Snagged by Carrie Harris

Sixteen-year-old Leigh Carroll has been through it--when she lost her mom as a baby, she and her dad had to move to a small apartment in Philadelphia where they are scraping by. Leigh has an afterschool job at a hardware store and her dad works nights, so they never see each other. Despite everything, Leigh has been able to maintain her signature snark and has found an escape through something she'd never expected...cosplay.

It's in this pursuit where Leigh's life takes a turn for the supernatural--when she decides to build a costume based on a dated book series called Lady Lovely Locks. It's about a princess of the same name who, on the surface, wears frumpy dresses, lives in a magical castle, rides a horse named "Silky Mane," and has rainbow hair infested with long-tailed rodents called "Pixietails."

Leigh finds a way to re-interpret this character for the 2020s and has everything she needs, except the rainbow-streaked hair. At a comic convention, she meets a mysterious old woman selling what appears to be an authentic, vintage Lady Lovely Locks wig. When Leigh gets home and puts it on, she finds herself magically transported to Lovely Locks kingdom. And, somehow, she now IS Lady Lovely Locks. But it isn't until she finds a painting of her mom hanging in the walls of a castle that she realizes more than magic has brought her here...it's fate.

A Girl's Guide to Spying by Holly Webb

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When Phyl is dragged along to the Girl Guides by her younger sister, Annie, the last thing she expects is the adventure of a lifetime. Then her Guide captain offers her a job as a messenger for MI5. Phyl is desperate to help the war effort and is thrilled to be working with spies.

But she can’t seem to do anything right in the eyes of the grumpy Major Warren. When he suddenly disappears, Phyl and Annie suspect that he may in fact be a double agent. The two sisters must solve the mystery of his whereabouts, before it’s too late. Luckily their friends from the Rose Patrol are ready to help…

Happy #BookBirthday! 29 Jan

Happy Thursday! This week there are SEVEN books on our lists publishing!

Nematodes by David Smith

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All the adults are dead...or dying. Those who remain won't last long in the wake of a deadly pandemic born from genetically modified nematodes marketed as a game-changing pest killer - it turns adults into cannibalistic maniacs. But this pandemic was no accident - its architects' only mistake was to allow children to survive. Forced into the roles of their murdered guardians, they must now fend for themselves against this relentless threat, navigating a decimated world in a bid to survive, building alliances and strength in the hope that they can stop the total annihilation of humankind. But each day brings them closer to maturity, closer to adulthood. And all the adults are dead...or dying.

The Darkness Greeted Her by Christina Ferko

Penny's abusive father is dead…but she still hears his voice in her head, encouraging her to hurt those around her. She can't go to school or be around her friends or even draw with a sharp pencil without her intrusive thoughts urging her toward violence. Desperate to get a handle on her OCD, she agrees to spend the summer at Camp Whitewood—an exclusive therapy retreat in the woods.

She feels optimistic when she arrives. The other girls all have their reasons for being there, which makes Penny feel a little less alone. But then she starts seeing things that can't possibly be there: the gold watch her father was buried with, his favorite whiskey spilled on her cabin floor...a terrifying figure she calls the Shadow Man looming at the foot of her bed. Penny thinks she is losing her mind, but when a girl goes missing, and is later found dead, it's clear that whatever is happening at Camp Whitewood isn't all in her head.

As the hallucinations become increasingly intense and more girls wind up dead, Penny must work with whoever is left standing to figure out what is real before the Shadow Man uses their traumas against them and claims their lives.

The Original Petit Etteilla by Caitlín Matthews and Rebecca Birrell

Learn foundational methods of divination from the Father of Cartomancy

• Provides the first English edition of Etteilla’s seminal text, an Etteilla deck, and a tutorial on how to make your own deck

• Offers eight main spreads along with variations, devised by Etteilla, and accompanying commentary and case studies

• Shares how Etteilla’s 1770 method set the standard for most European cartomantic divination, influencing the development of both cartomancy and tarot

Etteilla is the pseudonym of Jean Baptiste Alliette, known to divination devotees as the Father of Cartomancy. His 1770 manual, revised in 1773 under the title La Seule Manière de Tirer Les Cartes, was the first book on how to divine from playing cards, and it remains the basis for many cartomantic decks and tarots today. Now, for the first time, Etteilla’s manual is available in English.

