The Ginghams By T.C. Kemper New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2026. Fiction. 232 pages. Joni is a twelve-year-old artist just returning from summer camp, excited to see her best friend, May, a rock and roll drummer in the making. But things in Olive Springs are not how they were when Joni left it. May has suddenly traded her signature wild curls for a neat and proper bun. The eclectic book store/ice cream shop has been transformed into a parlor that only sells vanilla. And the weirdest of all? A weekly book club being run by the new family in town, The Ginghams, seems to change everyone that attends into a proper and prim "model citizen," dead eyed and smiling. Can Joni and her friend Tyler solve the mystery of what is happening to their beloved town? Or will they be forced to conform too? This middle grade thriller was a quick and exciting read, perfect for the start of the Halloween season, though it never gets too creepy. The characters were well developed, the plot was ni...
Nell O'Dell Hates Quests By Emily B. Martin Somerville, MA: Candlewick, 2026. Fiction. 324 pgs. Unlike her parents, famed ex-questers who founded the inn at the Golden Crossroads, Nell O'Dell has no interest in questing. In fact, she has had quite enough of the hoards of questers who crowd the inn each year. Questing, Nell thinks, is a waste of time. But alas! A government mix-up means that Nell will need to travel to the office of the Exchequer to show her family's deed and save the inn. This important mission couldn't possibly be a quest, could it? How about after the deed is stolen by a mysterious girl with a dragon in the middle of the night? Whether she likes it or not, Nell is on a quest—big time - it's up to her to save the crossroads and protect the future of the world. Part quest fantasy and part satire of a quest fantasy, this series opener is a riotous good time. Nell's dry reluctance to engage in questing makes for a humorous plot point, especially a...