Post-it Note Reviews: Quick Looks at New and Forthcoming Books

Just a few quick reviews this round. Between finding this month mentally exhausting and spending all my free time begging my college kid home on J-term to hang out with me, I haven’t read as much as I would have liked to. Also, a bunch of my library holds came in at once, so I’ve been reading those. That said, the few books covered here were good reads and are all worth checking out. Honestly, anything that can hold my attention these days deserves an award.

All descriptions from the publishers. All review copies courtesy of the publishers.

A Copycat Conundrum (The Misfits #2) by Lisa Yee, Dan Santat (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9780593564226 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 01/07/2025, Ages 8-12)

When San Francisco is under strange attacks—like earthquakes affecting only two city blocks at a time—who’re you gonna call? An elite team of crime-fighting underdogs, that’s who! The Misfits are on the case in this hilarious illustrated series!

“For any kid who’s felt like a misfit, this crackling adventure packs a wallop!” —Lincoln Peirce, creator of Big Nate

Oof! After solving the case of the Royal Rumpus, Olive Cobin Zang and her elite team of underdogs are on top of the world. As the awkward, crime-fighting Misfits, they’re acing every mission thrown at them from NOCK (aka No One Can Know, the covert agency they work for).

But when their classmate Zeke starts receiving threatening notes, the Misfits are stumped. They’re no strangers to danger, but this case is a total head-scratcher. Who would target kind, friendly Zeke . . . unless he’s not what he seems to be?

At the same time, unusual earthquakes start shaking up San Francisco just as priceless art goes missing, and the Misfits are called to investigate. Is it a coincidence that the city is under attack while Zeke is getting mysterious messages? Or is it all just a cover for a scheme bigger than any they’ve faced before?

For other Misfit adventures from Newbery Honoree Lisa Yee and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, don’t miss The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum!

(POST-IT SAYS: Oof, oof! Covert agents the Misfits are back and this time they’re helping a classmate solve a mystery and of course as they work they uncover more mysteries, heists, and treasures all while fueled by delicious pastries. Another great action-filled adventure!)

Pablo and Splash: Frozen in Time by Sheena Dempsey (ISBN-13: 9781547616190 Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Publication date: 03/04/2025, Ages 7-10)

Join time-traveling penguins Pablo and Splash on a rescue mission to the ice age in this hilarious graphic novel, perfect for fans of Dog Man and Investigators.

When penguin besties Pablo and Splash go to visit Professor O’Brain in her lab, they discover that she’s missing! Their friend has been left behind by her misbehaving time machine, so Pablo and Splash set out on a rescue mission…to the Ice Age! But when they accidentally send a Neanderthal man to the future, the penguin buddies find themselves racing to return TWO people to the proper time period. Can they save their friend before time runs out? Or will they get themselves stuck in the ice FOREVER?

This full color graphic novel is perfect for animal lovers, reluctant readers, and graphic novel fans!

(POST-IT SAYS: Book two of these adorable little adventure-penguins traveling through time. This series is a super easy one to recommend to elementary readers. Wide appeal with great art and minimal text.)

Outsider Kids: A Parachute Kids Graphic Novel (Parachute Kids #2)by Betty C. Tang (ISBN-13: 9781338832716 Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. Publication date: 04/15/2025, Ages 9-12)

Can one spoiled cousin upend three kids’ hard-won happiness and stability? Find out in this hilarious, hair-raising, high stakes companion to the award-winning bestseller Parachute Kids! Perfect for fans of School Trip, A First Time for Everything, and The Tryout.

WITH FAMILY LIKE THIS, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES?

After seven months on their own as undocumented immigrants, the Lin siblings have settled into their new lives in California. Jia-Xi (Jesse) has a new job, Ke-Gang (Jason) has a new crush, and Feng-Li (Ann) is excited to celebrate her eleventh birthday with her new friends. Their parents still await visa approval in Taiwan, so the trio is trying to take better care of one another and stay under the radar of immigration authorities. But when their stuck-up cousin Josephine—a violin prodigy—arrives with her privilege and demands, suddenly their world is in turnaround. Will they have to give up the life they worked so hard to achieve?

(POST-IT SAYS: Ann and siblings are still on their own in CA and the stress continues. A snotty cousin, an unexpected romance, and the constant threat of being discovered as undocumented all keep her life chaotic, but she and her sibs stay strong. An eye-opening look at one family’s life.)

Bad Badger: A Love Story by Maryrose Wood, Giulia Ghigini (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781454953456 Publisher: Union Square Kids Publication date: 02/25/2025, Ages 7-10)

For fans of Odder and Skunk and Badger comes a heartwarming story of an unlikely friendship between a gull and a badger.

Septimus is not good at being a badger. He adores the sunset. He dreams of going to Venice. And he lives alone in a charming cottage by the sea. He’s not unhappy with his tidy, solitary life, but there are times when being so bad at badgerdom makes him wonder if he’s even a badger at all.

When a gull of very few words lands on the windowsill, Septimus leaps at the possibility of friendship. However, his new confidant soon goes missing and Septimus is bereft. Determined to find his best—and only—friend, he ventures into new territory and encounters a cast of surprising characters. Can Septimus be as brave and bighearted as he’ll need to be to find Gully? Or is he really a bad badger after all?

Bad Badger is a young middle-grade novel about badgers, gulls, and learning that staying true to yourself means knowing who you are to begin with.

(POST-IT SAYS: I am in love with this book. Kind and thoughtful Septimus lives a cozy but solitary life until he meets a bird best friend and also explore his very badgerness. He learns differences and limitations don’t make friendship impossible and being unusual is okay. A great book about a great badger.)

Catty Corner Lands on Her Feet by Julie Murphy, Eve Farb (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781454956488 Publisher: Union Square Kids Publication date: 03/25/2025 Series: Catty Corner, Ages 6-8)

Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’, brings her signature warm positivity and message of empowerment to her chapter book debut: a series about a big-hearted girl who is half-human, half-cat.

Introducing Catty!

She’s a confident second grader who happens to be half-cat, like her mother and grandmother. In this series debut, Catty hits a few rough patches at her new school. So she turns to her fuzzy diary—AKA her “scratch pad”—where she shares her big feelings and documents her adventures. Luckily for Catty, this special diary sometimes writes back with helpful advice. Before long, Catty is making friends and learning to love her new school.

Catty Corner is the natural next read for fans of character-driven chapter books like Junie B. Jones, Ivy & Bean, and Judy Moody.

(POST-IT SAYS: A girl who is half cat? Better order multiple copies. Fun start to a new chapter book series about friendship, feelings, and fitting in. Short chapters and a lot of art keep this appealing for those who may be just getting into chapter books. Purrfect!)

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