Nico Bravo and the Hound of Hades

Nico Bravo and the Hound of Hades
Author: Mike Cavallaro
Publisher: First Second
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2019-04-23
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1626727511

A 2019 New York Public Library Best Books for Kids A 2020 Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List Selection Take another look at your favorite myths and legends in this hillarious new graphic novel by Mike Cavallaro! Got a problem? At Vulcan’s Celestial Supply Shop, you can find the magical merchandise to set things right. The seasoned staff—a kid named Nico Bravo, a sphinx named Lula, and a unicorn named Buck—pride themselves on providing “legendary service and expertise in all areas of the arcane.” But Nico’s world is about to be turned upside down, and it’s all thanks his latest customer: Eowulf, the pint-size descendant of the monster slayer Beowulf. Determined to carry on the family business, this would-be warrior plans to slay Cerberus, the terrifying, three-headed hound of Hades. There’s just one problem—Cerberus is the only thing preventing the hordes of the Underworld from entering the land of the living. Can Nico stop Eowulf from unleashing a zombie apocalypse?

Bastard Bartender

Bastard Bartender
Author: Lauren Runow
Publisher: I-80 Romance
Total Pages: 254
Release: 2021-05-21
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1639019782

Meeting a man in Vegas is easy. Finding one to settle down with? Not so much. When I relocated to Sin City for my job, I decided this was my fresh start to get away from old habits, including my penchant for dating the wrong type of guy. Namely, bad boys. So, I came up with an experiment to make me expand my dating horizons. I can only talk to men whose name begins with a certain letter of the alphabet. After I meet them, we hang out, and we might date for a short period of time, but if he’s not the one I move on to the next letter. It’s easy, and it leads me to meeting all kinds of new men until one night at the bar, a very sexy bartender discovers my little plan. The cocky bastard of a bartender is Nicolás Antonio Santiago, and he’s as gorgeous as his name. Enthusiastic, charming, and clever, Nic takes to my love life with interest and helps me with my pursuits. We become fast friends, and he whisks me on his wild adventures. His impulsive ways become addictive, and while I’ve been trying to stay away from bad boys, I find myself falling for one. As our relationship grows intense, I have to push my desires aside and stay the course. Nic doesn’t do love or relationships. Even if the sexual tension between us is palpable, I have an experiment to finish, and the next letter in my list is far from N. They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. My fear is when I leave, my heart will stay here too.

She's Too Pretty to Burn

She's Too Pretty to Burn
Author: Wendy Heard
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2021-03-30
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1250246768

“An anxiety-ridden ride as two girls' lives crash together through secrets, love and danger. . . Captivating and stunningly visual.” —Aiden Thomas, New York Times-bestselling author of Cemetery Boys An electric romance set against a rebel art scene sparks lethal danger for two girls in She's Too Pretty to Burn, an expertly plotted YA thriller by Wendy Heard. The summer is winding down in San Diego. Veronica is bored, caustically charismatic, and uninspired in her photography. Nico is insatiable, subversive, and obsessed with chaotic performance art. They’re artists first, best friends second. But that was before Mick. Delicate, lonely, magnetic Mick: the perfect subject, and Veronica’s dream girl. The days are long and hot—full of adventure—and soon they are falling in love. Falling so hard, they never imagine what comes next. One fire. Two murders. Three drowning bodies. One suspect . . . one stalker. This is a summer they won’t survive. Inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, this sexy psychological thriller explores the intersections of love, art, danger, and power. Christy Ottaviano Books

A Mage's Guide to Human Familiars

A Mage's Guide to Human Familiars
Author: Aj Sherwood
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2021-11-02
Genre:
ISBN:

One mage, Bel Adams - needs a familiar, gun shy about being rejected by one again. One familiar, Nico di Rossi - Army Ranger, needs a change of pace and a new purpose in life. Plus one familiar, Garen Dallarosa - Secret Service, needs his ex-lover Nico back. One second chance - all for the taking. Tags: Mages, BOGO familiar, familiars as bodyguards, familiar bond, M/M/M, second chances, workplace romance, fated mates, magical shenanigans, Garen is part gargoyle, Bel part demon, Nico is a golden retriever in human form (though not literally), idiots in love, seriously I don't know what to do with them, Bel loves Garen just because he wants to love him, possessive behavior, not a single degree of chill from any of them, Nico is not allowed caffeine, Nico loves swords, Wicky is his supplier, lightsaber sounds, competency kink, Garen cannot be moved, he moves when he wants to, evil cults strangely don't clean up after themselves, absolutely no one's surprised, Nico thinks a magically booby-trapped cave is a theme park, cuz he cray cray, Demon Grandpa is also cray cray and approves

