375835636
ISBN-13: 9780375835636
Ages 7-10
96 pages

• ANDREW LOST Series
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com

Thanks to an invention mishap Andrew, Judy and Thudd have been shrunk down to the size of bugs. That's a serious problem when they get lost in a deep, dark and bat-filled cave. Bats love to eat bugs! Will Andrew, Judy and Thudd find a light at the end of the cave? Or is that really a glowing insect just waiting to eat them?

Picture Books

EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference!
Lynne Truss
illustrated by Bonnie Timmons
G. P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN-10: 0399244913
ISBN-13: 9780399244919
Ages 5-8
32 pages

• Click here to buy from Amazon.com

The adult edition of EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES has sold over 2 million copies worldwide while putting a huge smile on the face of all grammar fans. Now, Lynne Truss and Bonnie Timmons focus on the comma, demonstrating the hilarious confusion that this crucial punctuation mark can cause. Lively illustrations show how misplacing or leaving out a comma can change the meaning of a sentence completely.

LITTLE RED'S SUMMER ADVENTURE
Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York
illustrated by Sam Williams
Simon & Schuster
ISBN-10: 0689855621
ISBN-13: 9780689855627
Ages 3-6
40 pages

• Click here to buy from Amazon.com

It's a sizzling hot summer's day at Buttercup Cottage as Little Red and her friends --- Little Blue, Gino the dog, and Roany the pony --- are getting ready for the River Noodle Boating Bonanza. The prize for the winner of the Boating Bonanza is a magical Key to the wonky wooden wagon. But when a pesky magpie flies down and swoops up the key, Little Red and her friends are worried that their super summer will be ruined. Someone has to come to their rescue!

--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio

Back to top.