This deck and guidebook gives readers a set of Petit Etteilla cards and a fully annotated translation of his text. The book explores how Etteilla’s deck and interpretive methods serve as the foundation for decks to follow, including the Lenormand and Rider-Waite-Smith decks. Readers will learn each card’s meaning (both upright and reversed) and the significance of each card’s placement in a spread. In Etteilla's system, each card’s meaning and associated words are printed on the card, allowing readers the freedom to use intuition instead of memorizing the meaning of each card. The result is an innovative system that offers a highly personalized method for readings. Readers will also learn how to make their own decks to further personalize their connection with Etteilla's method. This book offers eight spreads devised by Etteilla, with variations of each, along with commentary, case studies, and practices to enrich your understanding.

Sanctuary by James Cleary

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The near future…

Climate disasters have crippled the United States. With half the country under water and the other half a dust bowl, civil unrest would soon escalate into something darker, something unstoppable. Billionaire John Brandt anticipated this and channeled his money, power, and influence into being prepared for the great unraveling.

Now Brandt, his family, and his security team must retreat to Sanctuary, their underground bunker—a vast luxury mansion beneath the parched earth of the Nebraskan Great Plains. But they are not alone. Above ground a group of raiders are desperate to survive and will use any means possible to accomplish that goal.

As tensions mount both inside and out, battle lines are drawn— between the haves and the have-nots, between decency and expediency, between life and death. In this game, everyone’s a loser.

Lies we Tell About the Stars by Susie Nadler

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Celeste Muldoon is alone when the Big One finally hits San Francisco, because, for the first time ever, her best friend, Nicky, stood her up after school. The two of them share a birthday, matching tattoos, an obsession with the upcoming Mars mission, dreams of MIT, and pretty much everything else. So why didn’t he meet her the way they’d planned?

The earthquake has a huge death toll, and Nicky and Celeste's parents fear the worst, but Celeste doesn’t buy it. Nicky spent their senior year selling essays to rich kids and was about to be exposed. Celeste knows he had a plan to vanish, reinvent himself and escape the disaster he’d created, but can’t convince anyone else that he could still be alive. Only Meo, a mysterious boy Nicky was somehow mixed up with, seems to believe, but she has every reason to distrust him – even if her heart races every time he shows up.

When Celeste finds Nicky’s notebook, it sends her and Meo on a quest across her broken city, up the coast through towns sheltering quake refugees, and eventually all the way to Florida, where the mission to Mars is about to lift off.

Hail Mariam by Huda Al-Marashi

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Sixth grade wasn’t supposed to be this complicated.

Iraqi American Mariam Hassan transfers to a local Catholic school and before her first day her parents remind her that she might be the first Muslim her classmates have ever met. No big deal, right? Just represent an entire religion while making new friends, keeping up with schoolwork, and figuring out who she is.

When Mariam’s younger sister, Salma, is diagnosed with a serious lung condition, her family faces endless doctor visits and sleepless nights. Mariam tries to lighten their burden and keep her own problems to herself—including the fact that she’s just been cast as Mary in the school’s Christmas nativity play.

Mariam wants to honor her faith and her new community, but she’s terrified of crossing a religious line. Can a Muslim girl be the lead in a Christian story? What will her family think? And why does she feel like every decision she makes represents all Muslims?

Mariam discovers that faith, much like friendships, isn’t about perfection—it’s about connection. As she leans on her family, friends, and school community, she begins to see the power of interfaith cooperation and learns she doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Hail Mariam is a celebration of the beauty of finding common ground.

Brigid by Kim Curran

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In a wild, ancient grove at the edge of winter, a desperate girl prays to the gods for her freedom.

None have ever listened to Brigid’s prayers.

But this time, a goddess answers . . . with a vision that will transform Brigid’s path forever.

The new Christian god is coming, a faith that Brigid can bend to her will, building a sanctuary for other powerless women.

But power, like a flame, consumes as it grows. As Brigid rises, challenging kings, defying bishops, her enemies draw closer.

What – or who – will she sacrifice to hold on to her legacy?

A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon by Hannah Reynolds

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As a scholarship student at the magical Lyceum, Naomi would rather focus on deciphering ancient scrolls than dating. Especially since the only boys asking her out are less interested in a night in Naomi’s company than an introduction to her influential aunt.

So Naomi devises an excuse to turn down her persistent suitors: She claims to be betrothed to a demon.

Her story works perfectly. Until she arrives home one night and finds the demon Daziel lounging in her rooms, insisting he’s her betrothed. Naomi knows he’s lying—after all, the betrothal was never real—but the gorgeous and infuriating demon is surprisingly resistant to her banishing spells. And with his penchant for baking and home décor, it’s not so bad having him around.