Pacho Nacho

Pacho Nacho
Author: Silvia López
Publisher: Capstone Editions
Total Pages: 33
Release: 2020
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1684461707

Mama and Papa could not agree on a name for their first baby, and everyone in the family had an opinion. That's how the name Pacho-Nacho-Nico-Tico-Melo-Felo-Kiko-Rico came to be, and Pacho's parents insisted that everyone use his full name. But when Pacho finds himself in trouble, his younger brother, Juan, must quickly find help, which isn't easy when you have to keep saying Pacho-Nacho-Nico-Tico-Melo-Felo-Kiko-Rico. Author Silvia Lopez highlights family values, community connections, and brotherly love in this interactive, energetic, and silly picture book. Pacho Nacho is based on an old Japanese folktale and includes Spanish words and phrases and multicultural settings.

Nico Bravo and the Cellar Dwellers

Nico Bravo and the Cellar Dwellers
Author: Mike Cavallaro
Publisher: First Second
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2020-08-25
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1250803926

All our favorite ancient myths and legends get an epic makeover in Nico Bravo and the Cellar Dwellers, the second volume of Mike Cavallaro's hilarious middle-grade graphic novel series! Got a problem? The seasoned staff at Vulcan's Celestial Supply Shop—a kid named Nico Bravo, a sphinx named Lula, and a unicorn named Buck—have got just the thing for you in their inventory of magical merchandise. Nico’s enemy is finally revealed: Ahriman, God of Evil! Ahriman is fed up with Nico thwarting all his heinous plans and sends a shapeshifter named Orcus to Vulcan’s Celestial Supply Shop on a covert mission to take Nico and his crew down. Orcus mistakenly unleashes a dangerous ‘Misery’ from the God of Misfortune’s pouch, threatening everyone in the Supply Shop, but also discovers the missing link between Nico, the Unicorn Wars, and Reality itself! What will happen to Nico and his friends when all their troubles converge in a desperate battle for the fate of the Universe? *Colors by Jeremy Lawson

The Insiders

The Insiders
Author: Mark Oshiro
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2021-09-21
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0063008122

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * An ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 Title for Young Readers Three kids who don’t belong. A room that shouldn’t exist. A year that will change everything. Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Meg Medina, this debut middle grade novel from award-winning author Mark Oshiro is a hopeful and heartfelt coming-of-age story for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit in. San Francisco and Orangevale may be in the same state, but for Héctor Muñoz, they might as well be a million miles apart. Back home, being gay didn’t mean feeling different. At Héctor’s new school, he couldn’t feel more alone. Most days, Héctor just wishes he could disappear. And he does. Right into the janitor’s closet. (Yes, he sees the irony.) But one day, when the door closes behind him, Héctor discovers he’s stumbled into a room that shouldn’t be possible. A room that connects him with two new friends from different corners of the country—and opens the door to a life-changing year full of friendship, adventure, and just a little bit of magic. “Sometimes hilarious, sometimes devastating, but always full of heart, The Insiders carves out a space for us all to be our true selves.” —Kwame Mbalia, New York Times bestselling author of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

Natural or Man-Made?

Natural or Man-Made?
Author: Kelli L. Hicks
Publisher: Britannica Digital Learning
Total Pages: 28
Release: 2020-01-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1625137583

Updated for 2020, Intermediate readers distinguish between natural and man-made objects.

Dumpling Soup

Dumpling Soup
Author: Jama Kim Rattigan
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 66
Release: 2008-11-15
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0316049816

Marisa gets to help make dumplings this year to celebrate the New Year. But she worries if anyone will eat her funny-looking dumplings. Set in the Hawaiian islands, this story celebrates the joyful mix of food, customs, and languages from many cultures.

The Adventures of China Iron

The Adventures of China Iron
Author: Gabriela Cabezón Cámara
Publisher: Charco Press
Total Pages: 125
Release: 2019-11-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1999368428

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2020 1872. The pampas of Argentina. China is a young woman eking out an existence in a remote gaucho encampment. After her no-good husband is conscripted into the army, China bolts for freedom, setting off on a wagon journey through the pampas in the company of her new-found friend Liz, a settler from Scotland. While Liz provides China with a sentimental education and schools her in the nefarious ways of the British Empire, their eyes are opened to the wonders of Argentina’s richly diverse flora and fauna, cultures and languages, as well as to the ruthless violence involved in nation-building. This subversive retelling of Argentina’s foundational gaucho epic Martín Fierro is a celebration of the colour and movement of the living world, the open road, love and sex, and the dream of lasting freedom. With humour and sophistication, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara has created a joyful, hallucinatory novel that is also an incisive critique of national myths.