Whoohoo! We have just passed 3000 titles on The Ginormous Book List! I’ve only been adding to The Ginormous since October 2019, but if you need a searchable archive of new book releases since October 2019, it’s a great place to start!
This week’s list is lengthy once again! For me, middle grade titles are strongest this week.
This week’s top picks:
- The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz: A True Story Retold for Young Readers by Jeremy Dronfield (YA)
- World Made of Glass by Ami Polonsky (middle grades)
- The In-Between by Katie Van Heidrich (middle grades)
This week’s Spotlight titles are #2993-#3011 on The Ginormous book list.
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As You Walk on By by Julian Winters
Seventeen-year-old Theo Wright has it all figured out. His plan (well, more like his dad’s plan) is a foolproof strategy that involves exceling at his magnet school, getting scouted by college recruiters, and going to Duke on athletic scholarship. But for now, all Theo wants is a perfect prom night. After his best friend Jay dares Theo to prompose to his crush at Chloe Campbell’s party, Theo’s ready to throw caution to the wind and take his chances.
But when the promposal goes epically wrong, Theo seeks refuge in an empty bedroom while the party rages on downstairs. Having an existential crisis about who he really is with and without his so-called best friend wasn’t on tonight’s agenda. Though, as the night goes on, Theo finds he’s not as alone as he thinks when, one by one, new classmates join him to avoid who they’re supposed be outside the bedroom door. Among them, a familiar acquaintance, a quiet outsider, an old friend, and a new flame…
Publishers Weekly starred.
- Genre(s): realistic fiction
- Setting: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
- Recommended for: Grades 7+
- Themes: high parental expectations, prom, promposals, friendship, dating and relationships, single fathers, dares, social class differences
- Protagonist description: male, age 17, Black, queer
One Last Shot The Story of Wartime Photographer Gerda Taro by Kip Wilson
The daughter of Polish Jewish immigrants, Gerta Pohorylle doesn’t quite fit in with her German classmates. While she’s away at boarding school, however, she becomes a master at reinventing herself as a vibrant, confident young woman. When she returns from school, she joins a group of young activists and is arrested for distributing anti-Nazi propaganda. Her family decides she must leave Germany.
In Paris, Gerta meets André Friedman, a Hungarian photographer eager for fame and fortune, who fosters Gerda’s interest in photography. Together the pair reinvents their brand of photojournalism under the names Robert Capa and Gerda Taro, in part to gloss over their Jewish ancestry, and soon they’re traveling to areas of military conflict and selling their photos for high prices. Gerda continues to travel solo through Europe, often the only woman in journalism circles. Her assignments eventually lead her to Spain to cover the growing conflict that is becoming the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), part of events leading to World War II.
True to her political beliefs, Gerda pushes closer and closer to the front line, eager to capture the lives and vibrant hopes of Spanish republican forces fighting against fascism, only to lose sight of her own safety.
Kirkus starred. This is a fictionalized account of a real person’s life.
- Genre(s): historical fiction, novel in verse
- Setting: Germany, France, Spain, 1917-1937
- Recommended for: Grades 8+
- Themes: Nazi Germany, photographers, journalism, Spanish Civil War, World War II, fascism, based on a true story, diary format
- Protagonist description: female, white, German, Jewish
*The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz: A True Story Retold for Young Readers by Jeremy Dronfield
Fritz Kleinmann was fourteen when the Nazis took over Vienna. Kurt, his little brother, was eight. Under Hitler’s brutal regime, their Austrian-Jewish family of six was cruelly torn apart.
Taken to Buchenwald concentration camp, Fritz and his Papa, Gustav, underwent hard labor and starvation. Meanwhile, Kurt made the difficult voyage, all alone, to America, to escape the war.
When Papa was ordered to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp, Fritz–desperate not to lose his beloved father–insisted he must go too. Together, they endured countless atrocities to survive.
Kirkus and Booklist starred. Based on the Gustav’s (the two boys’ father) real diary entries. Includes maps, black-and-white photos, a timeline of events, a glossary, and more.
- Genre(s): narrative nonfiction
- Setting: Vienna, Austria and the USA; 1939-1945
- Recommended for: Grades 6-11
- Themes: Holocaust, Nazis, Buchenwald concentration camp, Auschwitz concentration camp, Kristallnacht, survival, WWII, world history, alternating perspectives
- Protagonist description: a father and two brothers, Austrian-Jewish
Seven Percent of Ro Devereux by Ellen O’Clover
Ro Devereux can predict your future. Or, at least, the app she built for her senior project can.
