Books: Top picks this month

Books: Top picks this month Title: The Sea in Winter Author: Christine Day Publisher: Heartdrum It’s been a hard year for Maisie Cannon, ever since she hurt her leg and could not keep up with her ballet training and auditions. Her blended family is loving and supportive, but Maisie knows that they just can’t understand how hopeless she feels. With everything she’s dealing with, Maisie is not excited for their family's midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up. But soon, Maisie’s anxieties and dark moods start to hurt as much as the pain in her knee. How can she keep pretending to be strong when on the inside she feels as cold as the ocean? Title: Clues to the Universe Author: Christina Li Publisher: Quill Tree Books The only thing Rosalind Ling Geraghty loves more than watching NASA launches with her dad is building rockets with him. When he dies unexpectedly, all Ro has left of him is an unfinished model rocket they had been working on together. Benjamin Burns doesn’t like science, but he can’t get enough of Spacebound, a popular comic book series. When he finds a sketch that suggests that his dad created the comics, he’s thrilled. Too bad his dad walked out years ago, and Benji has no way to contact him. As the two not-so-friendly friends face bullying, grief, and their own differences, Benji and Ro must try to piece together clues to some of the biggest questions in the universe. Title: Magic's Most Wanted Author: Tyler Whitesides Publisher: HarperCollins For Mason Mortimer Morrison, life isn’t so magical. His dad was just sent to jail, his grades have been plummeting from meh to yikes, and, oh yeah, two officers from some organization called Magix just showed up to arrest him in the middle of fourth period. Mason knows he’s innocent. But in order to clear his name, he’s going to need the help of a plucky Magix junior detective and a cantankerous talking bunny—and a little bit of magic. Title: The World Between Blinks Authors: Amie Kaufman, Ryan Graudin Publisher: Quill Tree Books Jake and Marisol are cousins. Jake's great at leaving things behind - his mum's a diplomat, and he never settles anywhere for long. Marisol's great at finding things - she's American and she's Bolivian, and this cross-cultural childhood has taught her to pay attention to details. She's got such an eagle eye, and she's so gifted at finding things, that sometimes she even wonders if things find her. Together, Jake and Marisol are about to discover The World Between Blinks. The place where everything we lose - from the front door keys to ancient cities buried under hot desert sands - eventually appears. Title: The Hatmakers Author: Tamzin Merchant Publisher: Norton Young Readers Cordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat. In Cordelia's world, Making - crafting items such as hats, cloaks, watches, boots and gloves from magical ingredients - is a rare and ancient skill, and only a few special Maker families remain. When Cordelia's father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet, are lost at sea during a mission to collect hat ingredients, Cordelia is determined to find him. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war. It's up to Cordelia to find out who, and why now.