O'Brien Picture Books

Tis the season! O'Brien have released some beautiful new picture books, and I'm here to run through a few of them and give you some idea what they're like. Hint, these would make great presents!

A Fellowship of Games and Fables by J Penner

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From cold rivalry to hot cocoa and warm hearts. The third in a heartwarming cozy fantasy series by J. Penner.

Jez, a grumpy Fennex, wants nothing to do with the cold, snow or bustling winter games descending on the charming town of Adenashire. She’d rather curl up for a nap. But a drunken boast lands her smack in the middle of the festivities and, even worse, fake dating her friend, Taenya, a woodland elf.

Plagued by chronic fatigue and past heartbreak, Jez has long guarded her heart. Not to mention she has a secret she’d rather not share. Yet, Taenya’s warmth and patience begin to melt her icy exterior. Together, the two women tackle challenges—from ice sculpting to scavenger hunts—and their pretend relationship sparks genuine feelings.

With the unwavering support of her friends, and amidst the cozy, festive cheer of winter, Jez discovers that love and acceptance are within reach, even for those who would rather hibernate in the shadows.

Gill picture books

This week we have two upcoming picture books from Gill Books! These are perfect for the holiday series. Let's dive in!

Post Wave Picture Books

Post Wave Books is treating us to a fantastic batch of fresh picture books, each bursting with creativity, play, and discovery. Whether you’re making noise in Too Quiet!, exploring fantastical worlds in My Best Friend Tilly, diving into storytelling chaos with Pencil’s Best Story Ever, or hunting for hidden treasures in Mr Search, Mrs Find, there’s something here to spark imagination and laughter for kids (and adults) of all ages. Let’s dive in!

Role Model by Elle McNicoll

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Aeriel Sharpe doesn't want to be anyone's role model. But, when her mother is elected to be the most important politician in the country (yes, that one), she is thrust into the spotlight. With the world's eyes on her, friends don't seem that friendly and she feels trapped by everyone's expectations.

They want her to be the voice of every autistic teenager, but Aeriel must find a way to speak for herself...

It's not easy being thirteen... and it's even harder when you're the most famous teenager in the country

How to Survive a Horror Sequel by Scarlett Dunmore

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Can you be a final girl and survive your own horror movie - twice?

Almost a year after the horrors of Harrogate, Charley and her mum find themselves stranded in a small village called Glendale, AKA 'The Devil's Punchbowl'. Then she befriends the local misfits and learns of her new home's ties to witchcraft - and realises that Glendale has even more secrets than she bargained for.

However, the town's troubled past might just be the key to Charley understanding her ability to speak to the dead, especially with Halloween approaching. But after a series of disappearances, the ghosts acting differently this time, and the Harrogate Killer making a shocking return, Charley realises she might have taken on more than she can handle.

Before she can flee town, a new terror is unleashed, placing her friends and family in danger. Charley's horror knowledge will be put to the test once more, and if she and the Harrogate Killer don't figure out how to work together, they'll be trapped in Glendale forever. Or worse - buried in it.

The Story of my Anger by Jasminne Mendez

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Yulieta Lopez is angry. Angry at her racist drama teacher who refuses to cast Black students in lead roles. Angry at the school board threatening her favorite teacher for teaching works of literature that they deem “controversial.” Angry that she has to keep quiet until she can head to college and leave Texas forever.

Yuli is accustomed to playing various roles: the diligent daughter, the honorable hija, the good girl who serves everyone else before serving herself. But as the fire of Yuli's rage spreads and lights her up, she can no longer be silent. Determined to find a way to fight back, Yuli and her friends start a guerilla theatre club which stirs things up and gets people talking, and finally, Yuli steps into the role she was always meant to play.

Traitors in Space by Tim Collins + Steven Wood

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Catch the aliens before they catch you in this exciting extraterrestrial choose-your-own-adventure featuring illustrated puzzles perfect for fans of the Among Us game.

Imagine you are a brilliant young scientist who has been chosen for a research mission to a distant planet. On your way back to Earth, you are woken early from cryosleep by the ship’s computer. It has detected an alien lifeform, but you don’t see any sign of one.

You look at your fellow crewmates and wonder if one of them has been taken over by an alien intelligence. Can you work out who can be trusted and who the aliens are before they take over your mind too?

Approximately twenty illustrated puzzle missions are woven into the narrative at key turning points for full immersion in the story. Featuring over forty-five potential endings, gripping plot twists, and atmospheric illustrations, this alien adventure is truly out of this world.

How to Get Magically Popular by Radhika Sanghani

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Sabina Patel has never been popular. And in her new school, in a new town where she doesn't know anyone, Sabina feels more out of place than ever.

When she accidentally unlocks magic powers and starts to see visions of the future, Sabina worries that she'll be even more unpopular than before. But she quickly becomes one of the most popular girls in school, with everyone desperate for her to predict their test answers, prom dates and class election results.

Then she starts seeing futures she'd rather not know about and Sabina's not sure if she's unlocked a gift or a curse.

A book about learning to be happy in the present, rather than letting the future take over your life.

