The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Children

We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang

Possibly one of the most delightful picture books I’ve read this year. Adorable and unpredictable, this is perfect for teaching kids in a fun way that we should always try to give people the benefit of the doubt, even if they’re different from us in more ways than one. When the friendly farmer and his wife stumble across some rather odd folk who need help fixing their car, what else can they do but treat them with hospitality? Later down the line these “humans” will remember the kindness of earth and the farmer and his friends will muse that they were definitely NOT human at all.

We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang, (List Price: $18.99, Tundra Books, 9781774882023, August 2024)

Reviewed by Katlin Kerrison, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia

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Ground Zero by Alan Gratz

Alan Gratz is the master at posing historical fiction in a compelling and propulsive way for middle-grade readers. I love the way he went back and forth between a boy fighting for his life in the tower and a girl fighting for her own life in the aftermath of 9/11 overseas. It was touching and eye-opening in a way that younger readers have not experienced the events of 9/11.

Ground Zero by Alan Gratz, (List Price: $17.99, Scholastic Press, 9781338245752, February 2021)

Reviewed by Olivia Schaffer, The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia

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Go, Wilma, Go! by Amira Rose Davis

Told with a chantable refrain and collage illustrations, this is more than just the story of how Wilma won a gold medal! This tells the story of what happens once Wilma got home after experiencing Europe where she wasn’t treated differently because of her skin color. This is the story of activist Wilma Rudolph, one that is not as well known but is just as important. This belongs on every bookshelf.

Go, Wilma, Go! by Amira Rose Davis, (List Price: $18.99, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 9781547612093, July 2024)

Reviewed by Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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The Quacken by Justin Colón

Every summer camp has legendary creepy campfire tales, but this tale just might quack you up in addition to creeping you out just a little bit. Read the book, tell the story, but whatever you do, DONT feed the ducks… Silly scariness for fans of the Creepy Carrots series.

The Quacken by Justin Colón, (List Price: $18.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781665922487, July 2024)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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Ruby’s Tools for Making Friends by Apryl Stott

My favorite kind of picture book is one set in a classroom of both humans and anthropomorphic animals. This book is adorable as it tells the story of Ruby the fox starting a new school and trying to use her skills to make new friends. Turns out friends don’t like you just for your skills — they like you for you!

Ruby’s Tools for Making Friends by Apryl Stott, (List Price: $18.99, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 9781665921640, June 2024)

Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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In Time by Marina Ruiz

In Time perfectly describes the different ways the passage of time is experienced: From the young — slow and never moving; From the old — fast and never enough. The illustrations will have you looking over each page again and again before turning to the next. By the end, you’ll be reminded what it felt like to view time as a child, but ultimately, you’ll be left with the understanding of why time takes time.

In Time by Marina Ruiz, (List Price: $18.99, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 9780711285200, July 2024)

Reviewed by Jenny Gilroy, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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The Secret Dead Club by Karen Strong

While Karen Strong’s previous two middle-grade books have had ghosty elements, The Secret Dead Club is a full-fledged haunted ghost story. After Wednesday Thomas moves back to her mom’s hometown in Georgia she realizes she’s not the only middle school girl who sees ghosts. This exciting mystery uses themes of friendship and grief to help the reader know themselves better. This story masterfully includes (what can be seen as) delicate topics such as getting your period or how emotions can manifest physically in your body to create an extremely relatable and readable book.?

The Secret Dead Club by Karen Strong, (List Price: $17.99, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781665904506, August 2024)

Reviewed by Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandin

Perfect lawns with their manicured grass and neat hedges are SO 2020. Wilding is IN and every neighborhood needs a weird wild little garden like Mille Fleur’s. Share this delightful little gem with the weirdest and wildest kid in your world.

Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandin, (List Price: $18.99, Cartwheel Books, 9781339023274, July 2024)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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Tiny Jenny by Briony May Smith

Tiny Jenny is a wingless fairy born in a nest of wrens. She goes in search of her fairy family and hopes to earn her wings. After a surprising journey, she finds where she truly belongs in this beautifully illustrated picture book.