Working with her neighbor, a retired behavioral scientist, Ro created an app called MASH, designed around the classic game Mansion Apartment Shack House, that can predict a person’s future with 93% accuracy. The app will even match users with their soulmates. Though it was only supposed to be a class project, MASH quickly takes off and gains the attention of tech investors.
Ro’s dream is to work in Silicon Valley, and she’ll do anything to prove to her new backing company–and the world–that the app works. So it’s a huge shock when the app says her soulmate is Miller, her childhood best friend with whom she had a friendship-destroying fight three years ago.
Now thrust into a fake dating scenario, Ro and Miller must address the years of pain between them if either of them will have any chance of achieving their dreams. And as the app takes on a life of its own, Ro sees that it’s affecting people in ways she never expected–and if she can’t regain control, it might take her and everything she believes in down with it.
- Genre(s): romance
- Setting: small town in Colorado
- Recommended for: Grades 8+
- Themes: apps, MASH game, technology, inventions, fake dating, former friends, cancer, intergenerational friendships, absent mothers
- Protagonist description: main characters cue as white
This Is Not a Personal Statement by Tracy Badua
At sixteen, Perla is the youngest graduating senior of the hypercompetitive Monte Verde High. Praised–and not-so-quietly bashed–as “Perfect Perlie Perez,” Perla knows all the late nights, social isolation, and crushing stress will be worth it when she gets into the college of her (and her parents’) dreams: Delmont University.
Then Perla doesn’t get in, and her meticulously planned future shatters. In a panic, she forges her own acceptance letter, and next thing she knows, she’s heading to Delmont for real, acceptance or not. Soon, Perla is breaking into dorm rooms, crashing classes, and dodging questions from new friends about her lack of a student ID. Her plan? Gather on-the-ground intel to beef up her application and reapply spring semester before she’s caught.
But as her guilty conscience grows and campus security looms large, Perla starts to wonder if her plan will really succeed–and if this dream she’s worked for her entire life is something she even wants.
- Genre(s): realistic fiction
- Setting: prestigious college campus in California
- Recommended for: Grades 7+
- Themes: lies, living a lie, overachievers, fake it till you make it, college acceptance, racism, parental pressure to succeed, perfectionism
- Protagonist description: female, age 16, Filipino American, college student
Shark: Why We Need to Save the World’s Most Misunderstood Predator by Paul de Gelder
We have a perennial fascination with sharks. Portrayed in the media and popular culture as killing machines, we are awed by their power and strength. But the shark is so much more–a marvel of the sea, they have evolved over 450 million years into over 500 species, from the bioluminescent kitefin to the tiny dwarf lantern shark, the sociable lemon shark to the blue shark, which can birth up to 100 pups in one litter. Bringing balance to the ocean’s ecosystem, our planet is at serious risk when these amazing creatures are threatened.
Paul de Gelder, who lost two limbs in a shark attack during a mission as an elite Australian navy clearance diver, spent time as part of his recovery learning all about sharks. He became so obsessed that, despite what happened to him, he is now an expert and has dedicated his life to helping save them. Shark is his love-letter to these unfairly vilified animals, and his warning to the world about what will happen if we don’t look out for them.
- Genre(s): nonfiction
- Setting: oceans, Australia
- Recommended for: This is an adult book, but I think it’s great for HS, too.
- Themes: sharks, marine life, fish, predators, animals, marine biology, shark attacks, conservation, scuba diving
- Protagonist description: Author is an Australian victim of a shark attack, where he lost an arm and one leg. He is an Australian navy clearance diver, podcaster, and regular on Shark Week by The Discovery Channel.
Queen Among the Dead by Lesley Livingston
In the kingdom of Eire, banshees chill the air, and water-wights lurk in the rivers. But magic is outlawed by the king, and jealously hoarded by his Druid priests.
Neve is the youngest daughter of the king, and Ronan is a Druid’s apprentice turned thief, making a living by selling stolen spells. They should be enemies, but their shared hatred of the Druids—and a dark magic that has marked them both—makes them unlikely, if uneasy, allies.