We Won't All Survive by Kate Alice Marshall

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Two years ago, Mercy Gray was hailed as a hero for saving lives during a mall shooting. She still carries souvenirs from that the fragment of a bullet lodged in her back, a mountain of medical debt, and guilt for ignoring her sister’s warnings that the sweet boy next door was anything but.

So when billionaire turned TV host Damien Dare recruits Mercy to compete on his new survivalist reality show, she can’t turn down a chance at the whopping cash prize that could send her sister to college. But when she and the other contestants arrive at the off-grid location, something isn’t right. The set is empty. The gates close without warning, trapping them inside. And then one of them turns up dead. What appeared at first to be a tragic accident quickly transforms as more contestants start dropping like flies. With time and resources running low, surviving this show takes on a whole new meaning. Mercy must figure out who to trust. Before she’s next.

The Library of Second Chances by Molly Reid

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How does a girl with her head permanently stuck in a book look beyond stories and start over? If only it were that simple . . .

Chloe's life feels like a book with a missing chapter. Stuck in a rut and back in her quiet hometown of Wellbridge, Chloe finds that she has traded big-city dreams for her childhood bedroom, working at the local library and hiding behind the pages of her favourite books. But one stormy night when she seeks refuge in the library after a disastrous date, everything changes.

Under the watchful eye of Mrs. Cook, the warm-hearted head librarian who seems to know more than she lets on, and Clementine, the library's whisker-twitching cat, Chloe discovers that the library seems to hold more than stories. Here, books glow with secrets, characters leap from pages, and the shelves hum with enchantment. More importantly, it has an ability to nudge people toward what they need most - whether it's healing, hope or a second chance. But is there more to the library's magic?

Chloe must accept that she needs to face her past and learn that sometimes, the right book - or the right person - can rewrite your entire story.

The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown

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The world of unknowable objects—magical items that most people have no idea possess powers—has been quiet for decades, but the three current members of a secret society have remained watchful, meeting every six months in the basement of a bookshop in London. They are pledged to protect their archive of magical items hidden away, safe from the outside world—and the world safe from them. But when Frank Simpson, the longest-standing member of the Society of Unknowable Objects, hears of a new artifact coming to light in Hong Kong, he sends Magda Sparks—author by day and newest member—to investigate.

Within hours of arriving in Hong Kong, Magda is facing death and danger, confronted by a professional killer who seems to know all about unknowable objects, specifically one that was stolen from him a decade before. Magda is forced to flee, using an artifact that not even the rest of the Society knows about.

Returning to London, Magda learns hers is not the only secret being kept from the other two members. And that the most pernicious secret is about the nature of the Society’s mission. Her discoveries will lead her on a perilous journey, across the Atlantic to the deep south of the United States, now in pursuit of not an unknowable object, but an unknowable person: the professional killer she first faced in Hong Kong. In doing so, Magda begins to understand that there are even more in the world who are chasing these magical items, and that her own family’s legacy is tied up in keeping all these secrets under wraps.

Magic has always been too powerful to reveal to the world. But Magda will learn there might be something even more powerful:

The truth.

A Beautiful Evil by Bea Fitzgerald

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When the Gods make the first human woman, Pandora, they impress on her just one certainty: that she has been made to love and be loved by her husband, the titan Epimatheos. But certain that the gods who torture his brother Prometheus do not bring Pandora as the gift they claim, Epimatheos wants nothing to do with her.

Hurt and confused, Pandora struggles to find purpose and meaning in her new life. Worse, having failed the very gods that made her, how will she ever earn their love again? Though with Matheos's brooding melancholy, constant snipes and seemingly permanent glower, Pandora's beginning to suspect she was made for some other purpose: because surely it's not to love this insufferable (albeit rather handsome) man.

But as Pandora and Matheos work to uncover the truth of her creation, that fated connection between them feels increasingly difficult to ignore. And with that comes greater risk. Because Prometheus left his brother with one final warning: that their love would be humanity's doom.

Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates

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When Jenine finds an abandoned polaroid camera in a tower, she takes a photo just for fun. But there’s something wrong with the image: a ghostly figure stands in the background, watching her.

Jenine and her best friend, Bree, soon realize the camera is capable of capturing the dead. But the ghosts seem to be following the friends. And with each new photo taken, the specters become clearer and closer…

The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore

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Sloane Parker lives a small, contained life as a librarian in her small, contained town. She never thinks of herself as lonely…but still she looks forward to that time every day when old curmudgeon Arthur McLachlan comes to browse the shelves and cheerfully insult her. Their sparring is such a highlight of Sloane's day that when Arthur doesn't show up one morning, she's instantly concerned. And then another day passes, and another.

Anxious, Sloane tracks the old man down only to discover him all but bedridden...and desperately struggling to hide how happy he is to see her. Wanting to bring more cheer into Arthur's gloomy life, Sloane creates an impromptu book club. Slowly, the lonely misfits of their sleepy town begin to find each other, and in their book club, find the joy of unlikely friendship. Because as it turns out, everyone has a special book in their heart—and a reason to get lost (and eventually found) within the pages.

