Monkey is the second book in the Five Ancestors series, which follows three students of the kung fu arts. This book is a direct continuation from the previous book, so there’s not much I can say without spoiling the story. Totally hooked, though. Prince of Elves is the fifth book in the graphic novel series Amulet. Because everything builds on what’s come before, I can’t say anything that wouldn’t be a spoiler. Suffice to say … it’s good! EndGames wraps up the storyline begun in Newsprints. Bit of a (discourse-heavy) rush to the finish. Would have loved it if Xu had the luxury of two more volumes to flesh out all these new characters more. (Because they’re all so intriguing!)

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Autumn’s Arrival. This time of year, when the temperatures drop into a range that’s comfy for walking outdoors, I do a whole lot more reading. Book walks are happening every morning, so I’m bringing back my book-tracking calendar this month. Let’s see what adventures are in store!

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In Will Sparrow’s Road, Will is a liar, a thief, and a runaway who only looks out for himself. But he’s beginning to understand that you can’t trust what a person promises any more than you should put stock in how a person looks. Oddities and rarities and misfits. Good and bad and belonging. The Cathedral of Fear is the fourth book in the series. A mystery that mostly takes place in war-torn Paris … and is riddled with references to streets and sites that would warm any historian’s heart. Interesting references to the famed French author Alexandre Dumas. More adventure than mystery here, since readers aren’t given many clues or enough context to solve the problem. And (alas!) English-speaking readers are left hanging by the final revelation, which hints at more, because these first four books are the only ones that have been translated from the original Italian. And Tiger kicks off a kung fu series. Five young kung fu masters are hidden away by their teacher when their temple is overrun and its one hundred fighting monks slaughtered. They must stop the one who planned this massacre, someone who they considered a brother, one of their Grandmaster’s former pupils. This book takes place from the point of view of Fu, whose name means tiger and who uses tiger-style fighting.

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The Tea Dragon Festival is the second in a series of graphic novels. In a remote village where tea dragons belong to the whole village, Rinn forages for roots and mushrooms … and wakes a dragon. Meanwhile, their uncle returns with a friend on a quest of his own. Scenic and adorable. Lost and Found is a middle grade title by one of my favorite authors. Ezekiel has a knack that’s only brought him trouble. He finds lost things. A useless “micropower.” But then a police officer shows up at his door and asks for help in finding a lost child. Suspenseful. And The Last Gargoyle is also by a favorite author! There aren’t many like them. Gargoyles (properly called grotesques) were created to serve as guardians of the people in their buildings. But something wants them gone, and “Goyle” is suddenly the last of his kind in the city.

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In the graphic novel NewsPrints, Blue is a newsboy in a city where the ongoing war against neighboring countries is in the headlines. Making ends meet is tough, so the chance to work part-time for a quirky inventor is a big deal. And then there’s Crow, a new and mysterious friend, and an old friend Hector, who’s a war correspondent on the trail of a big story. Sarah, Plain and Tall is a classic for good reason. When their father sends away for a wife, Anna and Caleb are looking forward to meeting their new mother. They trade letters until her arrival. But will Sarah like them enough to stay? In Missing May, Summer was an unwanted orphan until Uncle Ob and Aunt May take it into their heads to bring her home. It isn’t much, but it’s absolutely everything Summer craved. A loving home. But then Aunt May dies, and Uncle Ob doesn’t seem to know how to go on. Not unless he can get a word from May directly. So he and Summer and a quirky neighbor boy named Cletus set out to do just that.

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