Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Spring 2019 Showcase

Beyond the people I work with and the people this blog has led me to get to know, by far the best aspect of blogging for TLT is the constant influx of books. All of the books I get end up going back out the door in some fashion—to teen readers I know, to classroom libraries of friends, to my own school, my kid’s school, or in giveaways. I can’t read/review every book I get, but it’s fun to be able to sift through boxes and see what grabs my attention, and to  see what books will find loving new homes with the right reader.

Today I’m sharing with you titles from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All annotations are from the publisher.

Every Moment After by Joseph Moldover (ISBN-13: 9781328547279 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publication date: 04/09/2019)

Best friends Matt and Cole grapple with their changing relationships during the summer after high school in this impactful, evocative story about growing up and moving on from a traumatic past.

Surviving was just the beginning. 

Eleven years after a shooting rocked the small town of East Ridge, New Jersey and left eighteen first graders in their classroom dead, survivors and recent high school graduates Matt Simpson and Cole Hewitt are still navigating their guilt and trying to move beyond the shadow of their town’s grief. Will Cole and Matt ever be able to truly leave the ghosts of East Ridge behind? Do they even want to?

As they grapple with changing relationships, falling in love, and growing apart, these two friends must face the question of how to move on—and truly begin living

Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Life and Work by Victoria Ortiz (ISBN-13: 9780544973640 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publication date: 06/04/2019)

The life and career of the fiercely principled Supreme Court Justice, now a popular icon, with dramatic accounts of her landmark cases that moved the needle on legal protection of human rights, illustrated with b/w archival photographs.

Dramatically narrated case histories from Justice Ginsburg’s stellar career are interwoven with an account of RBG’s life—childhood, family, beliefs, education, marriage, legal and judicial career, children, and achievements—and her many-faceted personality is captured. The cases described, many involving young people, demonstrate her passionate concern for gender equality, fairness, and our constitutional rights. Notes, bibliography, index.

Briar and Rose and Jack by Katherine Coville (ISBN-13: 9781328950055 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publication date: 06/11/2019)

Sumptuous storytelling combines Sleeping Beauty with Jack and the Beanstalk in a magical exploration of prejudice, justice, and the meaning of true love.

Lady Briar is scorned for her appearance. Princess Rose is adored for her looks. Unbeknownst to them, one or both may bear a curse that only true love can break. But the girls have little time for curses anyway—along with their friend Jack, they are busy plotting the downfall of the evil giant who plagues their kingdom. But how can children succeed when the adults are afraid to even try? And what if the curse manifests? Whose love could be true enough to save the day?

Moles by Rachel Poliquin, Nicholas John Frith (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9780544951075 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publication date: 06/18/2019)

Funny and fact-filled, MOLES is another installment in the SUPERPOWER FIELD GUIDES series by author Rachel Poliquin, featuring full-color illustrations by Nicholas John Frith that will engage readers with witty narration and fun visual elements, inspiring readers to dig deep and see the world, both above and below ground, with new eyes. 

Meet Rosalie, a common mole.The first thing you need to know about Rosalie is that she is shaped like a potato. Not a new potato, all cute and round, but a plain old lumpy potato. She may be small. She may be spongy. But never underestimate a mole.

I know what you’re thinking: moles are just squinty-eyed beasts that wreck your lawn.

You’re right! Those squinty eyes and mounds of dirt are proof that moles have superpowers. There is absolutely nothing common about the common mole.

Impossible Music by Sean Williams (ISBN-13:9780544816206 Publisher: Clarion Publication date: 07/02/2019)

In an emotionally compelling tale crackling with originality, when a teen musician goes deaf, his quest to create an entirely new form of music brings him to a deeper understanding of his relationship to the hearing world, of himself, and of the girl he meets along the way. 

Music is Simon’s life—which is why he is devastated when a stroke destroys his hearing. He resists attempts to help him adjust to his new state, refusing to be counseled, refusing to learn sign-language, refusing to have anything to do with Deaf culture. Refusing, that is, until he meets G, a tough-as-nails girl dealing with her own newly-experienced deafness.

In an emotionally engaging tale crackling with originality, Simon’s quest to create an entirely new form of music forces him into a deeper understanding of his relationship to the hearing world, of himself, and of the girl he meets along the way.

From an Idea to Google: How Innovation at Google Changed the World by Lowey Bundy Sichol (ISBN-13:9781328954916 Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Publication date: 07/09/2019)

From an Idea to Google is a behind-the-computer-screen look into the history, business, and brand of the world’s largest search engine. With humorous black & white illustrations throughout, learn about the company that even earned its own catchphrase: Google it!

Today, Google is the number one internet search engine and the most visited website in the world. But a long time ago, two college friends, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, started out with just an idea. Find out more about Google’s history, the business, and the brand in this illustrated nonfiction book!

Find out where the name “Google” came from. (Hint: It involves a LOT of zeros!)

Discover how Google became the fastest and most popular internet search engine of all time.

Explore how Google transformed from a tiny startup (in someone’s garage!) into one of the most powerful companies in the world.

Survivor Girl by Erin Teagan (ISBN-13:9780544636217 Publisher: Clarion Publication date: 07/16/2019)

In this funny, action-packed middle grade novel from the author of the American Girl Luciana books, Alison gets invited to be on her dad’s reality show, Survivor Guy, and faces important realities about her family, self-reliance, and learning to work together with friends. 