Books have a way of bringing even the loneliest of souls together...

Pawmistry by Megan Lynn Kott

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From the past hidden in their paws to the future predicted by their leftover kibble, discover the true magic of cats in this hilarious guide to feline divination.

Pawmistry is a tongue-in-cheek guide to the feline oracle and the supernatural signs your cat may leave behind. Written and illustrated by the beloved creator of Cat Tarot Megan Lynn Kott, this playful and informative book offers instruction in a number of types of divination to practice with your cat, where messages and portents may be delivered by scattered cat toys, particular tail positions, and sleeping on your face. What does that barf in your shoe really mean? You may even consider learning the dark magic of their litterbox leavings (if you dare). Each section includes write-in pages to record your own cat's messages from the universe, and a removable, fold-out Feline Divination Board included with the book will allow you to take your arcane partnership to the next level.

MAKE CAT PLAY TIME PAWMISTRY TIME: Using the easy step-by-step instructions, turn your cat's daily routine into opportunities for mystical discovery. Play with toys to consult the oracles! Discover messages from the universe in leftover kibble! Dare to read the dark portents hidden in their litterbox!

FOR CAT LOVERS: This is a unique gift for the "crazy cat person" in your life—even if it's yourself! Learn the mystical meanings behind the "slow blink" or the past hidden in your kitty's bean toes, and celebrate the magic of cats.

DIY SHAREABLE CONTENT: Along with playful instructions and illustrations, the book also includes a fold-out Feline Divination Board—a talking board for cats—which not only makes for a fun interactive element, but also a perfect photo opportunity to share with friends.

GREAT GIFT: This playful book is perfect for a birthday present, white elephant gift exchange, or to celebrate a new cat adoption. Add it to the shelf alongside You Need More Sleep: Advice From Cats by Francesco Marciuliano, Ask Baba Yaga by Taisia Kitaiskaia, and Crafting with Cat Hair by Kaori Tsutaya and Amy Hirschman.

Circle of Liars by Kate Francis

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Seven liars in the circle.

Only one can survive…

Seven teens arrive for a school retreat - only to find an abandoned motel and a sinister text message waiting for them: I know what you did a year ago.

Each of the seven buried a guilty secret about their tragic school fire. And now someone is out for revenge.

Every hour they must choose the guiltiest one among them to cross over the white line that circles the motel and be killed. Otherwise, they all die.

But who deserves to live, and who to die? Because only one of them can survive…

The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong

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Certainty Bulrush wants to be useful–to the Guild of Mages that took her in as a novice, to the little brother who depends on her, and to anyone else she can help. Unfortunately, her tepid magic hasn't proven much use to anyone. When Certainty has the chance to earn her magehood via a seemingly straightforward assignment, she takes it. Nevermind that she’ll have to work with Mage Aurelia, the brilliant, unfairly attractive overachiever who’s managed to alienate everyone around her.

The two must transport minorly magical artifacts somewhere safe: Shpelling, the dullest, least magical village around. There, they must fix up an old warehouse, separate the self-turning butter churns from the kind-of-flaming swords, and above all: avoid complications. The Guild’s uneasy relationship with citizens is at a tipping point, and the last thing needed is a magical incident.

Still, as mage and novice come to know Shpelling’s residents–and each other–they realize the Guild’s hoarded magic might do more good being shared. Friendships blossom while Certainty and Aurelia work to make Shpelling the haven it could be. But magic is fickle—add attraction and it might spell trouble.

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

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Sera Swan was once one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her magical Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and a bit grumpily) helps Aunt Jasmine run an inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guest’s shenanigans, tries to keep the talking fox in check, and longs for the magical future she lost.

When she learns about an old spell book that could hold the secret to restoring her power, she finds herself turning to Luke Larsen, a gorgeous and icy historian who might be the only person who can help her unlock the book’s mysteries. The fact that he also happens to be her one-night stand from years ago is totally irrelevant.

Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and trying not to fall in love is a lot for anyone, but Sera is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone...and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.

Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell

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Heracles, hero of Greece, dedicates all his feats to Hera, goddess of family. Heracles’ mother raised himto revere Hera, as her attempt to avoid the goddess’ wrath. Unbeknownst to Heracles, he is yet another child Hera’s husband, Zeus, had out of wedlock.

Hera loathes every minute of Heracles’ devotion. She finally snaps and sends the Furies to make Heracles kill himself. But the moment Heracles goes mad, his children playfully ambush him, and he slays them instead. When the madness fades, Heracles’s wife, Megara, convinces him to seek revenge. Together they’ll hunt the Furies and learn which god did this.

Believing Hera is the only god he can still trust, Heracles prays to Hera, who is wracked with guilt over killing his children. To mislead Heracles, Hera sends him on monster-slaying quests, but he is too traumatized to enact more violence. Instead, Heracles cares for the Nemean lion, cures the illness of the Lernaean hydra, and bonds with Crete’s giant bull.

Hera struggles with her role in Heracles life as Heracles begins to heal psychologically by connecting with the monsters—while also amassing an army that could lay siege to Olympos.