Besides, she has other worries—like the ancient scroll she’s trying to translate, and the way the city’s magic has become suddenly unstable. But the more Naomi learns about the scroll, and the more she gets to know Daziel, the more it seems like she might be at the center of something bigger than she could have imagined.

We Call them Witches by India-Rose Bower

Britian, two years after they came . . .

Most people have been devoured by the eldritch creatures.

Sara and her family have been fighting for survival.

And the only thing that works against these monsters - these Witches - is their knowledge of folklore and pagan rituals.

When a girl named Parsley suddenly appears in the garden of their current camp, she cannot remember where she came from or why she's there.

As Sara and Parsley begin to develop feelings for each other, disaster strikes, and Sara's younger brother Noah is snatched by the Witches.

They must find him and set out across desolate moors full of merciless terror, to hunt the very creatures they've been hiding from.

Can they succeed in saving Noah? Will Parsley and Sara's burgeoning love survive these bloodthirsty Witches? and, who can Sara trust in a world void of humanity?

Happy #BookBirthday! Jan 15 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there are SEVEN books on our lists publishing!

Nadia Islam on the Record by Adiba Jaigirdar

New You Forever by Steve Cole

The year is 2070, and the New You Foundation claim to have found the ultimate answer to the climate crisis. They want human beings to transform themselves into Pleekas - perfect artificial replicas. Pleekas can go on for ever but won't create waste or use the Earth's resources.

Too good to be true?

When a chance meeting leads young journalist Anders Jones to the sinister truth, he must risk everything to expose New You - if it's not already too late ...

Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph

Welcome to Bleak Haven: The town you won't (or can't!) leave... Deep fake murders have taken over the high school, but what happens when they start to become real?

Would you Swipe to Die?

When the new craze takes over Bleak Haven High, Ava Wilson refuses to join in. As the niece of an infamous murderer, it’s the last thing she needs.

The mysterious website allows people to view their own ‘death’ – an AI generated version of their final slasher-movie-moments. But, when some of her classmates’ deepfakes are replicated in real life, Ava can either catch the killer…or be the next victim.

The Moon Without Stars by Chanel Miller

At the beginning of seventh grade, Luna knows who she is: an observant, quiet girl who loves writing and making zines with her best friend, Scott. But when one of their zines takes off, somehow Luna is swept up into the popular group and learns just how much of herself she’s going to have to compromise to stay there. Will she give up her writing? Her best friend? What about her own beliefs about who she is and what she stands for?

In a contemporary novel that feels like today’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Newbery Honor winner and bestselling author Chanel Miller explores what it means to lose and then find yourself again in the middle of middle school.

Happy #BookBirthday! Jan 8 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there are  books on our lists publishing!

Arborescence by Rhett Davis

What makes a person want to be a tree?

Bren and his partner Caelyn are feeling at a standstill in their lives. One day they come across a video of people in the forest who believe that if they stand still for long enough they will transform into trees. The idea is absurd. But it's spreading. Soon, people start to go missing and trees appear in unlikely places.

As cities decay and the world becomes greener, Caelyn becomes more and more convinced that arborescence is exactly what will save the planet from human destruction. Bren isn't so sure. Drifting apart, Bren and Caelyn are forced to question what it really means to be human - and if they are ready to stand still.

The Alpine Retreat by Sarah Goodwin

Relax. Recharge. Run for your life.

High in the secluded Swiss Alps, Élan Peak Wellness Retreat promises luxury, rejuvenation, and exclusivity — an influencer’s paradise. A select group of celebrities, corporate bosses and social media stars arrive, eager to detox, meditate, and document their curated journey to enlightenment.

But when they arrive and have their technology confiscated, they're horrified. To make matters worse, an avalanche traps them in the remote lodge overnight. When they awake in the morning, one of their own has vanished, and the idyllic retreat turns into a nightmare. With the dangers of mother nature to contend with, wolves waiting outside and the only ski lift down the mountain broken, tensions are high. As paranoia sets in and dark secrets unravel, they realize the retreat isn’t what it seems.

Someone is watching. Someone is hunting. And not everyone will make it out alive.

This is not a Test by Courtney Summers

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.

To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.

But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside.

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

Postscript by Cori McCarthy

“I’m not sure the how-pocalypse changes anything. I don’t think about it; this is hard enough.”

This is a depopulated archipelago off the coast of Massachusetts, home to a tiny handful of sapiens sifting the remnants of civilization for scraps of comfort and joy.

There’s no sense in trying to figure out exactly how humans got to this place of endless gray skies and so many mass graves—that’s a very long letter no one has the heart to read again. What matters is this fleeting postscript, a strangely joyous house of bones built by an unlikely quintet of survivors.