When Eire is threatened by a power struggle, Neve must seize the chance to take her rightful place on her family’s throne, with the help of Ronan and the realm’s most dangerous outcasts. Their journey takes them to the outskirts of Eire, where magic still runs free . . . and where an outlaw and a warrior princess might carve out a future with spells and swords.
- Genre(s): fantasy, mythology, adventure
- Setting: ancient kingdom of Eire (Ireland)
- Recommended for: Grades 9-12
- Themes: Celtic mythology, banshees, magic, royalty, Druids, spells, outcasts, apprentices
- Protagonist description: female, Irish princess
*World Made of Glass by Ami Polonsky
Iris tries to act normal at school, going through the motions and joking around with her friends. But nothing is normal, and sometimes it feels like she’ll never laugh again. How can she, when her dad is dying of a virus that’s off-limits to talk about? When she knows that soon all she’ll have left of her kind, loving dad are memories, photos, and a binder full of the poems they used to exchange?
In a sea of rage and grief, Iris resolves to speak out against the rampant fear, misinformation, and prejudice surrounding AIDS–and find the pieces of Dad that she never knew before. Along the way, Iris might just find new sides to herself.
Kirkus and Publishers Weekly starred.
- Genre(s): historical fiction
- Setting: New York City, 1987
- Recommended for: Grades 5-8
- Themes: AIDS epidemic, death of a parent, parental illness, depression, grief, anger, prejudice, medical misinformation, acrostic poetry, Ryan White (HIV+ teen in 1980s who was denied schooling)
- Protagonist description: female, age 13, seventh grader
*A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School by Carlotta Walls LaNier and Lisa Frazier Page
At fourteen years old, Carlotta Walls was the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine. The journey to integration in a place deeply against it would not be not easy. Yet Carlotta, her family, and the other eight students and their families answered the call to be part of the desegregation order issued by the US Supreme Court in its 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case.
As angry mobs protested, the students were escorted into Little Rock Central High School by escorts from the 101st Airborne Division, which had been called in by then-president Dwight D. Eisenhower to ensure their safety. The effort needed to get through that first year in high school was monumental, but Carlotta held strong. Ultimately, she became the first Black female ever to walk across the Central High stage and receive a diploma.
The Little Rock Nine experienced traumatic and life-changing events not only as a group but also as individuals, each with a distinct personality and a different story. This is Carlotta’s courageous story.
Kirkus and SLJ starred.
- Genre(s): nonfiction, memoir
- Setting: Little Rock, Arkansas, USA; 1957-present
- Recommended for: Grades 5-11
- Themes: Little Rock Nine, school desegregation, Brown v. Board of Education, prejudice, racism, discrimination, social problems, US history, courage, perseverance, civil rights
- Protagonist description: female, African American, age 14-adulthood
The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine by Katherine Marsh
Thirteen-year-old Matthew is miserable. His journalist dad is stuck overseas indefinitely, and his mom has moved in his one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother to ride out the pandemic, adding to his stress and isolation.
But when Matthew finds a tattered black-and-white photo in his great-grandmother’s belongings, he discovers a clue to a hidden chapter of her past, one that will lead to a life-shattering family secret. Set in alternating timelines that connect the present-day to the 1930s and the US to the USSR, Katherine Marsh’s latest novel sheds fresh light on the Holodomor–the horrific famine that killed millions of Ukrainians, and which the Soviet government covered up for decades.
Booklist starred.
- Genre(s): historical fiction
- Setting: 1930s and today, USA (Leonia, New Jersey), USSR, Ukraine
- Recommended for: Grades 4-8
- Themes: family secrets, world history, survival, great grandparents, pandemics, Covid-19, isolation, Holodomor, famine, cover-ups, Joseph Stalin, suppressed history
- Protagonist description: male, age 13
The In-Between by Katie Van Heidrich
Debut author! In the early 2000s, thirteen-year-old Katie Van Heidrich has moved more times that she can count, for as long as she can remember. There were the slow moves where you see the whole thing coming. There were the fast ones where you grab what you can in seconds. When Katie and her family come back from an out-of-town funeral, they discover their landlord has unceremoniously evicted them, forcing them to pack lightly and move quickly.
They make their way to an Extended Stay America Motel, with Katie’s mother promising it’s temporary. Within the four walls of their new home, Katie and her siblings, Josh and Haley, try to live a normal life–all while wondering if things would be easier living with their father. Lyrical and forthcoming, Katie navigates the complexities that come with living in-between: in between homes, parents, and childhood and young adulthood, all while remaining hopeful for the future.
