The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

Naoki Higashida, Ka Yoshida, David Mitchell

Random House

You've never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within. Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Questions such as: "Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?" "Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?" "Why don't you make eye contact when you're talking?" and "What's the reason you jump?" (Naoki's answer: "When I'm jumping, it's as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.") With disarming honesty and a generous heart, Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights-into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory-are so startling, so strange, and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again. In his introduction, bestselling novelist David Mitchell writes that Naoki's words allowed him to feel, for the first time, as if his own autistic child was explaining what was happening in his mind. "It is no exaggeration to say that The Reason I Jump allowed me to round a corner in our relationship." This translation was a labor of love by David and his wife, KA Yoshida, so they'd be able to share that feeling with friends, the wider autism community, and beyond. Naoki's book, in its beauty, truthfulness, and simplicity, is a gift to be shared.

Blind Justice: A William Monk Novel

Anne Perry

Ballantine

For a generation, Anne Perry's New York Times bestselling novels have invited readers to explore the brilliantly seductive heart of Victorian London, where great wealth and great evil live side by side, and great men sometimes make unfortunate choices. In Perry's stunning new novel, Hester Monk, the wife of William Monk, commander of the Thames River Police, questions the finances of a London church whose members' hard-earned charitable gifts appear to have ended up in the pocket of charismatic preacher Abel Taft, paying for his fine home and the stylish outfits of his wife and daughters. Taft is accused of extortion, and brilliant barrister Oliver Rathbone, newly appointed a judge, is chosen to preside over his trial. It seems clear that Taft is indeed guilty. However, at the last second, the defense produces a witness who completely undermines the charges. Then Rathbone makes a well-meaning but reckless move that could ruin his career, his reputation, and his life.

Claire of the Sea Light

Edwidge Danticat

Knopf

From the best-selling author of Brother, I'm Dying and The Dew Breaker: a stunning new work of fiction that brings us deep into the intertwined lives of a small seaside town where a little girl, the daughter of a fisherman, has gone missing. Claire Limyè Lanmè-Claire of the Sea Light-is an enchanting child born into love and tragedy in Ville Rose, Haiti. Claire's mother died in childbirth, and on each of her birthdays Claire is taken by her father, Nozias, to visit her mother's grave. Nozias wonders if he should give away his young daughter to a local shopkeeper, who lost a child of her own, so that Claire can have a better life. But on the night of Claire's seventh birthday, when at last he makes the wrenching decision to do so, she disappears. As Nozias and others look for her, painful secrets, haunting memories, and startling truths are unearthed among the community of men and women whose individual stories connect to Claire, to her parents, and to the town itself. Told with piercing lyricism and the economy of a fable, Claire of the Sea Light is a tightly woven, breathtaking tapestry that explores what it means to be a parent, child, neighbor, lover, and friend, while revealing the mysterious bonds we share with the natural world and with one another. Embracing the magic and heartbreak of ordinary life, it is Edwidge Danticat's most spellbinding, astonishing book yet.

Black Spring

Alison Croggon

Candlewick

Inspired by the gothic classic Wuthering Heights, this stunning new fantasy from the author of the Books of Pellinor is a fiercely romantic tale of betrayal and vengeance. In a savage land sustained by wizardry and ruled by vendetta, Lina is the enchanting but willful daughter of a village lord. She and her childhood companion, Damek, have grown up privileged and spoiled, and they're devoted to each other to the point of obsession. But Lina's violet eyes betray her for a witch, and witches are not tolerated in a brutally patriarchal society. Her rank protects her from persecution, but it cannot protect her from tragedy and heartbreak. An innocent visitor stands witness to the devastation that ensues as destructive longing unleashes Lina's wrath, and with it her forbidden power. Whether drawn by the romantic, the magical, or the gothic, readers will be irresistibly compelled by the passion of this tragic tale.

