Kids??? Kids??? Get your summer reading on with these cool new reads!
A sly and hilarious mystery by debut author Denis Markell, CLICK HERE TO START (A NOVEL) (Delacorte Press | On sale July 19, 2016 | Ages 10 and up | $16.99) is the perfect read for kids who want only one thing: video games. With shocking twists and turns and fiercely independent characters, this stand-alone novel is filled with puzzles inspired by video games and keeps readers guessing until the very end. All twelve-year-old Ted is good at is video games—especially escape-the-room puzzles. When he inherits his great-uncle’s apartment and all the quirky treasures inside, he can’t help looking at it like a real-life puzzle. Suddely, he discovers that it actually is one, and that his uncle has hidden treasure from his days in the Nisai brigade in World War II. The apartment is just the start, and this tricky game takes Ted all across his neighborhood. But someone else is on the hunt for the treasure, too, and Ted’s search becomes more than just a game. Can he and his friends solve his great-uncle’s puzzles to make sure the treasure gets into the right hands? CLICK HERE TO START (A NOVEL) is bursting with energy and a fresh, spellbinding new voice sure to captivate reluctant readers and gaming addicts.
DENIS MARKELL has written an award-winning Off-Broadway musical revue; a few musical comedies for the stage; various and sundry sitcoms; a play with Joan Rivers; an episode of Thundercats; and two picture books illustrated by his wife, Melissa Iwai: The Great Stroller Adventure and Hush, Little Monster. CLICK HERE TO START (A NOVEL) is his debut novel. Markell lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son. You can find him on Twitter at @DenisMarkell.
From New York Times bestselling author Daniel O’Brien and illustrator Winston Rowntree comes YOUR PRESIDENTIAL FANTASY DREAM TEAM (Crown Books for Young Readers | On sale June 28, 2016 | Ages 10 and up | $13.99), a book where readers create their own presidential dream team to save the country from a (made-up) national crisis, based on humorous fact-based profiles of former leaders. Just in time for the 2016 presidential election, this nonfiction middle-grade book features illustrations throughout and is a fresh, fun take on learning about U.S. presidents. Armed with the essential facts, readers draft their own dream team of presidents to face any dangers, real or imagined. By studying the most successful squads in history, O’Brien has identified the perfect ingredients for a victorious team. Which presidents should you choose for your team the Brain, the Brawn, the Moral Compass, the Loose Cannon, and the Roosevelt? Choose wisely—the fate of the country is in your hands! Combining presidential history with fantasy football tactics, this laugh-out-loud book is a fresh, fun take on nonfiction—history made fun for reluctant readers!
DANIEL O’BRIEN is the head writer for Cracked.com. His work has been featured on Comedy Central, Splitsider, Forbes, USA Today, and the Huffington Post. Daniel is the co-editor of the New York Times bestselling You Might Be a Zombie and Other Bad News. He is also the pop culture expert on History Channel’s Your BLEEPED Up Brain. Follow him on Twitter at @DOB_INC.
WINSTON ROWNTREE is a columnist at Cracked.com and the author of the webcomic Subnormality. He recently won the Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Web Comic of the Year for Watching.
