Leslie Hawkins, owner of Spellbound Children’s Bookshop in Asheville, N.C., spotlights a quartet of new titles that are selling briskly at her store.
In a time-honored tradition usually reserved for children and animals, pieces of construction equipment wind down and get ready for bed in Sherri Duskey Rinker’s Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. The illustrator’s Shark vs. Train continues to be a big seller for us, and his new book is off to a smashing start. I hand this to customers who already love his books, plus those looking for books about trucks and other vehicles, or offbeat humor, or just a sweet, funny bedtime story.
Chameleons are supposed to blend in, right? Not the star of Ethan Long’s Chamelia! Her wardrobe and her attitude make her stand out in the crowd. The book’s cover has such visual appeal that it’s hard to resist picking it up. And Little, Brown’s great paper-doll standee display, with changeable outfits, adds extra ‘oomph!’ to the book’s sales. Kids—especially girls, of course—love the dress-up theme, and parents love the theme of Chamelia being unique while also learning to cooperate.
Lincoln Peirce’s Big Nate Boredom Buster: Super Scribbles, Cool Comix, and Lots of Laughs offers more fun than fireworks in the cafetorium—more nutritional value than a bag of Big Nate’s beloved Cheez Doodles! This concoction of puzzles, games, guided scribbling, and DIY comic panels has been the perfect thing to hold kids over until the revised Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book hit the shelves, and I expect it to keep selling briskly side-by-side with the wimpy wonder. We shelve this near the Wimpy Kid books and also with our activity books. No handselling required.
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens has it all: mystery, adventure, fantasy, humor, and—of course—orphans! (Well, sort of orphans….) The Emerald Atlas hits all the right notes but still feels fresh and exciting. This is my new go-to title for middle-grade kids and parents who come in saying that they “need a new series.” We all know what they mean before they even say it: they’ve finished Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, etc., and they crave a new addiction! Since it came out, I think every family I’ve handed this book to has taken a copy home. That pretty much says it all.