Kirkus starred.
- Genre(s): memoir, novel in verse
- Setting: early 2000s, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Recommended for: Grades 4-8
- Themes: moving, transient lifestyle, eviction, homelessness, divorce/separated parents, housing insecurity, single mothers, poverty
- Protagonist description: female, age 13, biracial (Black/white)
*Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life by Jerry Pinkney
Jerry Pinkney–creator of Caldecott Medal-winning The Lion & the Mouse and The Little Mermaid–drew everywhere, all the time. Since childhood, it was how he made sense of the world–how he coped with the stress of being a sensitive child growing up in crowded spaces, struggling with a learning disability, in a time when the segregation of Black Americans was the norm.
Only drawing could offer him a sense of calm, control, and confidence. When friends and siblings teased him about having the nickname “Jerry” as his only name, his mother always said, “Just ‘Jerry’ is enough. He’ll make something of that name someday.” And so he did, eventually becoming one of the most celebrated children’s book illustrators of all time and paving the way for countless other Black artists.
Jerry’s vivid recollections and lively sketchbook drawings of his youth in postwar America tell an inspiring story of how a hardworking boy pursued his passion in less-than-ideal circumstances and became a legendary artist against all odds.
THREE starred reviews!
- Genre(s): biography, memoir
- Setting: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; 1940s-50s
- Recommended for: Grades 3-7
- Themes: artists, children’s book illustrators, racism, prejudice, segregation, Caldecott Award winners, dyslexia, strong families, community
- Protagonist description: male, Black, from childhood to adulthood
The Infinite Questions of Dottie Bing by Molly B. Burnham
Ten-year-old Dottie Bing is a problem-solver and question-asker who is never more gleeful than when she’s encountering a new dilemma–whether it’s her own, or someone else’s. But when her Grandpa Walter comes to stay (and stay, and stay!) he brings the biggest question that Dottie has ever encountered: How do you heal a broken heart?
You see, Grandpa Walter is grieving the loss of his beloved wife, Dottie’s Grandma Ima. Even though she knows every solution starts with a question, for the first time in her life, Dottie isn’t sure what to ask.
Kirkus starred.
- Genre(s): realistic fiction
- Recommended for: Grades 3-7
- Themes: grief, death of a grandparent, healing, curiosity, treehouses
- Protagonist description: female, age 10, white
Figure It out, Henri Weldon by Tanita S. Davis
Seventh grader Henrietta Weldon gets to switch schools–finally! She’ll be “mainstreaming” into public school, leaving her special education school behind. She can’t wait for her new schedule, new friends, and new classes.
Henri’s dyscalculia, a learning disability that makes math challenging to process and understand, is what she expects to give her problems. What she doesn’t expect is a family feud with her sister over her new friends, joining the girls’ soccer team, and discovering poetry. Henri’s tutor and new friend, Vinnie, reminds her to take it slow. One problem at a time.
If Henri Weldon has twenty-four hours in a day, and she has two siblings who dislike her four new friends, two hours of soccer practice, seven hours of classes, and three hours of homework…she has:
A. No free time
B. No idea how to make everyone happy
C. No time to figure it out, Henri Weldon!
- Genre(s): realistic fiction
- Recommended for: Grades 3-7
- Themes: new kid at school, mainstream education, special education, dyscalculia, learning disabilities, poetry, middle school, overwhelm, soccer, school stories
- Protagonist description: female, 7th grader, African American
Trashed! by Martha Freeman
Arthur Popper helps out in his family’s Boulder, Colorado, junk store, Universal Trash, a place so full of cool stuff it inspires awe in first-time shoppers. When it comes to ukuleles, peppermills, and rhinestones, Arthur knows what’s what. But unlike his motorcycle-riding grandma and his namesake, King Arthur, he’s not brave or adventurous.
Then Arthur finds a chipped teacup, of all things, and realizes it’s the key to solving the perfect crime–a crime only he knows about.
With help from a supernatural sidekick, his best friend, his annoying little sister, and a sad-faced police officer, Arthur embarks on the hard work of detecting. Everyone knows Arthur is good at customer service. Does he have what it takes to solve a mystery and confront a thief?
