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Books and Trade Paperbacks

Would You Turn Back?

We really don’t know how to properly summarize this “modern fairy tale” by Shelley Moore Thomas — so we’ll let the publisher do it for us. “Off the coast of Ireland, on the island of Hybrasil, lives a Magician and four enchanted rabbit sisters. One by one, the rabbits have been leaving the island, accompanied by a Boy and his boat. When the rabbits leave, they can turn back into girls. The last rabbit, Albie, remains. She doesn’t want to leave, but the island is sinking. Before deciding where she wants to go, Albie visits each of her sisters. Caragh has joined a circus. Isolde is the captain of a pirate ship. And Rory wants to go home to the family’s house in Cork. Through many furry twists and hoppity turns, we learn how one mistake can lead to many consequences, and that forgiveness and family are always within reach.” The Last Rabbit is available now in hardcover.

image c. 2022 Penguin Random House

Snout for Justice

Recently Penguin Books published When Pigs Fly, a new full color graphic novel by Rob Harrell. We’ve mention Mr. Harrel before, as he’s the creator of Monster on the Hill — which of course was the basis for the recent animated film Rumble. Now we have this: “Gary Yorkshire was your perfectly average, fuzzy pink pig who loved tasty sandwiches, video games, mud baths, and hanging out with his friends Carl the fish and Brooklyn the bat. Until one day . . .  a radioactive bat bite gives him powers he never would have dreamed of! Inspired by his old Crimson Swine comics, Gary decides that he’ll use his powers for good and becomes (drumroll) Batpig! Now he just needs a good zinger of a Batpig slogan, a spandex costume that flatters his rear end . . .  and maybe a little advice about how in the world to defeat supervillains?” Order it now and find out.

image c. 2022 Penguin Books

They’re Big — and They’re On TV?

John Scalzi’s next science fiction novel The Kaiju Preservation Society hasn’t even been released yet — it comes out in March — but word is out that Fox Entertainment have already optioned the book for a possible TV series adaptation. What’s it about? After New York City is devastated by a COVID outbreak, a bored food delivery driver who’s looking for a change meets up with an old school acquaintance. Turns out that his friend has a very special job — visiting a parallel dimension where giant monsters live and thrive, and seeing to their needs. Soon both these folks find themselves fighting to preserve the delicate balance between the monster’s dimension and our own… while unscrupulous forces work to bring about the destruction of both worlds.

image c. 2022 MacMillan Publishers

Wish We Had Summer Camp Like That!

Another book series we came across: Dragon Mountain by Katie Tsang and Kevin Tsang. “When 12-year-old Billy Chan finds out his parents are sending him to a summer camp in middle-of-nowhere China, he doesn’t know what to expect. There he meets fellow campers Dylan, Charlotte, and Ling-Fei, and together they stumble upon an age-old secret: Four powerful warrior dragons, hidden deep within the mountain behind the camp. They have been trapped since an epic battle with the Dragon of Death and need the children’s help to set them free before terrible evil is unleashed on the earth. Billy and his friends must set off on a dangerous adventure that will take them to the heart of the Dragon Realm. But can they save the dragon and human worlds from destruction?” Several titles in the series are out now, available in hardcover and paperback.

image c. 2022 Simon & Schuster

All Species Advance

The things you find! We came across this series when we were looking up another book entirely. We’ll let the publisher describe it: “The Endangereds is the first book in a thrilling new adventure series by world-renowned environmentalist and Emmy-nominated host of Xploration Awesome Planet Philippe Cousteau and award-winning TURBO Racers author Austin Aslan. Innocent animals are in trouble: temperatures are climbing, tides are rising, and nature is suffering. Someone needs to step in to rescue animals from extinction. Someone needs to turn this mess around, before it’s too late. And that someone is . . . the Endangereds, the unlikeliest heroes you’ll ever meet—a super-strong polar bear, a pangolin with a genius for engineering, an extremely sarcastic narwhal, and an orangutan with a big dream. Together, these four daredevils are determined to save endangered species across the globe, no matter what the risk.” Book #2, Melting Point, is already out as well, and there’s more coming in the future. [And with that, we wish you all a happy and safe New Year!]

image c. 2021 Harper-Collins

Spare the Pod

Catching up with some good books we hadn’t mentioned before. A Whale of the Wild is a new novel for young readers by Rosanne Parry, published by Greenwillow Books. It’s based on extensive research into the lives and struggles of orca whales in the real world. “For Vega and her family, salmon is life. And Vega is learning to be a salmon finder, preparing for the day when she will be her family’s matriarch. But then she and her brother Deneb are separated from their pod when a devastating earthquake and tsunami render the seascape unrecognizable. Vega must use every skill she has to lead her brother back to their family. The young orcas face a shark attack, hunger, the deep ocean, and polluted waters on their journey. Will Vega become the leader she’s destined to be?” The author is also known for another wildlife-based adventure book, A Wolf Called Wander. Both are available in hardcover at your favorite booksellers.

image c. 2021 Greenwillow Books

His Name Is Mud… Partially

Recently at the Los Angeles Comic Con we came across well-known comic creator and illustrator Guy Gilchrist. Among his many other accomplishments, he recently re-released a black & white 40-year celebration of his funny animal comic Mudpie. “We’re excited to present Guy Gilchrist, original comic artist on The Muppets, Looney Tunes, & Nancy comic strip, for the release of his creator-owned project Mudpie! These first edition books will include personal behind-the-scenes notes & memories from Guy, be hand numbered specific to the quantity of this run, and a limited amount of original sketches will be autographed to be included in the first 50 orders.” In other words, hurry up and get one!

image c. 2021 Shanda Fantasy Arts

Judge Me By My Size, Do You?

Scout Comics have imported another interesting full-color comic from Europe: Sengi and Tembo, written and illustrated by Giuseppe Falco. “The African savannah, a windswept expanse of tall grass, a few all-too-rare trees, overwhelming heat… and more than a few hungry predators… Sengi, the little mouse, finds himself alone after the death of his mother and must learn to survive. Tembo, the old elephant, feels that his life is coming to an end. So he decides to leave his herd to try to reach the “Land without beginning,” a mythical place accessible by a secret passage to the west. For a few days, these two disparate lives, that of the pragmatic mouse and the even-tempered elephant, will collide and join paths. Their futures will be changed forever.” Scout has the collected story available in both paper and digital versions… and on VHS??

image c. 2021 Scout Comics

Kitty Come Home

Heartwarming new stuff from Dynamite Entertainment, just in time for the holiday season. “Saved By A Whisker is a new children’s book based on the incredible true story of a cat who lost his family, and the long journey it took to reunite them. Before all of this, Cozmo was just an average cat living with a loving family in New Jersey. On the day his family packed up their belongings and moved to Florida, Cozmo gets separated and accidentally gets left behind. Alone in the outside world for the first time, Cozmo is 900 miles away from everything he knows! This is the whimsical retelling of how the real-life Cozmo went on the journey of his life, making friends, and finally finding his way back to his family!” The story is written by Kristen Rybandt and illustrated by Ken Haeser. Available now, and Dynamite has preview pages up for viewing too.

image c. 2021 Dynamite Entertainment