Happy New Year, everyone! And while I send tons of wonderful wishes to all of you concerning health, prosperity, happiness, and all sorts of blessings, I also wish for many moments of lovely tales and words. With this thought in mind, I'm going to launch into the New Year of Bookworm for Kids with a fun reading list for January.
This month, I'm starting out with an 'oldie but goodie' and taking a peek at the 100th Anniversary Edition of Winnie-the-Pooh! I'm hoping to be all about fun reads, this year, and will be stepping a bit more back from purely message driven books. I do realize that really good reads hold valuable thoughts for life, but I'm going to try to lean more toward books, which keep the entertainment level high as well. In other words, I want to discover tales, which let readers sink into the worlds and get lost in the pages. Also, nonfiction books can be great, and I'm hoping to find all sorts of these to throw into the mix, too.
That said, January looks like it's going to hold a solid mix on genres and directions. I've also made sure to include, at least, one young adult read each week, this month. Last year, I was a bit skim on these. There's some adventure, some scifi, some horror, a few fantasies, nonfiction, feel-good-reads, and more coming up. But the best way to give an impression of what's on my pile is to simply let you take a quick peek:
WINNIE-THE-POOH 100TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
It's been years since I read Winnie-the-Pooh, and I was super surprised when this special copy arrived in my mailbox. You can imagine the huge smile on my face when I unpacked this read. Plus, it has a fuzzy cover! Yep, it's going to be one to literally cuddle up with. Anyway, I'm excited to revisit the tale and see how this anniversary edition holds up to expectations. And of course, I'm hitting this one as the very first read of 2026!
Children's Fiction
BEHIND FIVE WILLOWS
I listed this one as a sneak-peek read last month, but it ended up getting pushed down the line for a sudden ARC from Marissa Meyer. But there is no way I'm going to not read this one and share it with you guys. I'm going to isolate myself from the world and sink into this world because knowing this author, it's going to be a grabbing read. Join me on the 3rd to find out all about it.
Young Adult Historical
PUP CHEF
This isn't a kidlit read, per say, but I'm expecting it to be something young readers will want to pick-up too...well, the puppy-loving-creative ones. My daughter has enjoyed baking treats for our dogs over the years, and I bet she isn't the only kid, who wants to give that a go. I'm hoping this involves some simple recipes and ingredients, which aren't super hard to get ahold of. But we'll find out more about it on the 8th.
Pet Cook Book
THE AFTERMYTH, #1
This read has been sitting on my 'Wait' pile for months, but I promised not to touch it until it was closer to release day...which is beginning February. Since I am very curious to see what this tale's about, I'm going to stretch the 'around' definition and present in already on the 12th. It's an academy book, but one surrounding Greek myths, and the MC has been preparing all her life to attend the school only to be placed in the less serious group. I'm thinking maybe School of Good & Evil vibes???? Or maybe not? As said, I'll let you know on the 12th.
Middle Grade Fantasy
A PIRATES' PACT
The idea of finding a treasure map while on an island won me over immediately. I hope this story packs tons of fun adventure. According to the blurb, it also deals with identity issues, family problems, secrets, and several more emotional directions. As long as there's friendship and edge-of-the-seat excitement along with the heart, I'm all for it. Let's see if this duo can achieve all of that or not on the 14th.
Middle Grade Adventure
K—JANE
Lydia Kang is another author, whose works I've enjoyed over the years. So, I was excited to get my hands on an ARC of her upcoming book. This one should take an interesting twist in that the MC is American but thanks to peer pressure and her Korean heritage, feels as if she needs to embody all things 'K'. I hope this is well woven with heart, tons of smiles, and a bit of bittersweetness. But I'll know more on the 16th.
Young Adult Contemporary
RELIC HAMILTON: GENIE HUNTER
I know extremely little about this read...as in, I haven't even taken much of a peek at the blurb, but the title and cover had me sure that this one would be worth picking up. I'm hoping there will be tons of adventure and action and magic...and maybe, an evil genie, this time? That'd be a fun, new twist. It seems to be a popular one for DRC fans to grab up right now, too, so there must be something about this read. We'll rub that bottle and see what happens on the 19th.
Middle Grade Fantasy
BUTTERFLY SEA
Calming picture books are a necessary part of life...don't believe me? Pick one up and give it a try! This book promises lovely illustrations and a bit of enjoyable back-and-forth as a girl tries to take photos of butterflies but her baby brother keeps getting in the way. I'm expecting tons of smiles from this one on the 29th.
Picture Book
OSCAR AND THE MYSTERY OF THE GLOWING ORBS
I saw the cover and the word 'mystery' in the title, and my curiosity spiked. The MC is new to the school, and suddenly sees glowing orbs hovering everywhere. Then, he discovers that no one else sees them and needs to figure out what's going on before it's too late. This one should involve opening up to others, forming friendships...and a chicken? Actually, I just see that on the cover, so I'm guessing it's involved somehow, too. Find out more with me on the 26th.
Middle Grade Mystery
MY SUBWAY RUNS
I so, so, so hope that this one is as good as it might be. The author and illustrator have already garnered attention from earlier works. So, this promises to be a well-done adventure. Plus, it takes place in a subway and views the world through the eyes of a child as it undertakes this big adventure and experiences everything involved. We'll find out how it goes on the 30th.
Picture Book
So many books and never enough time! That's why I have a Joker Read. Every month, there are more books than I could hope to get to on my TBR-list. At the same time, there's a constant shifting in the publishing and reviewing world. Some books don't arrive as planned, others don't connect with me the way I hoped they would, and some just are shoved around for all sorts of reasons. So, while my schedule is full, I have no doubt that a couple days will suddenly be free. That's where my joker read comes in. It's the first on the top of my pile and will be read. But I'm not sure when.
WHY STARS BURN
I love the cover, and that was enough for me to take a chance on it. As for the story...well, it may or may not be my thing. It surrounds the daughter of Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles and various problems she faces as she coasts between the two cultures and worlds. Plus, there's a lot of other drama included, it appears, to keep things exciting. I'm hoping I'll like it as much as the cover...but when will I tell you? That's the questions, isn't it?
Young Adult Contemporary