- Genre(s): mystery
- Setting: Boulder, Colorado
- Recommended for: Grades 3-7
- Themes: family businesses, trash to treasure, crime, detective stories, thieves, teasing, gender roles, prejudice, masculinity
- Protagonist description: male, age 11, white
Abuela’s Super Capa by Ana Siqueira (Author) and Elisa Chavarri (Illustrator)
Saturdays are superhero days. Equipped with their milkshakes and capas, Luis and his abuela can turn anything into an adventure.
But when Abuela gets sick, Luis has to learn a new way to be a hero. With some help from his sister, Luis learns that change isn’t all that bad and there are many new adventures to have, even if they look a little different.
Perfect for families experiencing sickness and loss, this engaging multigenerational story will help young children find the language to express their feelings and adjust to change.
SLJ starred.
- Genre(s): picture book
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
- Themes: grandmothers, illness, superheroes, multigenerational relationships, change, family
- Protagonist description: male, Latine
Beneath by Cori Doerrfeld
Finn is in a horrible mood and doesn’t want to talk about it. After some persuading, though, they agree to go for a hike with Grandpa.
Throughout their forest walk, they see many different things: big, strong trees with networks of roots growing underneath, still water with schools of fish swimming below, and an expectant bird with eggs nestled under her.
It’s when the pair pass fellow hikers that Finn realizes that people, just like the elements of nature, are more than they appear. Grandpa explains that sometimes beneath a person who seems like they won’t understand what you’re feeling, is someone feeling the exact same way.
Kirkus starred.
- Genre(s): picture book
- Setting: a walk in the forest
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
- Themes: mood, nature, hiking, forests, feelings, social-emotional learning, grandfathers
- Protagonist description: tan-skinned child and grandfather; professional reviews and publisher’s summary refer to the child as “they”
Milloo’s Mind: The Story of Maryam Faruqi, Trailblazer for Women’s Education by Reem Faruqi (Author) and Hoda Hadadi (Illustrator)
Milloo lives in a time when school is considered unnecessary for girls. But to Milloo, education is essential.
When Milloo reads, her thoughts dance. Milloo courageously dreams of becoming a teacher, but in fifth grade her parents tell her she has had enough school. Milloo is heartbroken but finds a way to achieve her educational goals, graduating high school and college with honors. When she’s married, Milloo’s husband tells her to stay home, but she does not let that stop her.
She decides to open a school in her house and later opens more schools around Karachi, Pakistan, fulfilling her dreams.
Kirkus starred. The author is the granddaughter of Maryam Faruqi, the woman featured in the picture book.
- Genre(s): picture book biography
- Setting: India and Karachi, Pakistan; begins in 1930s
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
- Themes: education for girls, access to school, Women’s History Month
- Protagonist description: female, Indian, begins when she is a child and goes into adulthood
To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights by Angela Dalton (Author) and Lauren Semmer (Illustrator)
As Lieutenant Uhura on the iconic prime-time television show Star Trek, Nichelle Nichols played the first Black female astronaut anyone had ever seen on screen. A smart, strong, independent Black woman aboard the starship Enterprise was revolutionary in the 1960s when only white men had traveled to outer space in real life and most Black characters on TV were servants.
Nichelle not only inspired a generation to pursue their dreams, but also opened the door for the real-life pioneering astronaut Sally Ride, Dr. Mae Jemison, and more.
This empowering tribute to the trailblazing pop culture icon reminds us of the importance of perseverance and the power of representation in storytelling. You just might be inspired to boldly go where no one like you has ever gone before!
BCCB starred.
- Genre(s): picture book biography
- Setting: 1960s
- Recommended for: PreS-Grade 4
- Themes: acting, TV shows, Star Trek, famous firsts, female astronauts, equal rights, Women’s History Month, Black History Month
- Protagonist description: female, Black, actor
THIS WEEK’S SEQUELS (YA):
THIS WEEK’S SEQUELS (MIDDLE GRADES):
ABOUT THE SPOTLIGHT
The New Release Spotlight began in May 2016 as a way to help librarians keep up with the many new children’s and YA books that are released each week. Every Tuesday, school librarian Leigh Collazo compiles the New Release Spotlight using a combination of Follett’s Titlewave, Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes and Noble. Titles with a * by them received two or more starred professional reviews. Recommended grade levels represent the range of grade levels recommended by professional book reviewers.