Just squeaking in a new Must Read Monday post in time!

Welcome to another edition of Must Read Monday! This feature is where I spotlight older, recent, or upcoming releases I am looking forward to. The lists will include all genres I like to read, everything from picture books to comics, children’s lit to adult fiction!

This week: two new middle grade titles I’m extremely excited to read. First up is Tiara on the Terrace, the second novel in the Young & Yang mystery series by Kristen Kittscher. I really enjoyed the author’s debut, The Wig in the Window: entertaining and surprising, with likable and well-developed heroines to root for. Second up is Pax, the latest from popular children’s author Sara Pennypacker. With illustrations by the award-winning Jon Klassen, and a story centered on a friendship between a young boy and a wild animal, Pax looks to be another terrific read.

The Tiara on the Terrace (Young & Yang #2) by Kristen Kittscher
Publication: January 5, 2016 by HarperCollins

Sophie Young and Grace Yang have been taking it easy ever since they solved the crime of the century…well, at least the biggest crime Luna Vista has ever seen. But things are getting exciting again now that everyone is gearing up for the 125th annual Winter Sun Festival—a town tradition that involves floats, a parade, and a “royal” court made up of local high school girls.
When Festival president Jim Steptoe turns up dead on the first day of parade preparations, police blame a malfunctioning giant s’more feature on the campfire-themed float. But the two sleuths are sure the mysterious death wasn’t an accident. Teaming up with their ever-resourceful friend, Trista Bottoms, the girls trade their high tops for high heels and go undercover as helpers to the snooty Royal Court girls. But as the girls go deeper into the world of the Winter Sun Festival, their friendship is tested—and as they get closer to solving the case, their search for the truth becomes more dangerous than they ever could have imagined…

Pax by Sara Pennypacker, illus. Jon Klassen
Expected publication: February 2, 2016 by Balzer + Bray

Pax was only a kit when his family was killed, and “his boy” Peter rescued him from abandonment and certain death. Now the war front approaches, and when Peter’s father enlists, Peter has to move in with his grandpa. Far worse than being forced to leave home is the fact that Pax can’t go. Peter listens to his stern father—as he usually does—and throws Pax’s favorite toy soldier into the woods. When the fox runs to retrieve it, Peter and his dad get back in the car and leave him there—alone. But before Peter makes it through even one night under his grandfather’s roof, regret and duty spur him to action; he packs for a trek to get his best friend back and sneaks into the night. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their independent struggles to return to one another against all odds.