From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
Hot Air: A Novel by Marcy Dermansky (Knopf, $27, 9780593320907). "Hot Air is a delicious read--smart, funny, quirky, and unpredictable. While you're gobbling up the plot, it sneakily brings up issues of class, parenting, and marriage. Take it with you on spring break--it'll be right at home poolside with you." --Kathryn Counsell, Watchung Booksellers, Montclair, N.J.
I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney (Zibby Publishing, $27.99, 9798989923014). "John Kenney's coming-of-age novel is the story of an obituary writer who accidentally publishes his own obituary, one inebriated night--but he's not dead. Readers will laugh out loud, cry, and love each and every character." --Eve Taben, Elm Street Books, New Canaan, Conn.
Paperback
Miss Morgan's Book Brigade: A Novel by Janet Skeslien Charles (Atria, $18.99, 9781668008997). "As a female Army combat veteran, I know all too well how women's contributions get forgotten. Follow 'Kit' Carson as she and women from all walks of life bring hope and books to families devastated by the German occupation of France in World War I." --Casey Luke, The Book Shoppe, Boone, Iowa
Ages 4-8
Mistaco: A Tale of Tragedy y Tortillas by Eliza Kinkz (Kokila, $18.99, 9780593700235). "Mistaco by Eliza Kinkz is a unique take on making mistakes--a funny picture book for reading aloud and one that independent readers will truly enjoy, with bold illustrations and relatable characters in Izzy and her big, loving family." --Stephanie Ledyard, Interabang Books, Dallas, Texas
Ages 8-12: An Indies Introduce Title
The Queen Bees of Tybee County by Kyle Casey Chu (Quill Tree Books, $19.99, 9780063326958). "Follow young basketball champion Derrick Chan as he spends the summer with his grandmother and journeys to discover a whole new understanding of self. This exploration of family, culture, and identity is unique and powerful. This book is right on time." --Jonathan Pope, Prologue Bookshop, Columbus, Ohio
Teen Readers: An Indies Introduce Title
All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9781665952651). "All the Noise at Once is a captivating read about Aiden, a Black, autistic teen, his love of football, his struggle with identity, and his fight against injustice after a jarring experience with the police. I was cheering Aiden on to the very end." --Kalli King, Rediscovered Books, Boise, Idaho
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