12-year-old Ali adores her reality-show celebrity father, Survivor Guy, and hopes to follow in his footsteps. But when he invites her on location, Ali is sure she won’t survive one episode . . . until she learns the truth: The show isn’t just her dad and a camera. It’s a huge crew and set, with stunt doubles! When a wildfire strikes and Ali and two other kids miss the last rescue helicopter, suddenly, the fight for survival is real. Will she find the self-confidence she needs so they can work together and get out of the wilderness alive?

STEM themes and plot strands about body image and divorce are subtly woven into this page-turning tale.

Mystery Club: Wild Werewolves; Mummy Mischief by Davide Cali, Yannick Robert (ISBN-13:9781328528483 Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Publication date: 07/23/2019)

Two graphic novel mysteries in one book, each filled with fun humor and intrigue. Are there really werewolves in London? Mummies in the metro? Fear not—Mystery Club is on the case!

In Wild Werewolves, a stranger approaches Zoey and Kyle in the library as they ask the question: “Do you think monsters exist in London?” The stranger gives them information that sets them on a city-wide adventure with Ashley and Tyler. The Mystery Club pieces together the werewolf mystery and the identity of the stranger and a zany series of events ensues.

In Mummy Mischief, train passengers spot a mummy in the subway. Then it happens again! The occurrences are uncanny and strange enough to lure the Mystery Club to action. As they unwrap the mysteries of the mummy appearances, they unearth even more hijinks than they bargained for.

Bee the Change by James Preller (ISBN-13:9781328973399 Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Publication date: 07/30/2019)

The Big Idea Gang is buzzing with excitement! They’re going to show Clay Elementary just how important bees can be in this chapter book series about making a case—and making a difference—by the author of Jigsaw Jones.

After Kym and Lizzie get the awesome opportunity to visit a bee colony, they realize all the wonderful things bees do! But how can it be that these amazing insects are disappearing? And what will happen to our food chain without the great pollinators buzzing about? If only everyone else at Clay Elementary could understand how important the bees are for the environment! Now that’s a big idea that needs to be shared! With the help of Connor and Deon, Kym and Lizzie set out to show their school the beauty of bees, and use their powers of persuasion to make a difference in the world.

All in a Drop: How Antony van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World by Lori Alexander (Author), Vivien Mildenberger (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 978-1328884206 Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Publication date: 08/06/2019)

For fans of the “Who Was” series, this lively, accessible, and full-color chapter book biography shows how a self-taught scientist was the first to observe the microbial life in and around us. By building his own microscope, Antony van Leeuwenhoek advanced humanity’s understanding of our oft-invisible world around us.

Microbes are everywhere: in the soil and oceans, in snow, and inside our bodies. But in Antony van Leeuwenhoek’s time, people believed that what they saw with their own eyes was all that existed in the world. How did a simple tradesman—who didn’t go to college or speak English or Latin like all the other scientists—change everyone’s minds?

Proving that remarkable discoveries can come from the most unexpected people and places, this eye-opening chapter book, illustrated with lively full-color art, celebrates the power of curiosity, ingenuity, and persistence.

The Beasts of Grimheart: Podkin Book 3 by Kieran Larwood, David Wyatt (Illustrator) (ISBN-13:9781328696021 Publisher: Clarion Publication date: 08/13/2019)

The young rabbit Podkin One-Ear and his allies battle to save their land from the evil Gorm tribe. The Longburrow series is Middle Earth for middle graders!

Podkin and his sister and baby brother, Paz and Pook, struggle to keep their ragtag clan of refugees safe from enemies who are destroying the forest in an effort to find them. When they are separated from their clan, the siblings encounter the mysterious and mystical creatures who are the heart of the forest itself. As the fate of all rabbitkind hangs in the balance, the youngsters must recruit these new allies and convince feuding clans to come together in a desperate final battle to defeat the diabolical Gorm.

Action and high stakes propel the climactic struggle in the series that shows anyone—even little rabbits—can do great things.

Song of the Abyss (Tower of Winds #2) by Makiia Lucier (ISBN-13:9780544968585 Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Publication date: 08/27/2019)

Ancient grievances, long-held grudges, and dangerous magic combine in this sweeping fantasy perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce and Rachel Hartman.

As the granddaughter of a famed navigator, seventeen-year-old Reyna has always lived life on her own terms, despite those who say a girl could never be an explorer for the royal house of St. John del Mar. She is determined to prove them wrong, and as she returns home after a year-long expedition, she knows her dream is within reach. No longer an apprentice, instead: Reyna, Master Explorer. But when menacing raiders attack her ship, those dreams are pushed aside. Reyna’s escape is both desperate and dangerous, and when next she sees her ship, a mystery rises from the deep. The sailors—her captain, her countrymen—have vanished. To find them, Reyna must use every resource at her disposal . . . including placing her trust in a handsome prince from a rival kingdom. Together they uncover a disturbing truth. The attack was no isolated incident. Troubling signs point to a shadowy kingdom in the north, and for once, the rulers of the Sea of Magdalen agree: something must be done. But can Reyna be brave enough to find a way?

Filed under: new books