Your July picks are here!

The Extraordinary Life of Neil Armstrong
Writer: Martin Howard
Illustrator: Freda Chiu
Publisher: Puffin
Price: Rs 350
A self-confessed ‘white socks, pocket protector, nerdy engineer’ Neil Armstrong became the most famous man on the planet when he walked on the moon in 1969. This concise but information-packed biography provides the background to his life, from his birth in Ohio in 1930 through his experiences as a pilot in the Korean war, to those era-defining small steps on the moon. It also describes in just the right detail the political and technological developments that made the Apollo 11 trip possible. The text is clear and accessible, supported by frequent illustrations, diagrams and ‘Did you know?’ information boxes and it provides both a timeline and index. This is one of a number of books in the new series, the Extraordinary Life.

Chaos At Keoladeo
Writer: Priya Fonseca
Publisher: Penguin
Price: Rs 350
Sameera, Alex and Tarun are headed to Bharatpur with Uncle Avi. They’ve heard that the Siberian cranes have returned to Keoladeo National Park after more than twenty years. But things just don’t seem right at the park. The three young explorers find themselves in the midst of things wondrous and wild as they spot birds and animals, bump into wildlife biologist Rauf Ali and sleuth around to solve mysteries along the way. Is the legend of the hidden gastrolith gems more than just folklore? Who is that strange guy lurking around the park? And where are the fabled Siberian cranes everyone is talking about? Chaos at Keoladeo is an entertaining adventure, travelogue, encyclopaedia and birding guide all rolled into one.

One Lonely Tiger
Writer: Benita Sen
Illustrator: Sekhar Mukherjee
Publisher: Puffin
Price: Rs250
The rapidly shrinking forest has a lonesome, friendless tiger who is left with only his own shadow for company. Whom should he play with now that all his fellow tigers have disappeared? In the tug-of-war over living space between people and the wild, where will the animals go if more forests are cut? One Lonely Tiger illustrates this urgent threat of extinction and loss of habitat among valuable species, and asks the pressing question: Are our trees, wild animals, birds and insects safe amidst us? This book sensitises young readers to the pathos and loneliness of our wildlife and the ecological crisis around us.

Caterpillar Summer
Writer: Gillian McDunn
Publisher: Bloomsbury 
Price: Rs199
It’s the story of Cat – Caterpillar – and her little brother Henry, nicknamed Chicken who’s autistic, and the three weeks they spend on holiday with the grandparents they’ve never met before on the North Carolina coast. The children’s father is dead and their mum works hard as a children’s book illustrator and lecturers to support them. Living with Lily and Macon by the beach, Cat finds time to make friends and with her grandma taking care of Chicken, to think about what she needs. She’s also able to work out the issues between her mum and her grandad, who she’s come to love, and effect a reconciliation.

The Missing Bookshop
Writer: Katie Clapham 
Illustrator: Kirsti Beautyman
Publisher: Stripes
Price: Rs 680
Milly adores her local bookshop, run by silver-haired Mrs Minty. Yet, one day, when Milly and her mum visit the shop, Milly notices that Mrs Minty is a bit slower than she used to be, and the shop is looking a little faded and tired. One day, the bookshop is closed, and then it goes up for sale. Oh no! What can have happened to Mrs Minty? Fortunately, there’s some brilliant news about who is opening a shop in place of the old Minty’s bookshop…

A Piglet Named Mercy
Writer: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrator: Chris Van Duden
Publisher: Penguin
Price: Rs 870
Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson live ordinary lives. Sometimes their lives feel a bit too ordinary. Sometimes they wish something different would happen. And one day it does, when someone unpredictable finds her way to their front door. In a delightful origin story for the star of the Mercy Watson series, a tiny piglet brings love (and chaos) to Deckawoo Drive — and the Watsons’ lives will never be the same.

Eye of the Earthquake Dragon: A Branches Book 
Writer: Tracey West 
Illustrator: Daniel Griffo 
Publisher: Scholastic 
Price: Rs 421
Dark wizard Maldred has stolen the Gold and Silver Keys! With these keys, he can now control the Naga: a powerful dragon who can cause terrible earthquakes. The Naga lives in a secret temple in the center of the earth… and Maldred is on his way there! Drake and his friends Jean and Darma travel to the temple to try to stop him. What will they find there? Will the Dragon Masters defeat Maldred once and for all?

Finding Orion
Writer: John David Anderson 
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Price: Rs 1,332
Rion Kwirk comes from a rather odd family. His mother named him and his sisters after her favorite constellations, and his father makes funky-flavored jellybeans for a living. But no one in the family is more odd than Rion’s grandfather, Papa Kwirk. But after his grandfather’s death, he realises there’s more to him that they realised.

Shouting at the Rain
Writer: Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Publisher: Penguin
Price: Rs2,000
Delsie loves tracking the weather–lately, though, it seems the squalls are in her own life. She’s always lived with her kindhearted Grammy, but now she’s looking at their life with new eyes and wishing she could have a “regular family.” Delsie observes other changes in the air, too–the most painful being a friend who’s outgrown her. Luckily, she has neighbours with strong shoulders to support her, and Ronan, a new friend who is caring and courageous but also troubled by the losses he’s endured. As Ronan and Delsie traipse around Cape Cod on their adventures, they both learn what it means to be angry versus sad, broken versus whole, and abandoned versus loved. And that, together, they can weather any storm.

The Lost Tide Warriors
Writer: Catherine Doyle
Publisher: Bloomsbury 
Price: Rs199 (kindle edition)
A fabulous new adventure for Fionn Boyle, the new Storm Keeper of the windswept and magical island of Arranmore. Fionn has only recently inherited his role and title from his grandfather. He knows his powers are still only fledgling and certainly not strong enough to resist the powerful magic of Morrigan the terrible sorceress who longs to take control. When Fionn sees thousands of the terrifying Soulstalkers arriving on the island by ferry he knows that an almighty battle for control of the island is about to take place. Can he find the lost army? And can he and the islanders hold strong against Morrigan and her power?