The Bitter Kingdom

Rae Carson

Greenwillow Books

The third book in Rae Carson's award-winning The Girl of Fire and Thorns fantasy trilogy. Elisa, the seventeen-year-old sorcerer-queen, will travel into an unknown enemy's realm to win back her true love, save her kingdom, and uncover the final secrets of her destiny. Veronica Roth called The Girl of Fire and Thorns "intense, unique, definitely recommended." Perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce and George R. R. Martin's style of sweeping and deeply satisfying epic fantasy, the third and final book in the trilogy takes the young queen on a journey more dangerous than any she has faced before. Elisa will stand before the gate of the enemy. And she must rise up as champion--even to those who have hated her--or her kingdom will fall. Full of sorcery, adventure, sizzling romance, and secrets that challenge everything she believes, this is a bold and powerful conclusion to an extraordinary trilogy

Infinity Ring Book 5: Cave of Wonders

Matthew J. Kirby

Scholastic

Fix the past. Save the future. Europe is in the grip of the Dark Ages, but there is a light in the dark: Baghdad. The great city has become a center of learning, populated by scholars, merchants, and explorers from all across the known world. But danger lurks in the desert and Dak, Sera, and Riq must act fast to save the world's greatest library from utter destruction.

Munch!

Matthew Van Fleet

Simon and Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

From the creator of the New York Times bestselling Heads and Tails, a humorous look at how animals munch, crunch, and eat! In this hands-on read-aloud that's sure to be a favorite, tabs and textures animate the madcap antics of a cast of frolicking critters whose mouths are made to do more than eat!

Randolph Caldecott: The Man Who Could Not Stop Drawing

Leonard S. Marcus

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Randolph Caldecott is best known as the namesake of the award that honors picture book illustrations, and in this inventive biography, leading children's literature scholar Leonard Marcus examines the man behind the medal. In an era when the steam engine fueled an industrial revolution and train travel exploded people's experience of space and time, Caldecott was inspired by his surroundings to capture action, movement, and speed in a way that had never before been seen in children's picture books. Thoroughly researched and featuring extensive archival material and a treasure trove of previously unpublished drawings, including some from Caldecott's very last sketchbook, Leonard Marcus's luminous biography shows why Caldecott was indeed the father of the modern picture book and how his influence lives on in the books we love today.

Cowboy Boyd and Mighty Calliope

Lisa Moser, Sebastiaan Van Doninck

Random House Books for Young Readers

There's no other horse quite like Calliope. She's short. She's slow. She's lumpy. She's a rhinoceros. Still, Cowboy Boyd has a real strong belief in Calliope and her ability to help out the crew at the Double R Ranch. Boyd and Calliope try to prove themselves to the ranchers by rounding up strays and hauling posts, but it just doesn't look like it's going to work out. That is, until a storm drives all the cattle away from the ranch. They need someone real special to bring them back.

Warning: Do Not Open This Book!

Adam Lehrhaupt, Matthew Forsythe

Simon and Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

CAUTION! This book contains monkeys, alligators, and a whole lot of silliness. You really shouldn't be opening this book. I'm serious. Just put it back on the shelf. Right now. You're still reading this? Well, don't say I didn't warn you. It looks like a book, it feels like a book, and it even smells like a book. But watch out, madness and mayhem lie within! Debut author Adam Lehrhaupt urges you NOT to take a walk on the wild side in this humorous, interactive romp with inventive and engaging illustrations from Eisner Award-winning comic artist and rising star children's book illustrator Matthew Forsythe.

The Blessing Cup

Patricia Polacco

Simon and Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

A bond of love unites a family throughout generations in this companion to the beloved and bestselling classic The Keeping Quilt. As a young Russian Jewish girl in the early 1900s, Anna and her family lived in fear of the Czar's soldiers. The family lived a hard life and had few possessions-their treasure was a beautiful china tea set. A wedding gift to Anna's parents, the tea set came with a wish that "Anyone who drinks from this will have blessings from God. They will never know a day of hunger. Their lives will always have flavor. They will know love and joy and they will never be poor." When Anna's family leaves Russia for America, they bring the tea set and its blessings. A source of heritage and security, the tea set helps Anna's family make friends and find better lives in America. A cup from the tea set-The Blessing Cup-became an anchor of family history, and it remains a symbol of lasting love more than a century later. This tender tribute to the importance of loving lineage is a prequel and companion to the perennial bestseller The Keeping Quilt and is told and illustrated with authenticity and tremendous heart.

How Dinosaurs Really Work!

Alan Snow

Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Studying dinosaurs is dangerous work. After all, their sharp teeth and monstrously large appetites would make easy work of anyone within jaw's reach. But our fearless investigator remains undaunted. Alan Snow, known for his previous explorations into the lives of both Santa Claus and dogs, has turned his clever attention to these ancient reptiles. And thanks to his inside look at what makes dinosaurs tick, you'll get the answers to all your prehistoric questions: What color were the dinosaurs? Where did they all go? And just how sharp were their teeth?