The days in December are ticking away, your gifts are all wrapped, and the holiday menu is set... It's time to start looking ahead to another year full of new memories, new experiences, and — of course — new books. One of our resolutions for 2024 is to read even more. We've shared close to 300 recommendations with you on our blog this year, but we bet we can do better. Here's a head start: Twelve books across all ages that we can't wait to share with you in the first few months of the new year. We have precious picture books from some of our favorite creators, a superstar middle grade collaboration, atmospheric teen intrigue, and novels to suit a range of literary tastes. Get ready to discover some new favorites with us this year (and maybe don't make any plans on February 6, phew), and watch this space for plenty more recommendations once the calendar flips.Here's to another year of great stories.
Ages 3-7
The Last Stand by Antwan Eady; illustrated by Jarrett & Jerome Pumphrey
A young boy works alongside his grandfather each week as they harvest their crops and bring them to the farmer's market. Each customer has a story and the community members support each other through a variety of ways. As time passes, the grandfather no longer can participate like he used to, so the grandson figures out a way to keep their farmstand going. A wonderful collaboration between shop favorites!
—Cathy
On Sale January 30
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Teeny Weeny Unicorn by Shawn Harris
Once upon a time, there was a teeny-weeny unicorn. He was so teeny-weeny that he never got to do the fun things his siblings do. One day, he meets a gnome smaller than he is, and she shows him that he can fit into his family's world regardless of his size. An utter delight!
—Cathy
On Sale February 6
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Ages 8-12
The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee; illustrated by Dan Santat
Olive's parents are often traveling for business and she is left with her grandmother Mimi. But when Mimi is no longer with them, Olive's parents enroll her at a “Reforming Arts” School on an island near San Francisco — a place that was once a castle, then a prison, and now a boarding school. There, Olive finds her place with a group of misfits tasked with working undercover and helping catch the Bling King — a jewel thief that has been making headlines. A fun caper and mystery adventure from Lisa Yee with illustrations by Dan Santat.
—Aerie
On Sale January 2
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Ages 10 & Up
Deep Water by Jamie Sumner
A novel-in-verse about a young girl attempting the swimming portion of a triathlon. (It's hard.) Her best friend Arch is trying to be supportive, but she is dealing with the loss of her mother, who was her biggest fan. As she negotiates the water (and impending storm), we negotiate as well. Sumner brings us a very serious novel about recovery. For fans of Holly Goldberg Sloan and Sharon Creech.
—Valerie
On Sale April 9
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Ages 12 & Up
Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin
A fantasy set in a Japan-like world full of floating cities in the sky. A special group of people called Crafters can manipulate paper with their minds in origami-like ways and control it. Main character Kurara is a servant girl on a floating ship when it is attacked by a shikigami dragon, a wild paper spirit. She is adopted onto a ship of rebels to hunt rogue shikigami, and she begins to train under Crafter Himura. She is desperate to become a good enough Crafter to impress the Princess Tsukimi, but she is thrown into a world she doesn't yet understand. She isn't sure shikigami are rogue spirits meant to hunt, but she must decide what side she will be on in the battle raging between the princess and those that live on the ground, and the sky people who want their floating cities back. Recommended!
—Aerie
On Sale February 13
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Snowglobe by Soyoung Park
In a dystopian future where climate change has ravaged the planet and left the world in an Ice Age, society is split into two groups — the lucky citizens who get to live in the climate-controlled Snowglobe and the ones who live outside it. These unfortunate citizens spend their life as human hamsters, working shifts powering the world with electricity on treadmills. The lucky citizens who live in the Snowglobe may get warm weather and fancy clothes, but it is all in return for providing the outside world with 24/7 reality-style TV programming. Jeon Chobahm's favorite show is the Goh Haeri show — she's even been told she kind of looks like Haeri. But when she is plucked from her miserable life to replace Haeri on TV in the Snowglobe, and told her life depends on filling the role so no one wonders where the "original" Haeri went, Chobahm begins to realize that life inside the Snowglobe is much scarier than it looks. A twisty sci-fi thriller translated into English for the first time.
—Aerie
On Sale February 27
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Adult Fiction
Family Family by Laurie Frankel
India Allwood always wanted to be an actress. And she is good! After drama school in NYC, she forages for roles on Broadway. But she cannot sing. So with two young children in tow, she heads to Hollywood to star as the heroine in a kickass TV show. When the book opens, India has told someone in the press that the show is not that good. Her agent goes crazy. Her children decide on their own to bring to her the two children (now grown) that she gave away — first as a teenager and then as a college student. Adoptive parents arrive as well. Birth fathers are included. This heartfelt book is funny and raw. It's about families and how we make them. Highly recommended.
—Valerie
On Sale January 23
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The Women by Kristin Hannah
Hannah beautifully shines a light on the women that served as nurses in the Vietnam War —those who may not have been in combat but who saw the gruesome outcomes daily. From 1966 to the unveiling of the Vietnam Memorial in 1982, Hannah takes us to the jungles of war and life after the war with such vivid descriptions that I found myself sobbing at times. We get insight into the sacrifices that were made by many and appreciated by few. The voices and experiences of these women are priceless and were overlooked for years. Highly recommended.
—Christina
On Sale February 6
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Redwood Court by DèLana Dameron
Multiple generations of Black families, many living on the same cul-de-sac in Charleston, SC, tell us their stories — their loves, their despair, their deep connections to one another. Men go to war and they come back. Women work two jobs and save their pennies. Teeta and Weezie are the heads of the families. As we move into the last part of the 20th century, their granddaughter Mika narrates the changes.—Valerie
On Sale February 6
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Bride by Ali Hazelwood
You won't want to miss out on the fun that is Hazelwood's latest work. Misery Lark, the daughter of a vampire councilman, is constantly used as collateral by the council, so it doesn't shock her that she is wanted for a peacekeeping marriage of convenience with a vampire’s worst enemy: a werewolf. Her initial hesitation vanishes as she realizes it is her only way to look into the only person she's ever cared about. A must-read paranormal romance full of tension, spice, and swoony moments!!!
—Ayah
On Sale February 6
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Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
What happens when you rely on the universe to determine your true love or major events in your life? Daphne has received secret slips of paper since she was in fifth grade. Each one consists of a boy's name and a date. She eventually realizes that these are the names of boys and men she will date, fall for, and love — with an expiration date attached. She spends her life knowing how long each relationship should last and never questions this or tries to extend the ending date. But one day she receives a card with a new name, Jake — and no date. She believes this to be “the one.” She has only told one other person about these predictions she receives: Hugo, her best friend and former boyfriend. As she prepares to marry Jake, we explore her past and why she has lived the way she has, always with an ending date.
This is magic on paper. It’s her best yet — if that is even possible!
—Christina
On Sale March 19
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Colton Gentry's Third Act by Jeff Zentner
YA author Jeff Zentner makes his adult debut in this fabulous novel about country music star Colton Gentry who, drunk and grieving the death of his best friend, speaks out about gun violence at a music festival. He's summarily dropped by his agent, his label, radio stations, and his pop star wife. After rehab, he finds himself back in his hometown and ends up working at the restaurant owned by his high school sweetheart. What follows is literally one of the best second chance romances I have ever read set in a restaurant I only wish was real. Told with nuance and heart, this is one story you don't want to miss.
—Cathy & Valerie
On Sale April 30
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