The Kids' Indie Next List Has a Plethora of Great Recommendations for Fall...Here are Our Favorites.

The kids' Indie Next recommendation list may be seasonal (as opposed to the adult list,which is monthly), but it is jam-packed full of great reads. A number of titles are Boswell favorites, including some that are actually from my fellow Boswellians.

First of all, let's highlight the titles from authors who will be appearing at Boswell this fall.

We're bringing Jasper Fforde at the Cudahy Family Library (3500 Library Drive) on Wednesday, September 11, 6:30 pm. We've got recommendations from Jason and Hannah on this one:
The Song of the Quarkbeast: The Chronicles of Kazam, Book 2 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), by Jasper Fforde (#10 on the top ten favorites).
“Jennifer Strange and her motley crew of eccentric and erratic sorcerers may be all that stands between the Ununited Kingdom and the corruption of magic by the forces of King Snodd IV and his greedy cohorts. Despite every foul plot and obstruction the King throws at Jennifer, she will not quit. But will her sheer determination, intelligence, and grit be enough to save the day? Fforde’s sublime wit continues to both amaze and amuse!”
—Rachel King, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, NY

In addition to Mel's rec below, Jason is also a fan. Brandon Sanderson is coming to Boswell on Friday, October 4, 7 pm:
Steelheart (Delacorte), by Brandon Sanderson.
“Never before has the post-apocalyptic struggle for human survival been so riveting or uplifting. Sanderson has an unparalleled gift for fantastic world-building and the creation of complex, believable characters. In Newcago, the setting of this novel, the sun never rises and the super-human Steelheart holds the entire city of humans and super-humans hostage. Throughout the post-Calamity world, humans bow to Epics, allowing them to pillage, kill, and destroy at their leisure, until The Reckoners decide to take the power back. Can six humans defeat a hundred invincible villains? Is there any good left in the hearts of super-humans?”
—Mel Morrow, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI

We're co-hosting David Shannon at the Greenfield Public Library (5310 W. Layton Avenue) on Tuesday, October 8, 6:30 pm. This one has become a favorite of lots of booksellers:
Bugs in My Hair! (Blue Sky Press), by David Shannon.
“If anyone can make a case of head lice fun, it’s Shannon. He humorously captures and normalizes the panic, embarrassment, and tedium of this common grade-school affliction. Even the mom’s reactions — first panic, then phantom head-itch, then mountains of laundry — are perfect!”
—Susan Kunhardt, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA

Another Boswell favorite. David Weisner is coming to Boswell on Friday, October 11, at a special time of 4 pm:
Mr. Wuffles! (Clarion), by David Wiesner.
“This is a nearly wordless picture book that cat lovers — and Wiesner fans — will adore. Mr. Wuffles thinks he is so clever that when aliens land on Earth, he mistakes their space ship for a cat toy. To rescue and repair their ship, the aliens must conspire with the insects of the house who have had experience outwitting Mr. Wuffles in the past. Hilarious and clever!”
—Connie Brook, Battenkill Books, Cambridge, NY

Aside from appearing authors in Milwaukee, here's a rec from Pam that made the official list:
The Beginning of Everything (Katherine Tegen Books), by Robyn Schneider (#9 on the top 10).
“Golden boy Ezra Faukner, former class president and star tennis player, faces a heartbreaking struggle to find himself after an accident sidetracks all his plans for the future. Ezra returns to school for his senior year with a cane and an aversion for the shallowness of the popular group he used to hang out with. He joins a group of interesting misfits, among them an enigmatic new girl, who is hiding secrets of her own. This journey of self-discovery is both funny and poignant, and is sure to appeal to a wide variety of teen readers.”
—Pam Stilp, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI

I thought I'd also include a few titles which Boswellians nominated. Mel and Hannah are both huge fans of: Counting By 7s (Dial Books), by Holly Goldberg Sloan (#4 on the top ten favorites) .
“Willow Chance has just been orphaned for the second time. A genius obsessed with growing plants, she finds herself uprooted and without connections — except for a school counselor who is bad at his job, the Vietnamese family that lives in the garage, and the taxi driver who thinks she is his angel. Counting By 7s is both touching and humorous, and you will fall in love with young Willow as she finds connections in the oddest places.”
—Kathy Adams, Valley Booksellers, Stillwater, MN

Mel is also crazy for:
If You Could Be Mine (Algonquin), by Sara Farizan (#8 on the top ten favorites).
“This gorgeous debut novel shows readers what life is like for Sahar, a bright, sensitive, teenage girl busy looking after her grieving father while trying to deal with her love for Nasrin, her best friend. Though homosexuality is legal in Iran, Sahar discovers that sex reassignment is seen as a way to ‘correct’ nature’s mistake. As Nasrin’s arranged marriage approaches, Sahar frantically looks for a way to stop it — even if it means changing her entire identity for love. A fascinating look at what it means to be in love, and to be yourself.”
—Mary Cotton, Newtonville Books, Newton Centre, MA

Jannis and Amie at Boswell is also a fan:
The Year of Billy Miller (Greenwillow), by Kevin Henke.
“After a summer accident, Billy Miller is just not sure he is smart enough for second grade. A little sister prone to tantrums and a new school nemesis make things even worse, but with the gentle guidance of his stay-at-home dad and his new teacher, Billy learns to navigate the more ‘grown up’ world of a second grader. As always, Henkes masterfully captures the kid’s perspective and is a genius at understanding the world of children. This is a great early chapter book for fans of Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume.”
—Diane Capriola, Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, GA

There are recommendations for all kinds of wonderful books, from picture books to teen novels We've got printed brochures at Boswell, or you can just use this handy checklist.