Tiny Jenny by Briony May Smith, (List Price: $18.99, Anne Schwartz Books, 9780593650479, August 2024)

Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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Spotlight On: Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandin

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Christy Mandin, photo courtesy the author

Like many of my stories, Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden started with something I read about that made my brain light up – a real life poison garden in England! You see, I myself am wonderfully weird and a poison garden would’ve been just the kind of place I would’ve wanted to visit as a child. From a very early age I was multi-passionate, interested in all manner of things. But my unquenchable curiosity and varied interests often made me feel like I didn’t quite fit into any one box. And being curious and questioning sometimes put me at odds with the grown-ups in my life. I wasn’t satisfied with “because it’s always been that way” or “because I said so.” And I especially wasn’t interested in the words “you can’t.” In that way, Millie Fleur and I are alike.

― Christy Mandin, Letter to booksellers

Millie Fleur's Poison Garden by Christy Mandin

What booksellers are saying about Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden

  • Perfect lawns with their manicured grass and neat hedges are SO 2020. Wilding is IN and every neighborhood needs a weird wild little garden like Millie Fleur’s. Share this delightful little gem with the weirdest and wildest kid in your world.
      ― Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina | BUY

  • A wonderfully weird picture book. Delightful!
      ― Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee | BUY

  • Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden is the sweetest, most delightful book of the spookiest plants that you can’t help but love. With a wonderful message that everyone needs, you can’t help but feel your heart grow three sizes as you read. And certainly kids who love the Addams family will be obsessed with this story!
      ― Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina | BUY

About Christy Mandin

Christy Mandin is the author and illustrator of multiple picture books. She’s grown many interesting plants in her garden over the years but, so far, none with teeth or tentacles. She currently lives in Florida with her husband and four children. Visit Christy online at christymandin.com.

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I’m Afraid, Said the Leaf by Danielle Daniel

Everything is connected, and that is a very comforting thought. This seems like a great book to get children thinking about nature and perhaps experience it in a way they hadn’t before!

I’m Afraid, Said the Leaf by Danielle Daniel, (List Price: $18.99, Tundra Books, 9781774880708, May 2024)

Reviewed by Lana Repic, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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The New Girl by Cassandra Calin

The New Girl is a delightfully funny story about change, perseverance, and embracing those who are different than us. I absolutely fell in love with the adorable pictures and loveable characters. This was so much fun to read, and I highly recommend diving into it!

The New Girl by Cassandra Calin, (List Price: $12.99, Graphix, 9781338762457, June 2024)

Reviewed by Keeshia Jacklitch, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang

An honest take on the concept of a modern “parachute kid” phenomenon where children are left to study in the U.S. without their parents. An emotional story of a tight-knit family falling into near-despair as three middle-high school-aged kids are forced to look after themselves as their parents’ visas expire. A commentary on unreasonably slow immigration policies, forcing families apart, and growing up too young.

Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang, (List Price: $12.99, Graphix, 9781338832686, April 2023)

Reviewed by Mallory Sutton, Bards Alley in Vienna, Virginia

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I Heard by Jaha Nailah Avery

So many stories. It reminds me of The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, and the rhymes and cadence of I Heard make it a wonderful pick for a read-aloud. One of our storyteller friends says some picture books are meant to be read with the people sitting right next to you, and others translate up from that to be told to a big crowd of listeners. This one, with its sonorous title, is meant to be proclaimed, and the detail in the illustrations by Walthall begs another go-through to see all the faces.

I Heard by Jaha Nailah Avery, (List Price: $17.99, Charlesbridge, 9781623543822, April 2024)

Reviewed by Lisa Yee Swope, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Next Stop by Debbie Fong

Next Stop is an endearing graphic novel that made me laugh out loud on one page, then tear up on the next. Fong’s ability to discuss grief and loss without sacrificing charm makes Next Stop a must-read for children and adults.

Next Stop by Debbie Fong, (List Price: $13.99, Random House Graphic, 9780593425183, March 2024)

Reviewed by Courtney Ulrich Smith, Underbrush Books in Rogers, Arkansas

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