Does your local indie bookstore have the Kids’ Next Indie Next list? Most do! It’s a quarterly newsletter compiled by the American Bookseller’s Association, with recommendations from booksellers all around the country.
The Spring Kids’ Next List just came out, and Washington booksellers are well-represented. Hooray, us! To see the full lists, click here. Below, I’ve culled the local booksellers featured.
Chapter books for Middle Readers (ages 8-12):
The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley
(Graphix, 9780545453479, paper, $11.99)
“What better way to tell the story of becoming an author/illustrator than through the very medium you love! The Dumbest Idea Ever is a fun story that not only details the author’s life, but also shares a message of determination and inspiration with young readers.” —Beth Page, Auntie’s Bookstore, Spokane, WA
The Mark of the Dragonfly, by Jaleigh Johnson
(Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 9780385376150, $16.99)
“Piper has always been good with anything mechanical. Living in a scrapper town where danger is always present and poverty is a way of life, she dreams of using her abilities to find a way out — maybe a job in the big city. Then, during one of the monthly meteor storms, she rescues a young girl with the mark of the dragonfly. This mysterious girl may just be the opportunity that she has been looking for to escape her scrapper life. Highly recommended!” —Judy Hobbs, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA
For teens:
Grasshopper Jungle, by Andrew Smith
(Dutton Juvenile, 9780525426035, $18.99)
“Jonathan Safran Foer meets John Green meets War of the Worlds in this thoroughly original, completely engrossing novel. With a fresh and funny voice, Smith unleashes the mess and marvels of teen love, friendship, and other, unexpected terrors. Grasshopper Jungle is an emotional roller coaster, a goofy fun house, and a monstrous freak show all rolled up into one thrilling package.” —Tegan Tigani, Queen Anne Book Company, Seattle, WA
Dangerous, by Shannon Hale
(Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 9781599901688, $17.99)
“Maisie Danger Brown is a unique and charismatic main character. After living a quiet, sheltered life, the excitement that follows her time at astronaut camp is the perfect shock for her and the reader. Technology, friendship, hormones, betrayals, prosthetics, superpowers — this book really has it all!” —Tegan Tigani, Queen Anne Book Company, Seattle, WA
Salvage, by Alexandra Duncan
(Greenwillow Books, 9780062220141, $17.99, available April)
“This smart, realistic, sci-fi epic follows its heroine, Ava, from an interstellar cargo ship to the streets of a futuristic but still familiar Mumbai. Emotionally charged and powerful, this is the best kind of science fiction: the kind that forces us to look at ourselves and our society and follow the impacts of our actions to their logical conclusions. If you loved The Hunger Games and Divergent, this book is for you.” —Emily Ring, Inklings Bookshop, Yakima, WA
Leave a comment on this piece sharing your favorite indie for purchasing kids books or your favorite library for checking them out. You could win a FREE Advance Reading Copy of The Dumbest Idea Ever from NWBL and Scholastic!