Today's Featured Books

You're invited...to a Reading Retreat!

Today we are writing to share news about a unique opportunity for booklovers: a Reading Retreat in Delhi, New York, being organized by LA Bourgeois, an avid reader who also happens to be an author and LitNuts subscriber. Read on to learn more!

A Reading Retreat for Everyone

We've all heard about writing retreats for authors. But LA's idea is for booklovers to come together to enjoy time reading and talking about books. She selected the small town of Delhi, New York, as the location for the Reading Retreat, a peaceful oasis a few hours drive from New York City, and also easily accessible from Ithaca, Albany, Binghamton, and other locations. (LA lives in Ithaca, and invites attendees from other locations to fly into Ithaca and travel to Delhi together.)

Here are some of the details:

• Event: Reading Retreat
• Location: Birdy's House, Delhi, NY
• When: September 27 - 30
• Cost: $100

To learn more, click here: Who Could Use a Reading Retreat?

Photos of Birdy's House and Delhi, New York

  

  

Free online: Book Buzz at the NYPL. Join librarians from the New York Public Library who will chat about forthcoming books. Saturday, September 14, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. EDT. 

Also free: Five of today's Featured Books are free downloads today! Scroll down to learn more. 

"Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination." ~Sidney Sheldon

Mika Stillwater, an ambitious earth elemental striving to become a quartz artisan, has her carefully planned future upended when a panicked baby gargoyle bursts into her studio seeking help. Drawn into the gritty criminal underworld of Terra Haven, she must risk everything she's worked for to save the gargoyle from a monstrous threat—and to stay alive. This spellbinding adventure of elemental magic and adorable gargoyles from a USA Today bestselling author will enchant both young adult and adult readers alike. 4.4 stars, 1,900+ reviews. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

In a world where dreams blur with reality, Maribelle's life takes a drastic turn when the ancient dragon, Nyle, trapped in stone, invades her dreams and begs for help. Balancing the family store and nosy neighbors is hard enough, but now her peaceful future is at stake as she must decide whether to risk everything to free Nyle. “This book starts out as a pleasant summer read. Before you know it, the reader is completely immersed in Mirabelle’s world.” ~Amazon Review. 4.4 stars, 183 ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

Free online: B&N Midday Mystery. Join Barnes & Noble and author Renée Knight for a live, virtual discussion of Disclaimer, a deeply unsettling psychological thriller about the desire for revenge and the terrible price we pay when we try to hide the truth. Thursday, Sept. 12, 2 p.m. CDT. 

“It is extraordinary how much strength anger gives one.” ~Renée Knight, Disclaimer

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on Gone to the Dogs, the newest book in the Frankinschool Mysteries series for young readers from award-winning author Caryn Rivadeneira and Red Chair Press.

"Relatable, funny, and just the right amount of creepy, kids will love Fred and his friends and their creative, life-affirming adventures." ~Jennifer Grant, award-winning author of Once Upon a Time Not So Long Ago (on Book 1 of the Frankinschool Mysteries)

Gone to the Dogs

Fred’s emotions have gone to the dogs!

Fred’s teacher and Luisa might be excited about their “old-timey” research trip to the library, but Fred is not. In fact, the whole project—and his continued failures at it—are making him angry! That is, until he realizes he has the perfect solution to his problem: Simply write one of his “What If” poems, tap into the power of pretend, turn into Frankinchool, and voila! Project, cancelled.

Trouble is, the poem doesn’t work, which makes Fred even fussier—especially when speaking to his friends Luisa and Drake. But while on a quest to find Luisa and apologize, books fly off the library shelves, students nod off at their desk, Drake grows head-snakes, and once again, Fred becomes Frankinschool. But this time, they have no idea how or why.

In Book Three of the Frankinschool Mysteries, readers set off on an adventure with Frankinschool through secret passageways and grand rooms of a mansion-turned-library. Along the way, they run into old ghost-friends and a few new ones; they learn about managing expectations, anger, and friendships, and discover that sometimes going-to-the-dogs is a very good thing.

For more information (including a discussion guide), visit Red Chair Press.

Monster Match

In the first book of the Frankinschool Mysteries, Fred is working diligently on his writing assignment when a mist fills the room, and the words on his page come to life, literally. Suddenly Fred (now Frankinschool) and Luisa (now Princess Luisa) need to save the school from the mysterious potion—and the even more mysterious and devious ghost living in the school attic.

For more information (including a preview sample chapter and a discussion guide), visit Red Chair Press.

Praise for Monster Match

• Finalist, Early Readers Category, Canadian Book Club Awards
• Finalist for Best Children's Book 8-12 of 2023, Readers' Favorite
• Semi-Finalist in Middle Grade Fiction: Gertrude Warner Award of the Chanticleer International Book Awards, 2023
• Outstanding Creator Awards Winner, Author and Illustrator
• "A great selection for third- to sixth-grade readers who enjoy books about friendship and supernatural events." ~Readers' Favorite
• "Poignant lessons on forgiveness, friendship, and fairness... Slightly spooky and utterly charming, young readers will enjoy every page." ~Blue Ink Review

The Cupsnake Escape

The second book about a boy named Fred who turns into "Frankenstein's monster" whenever he writes his "What-if" assignments. Fred and his friend Luisa find themselves in trouble once again when the new student mixes up recipes at their class’s bakery field trip leading to snakes running amok.

While the students scramble out of the school in fear, Fred and Luisa suspect their old friend Frank is behind the Great Cupsnake Escape. Once again, they put their creativity, their cooperation, and their courage to the test—but will it be enough to save the school from the snakes?

    

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. They are currently offering two free online exhibitions: Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women (ends Jan. 5, 2025) and Reckoning with Remembrance: History, Injustice, and the Murder of Emmett Till (ends Sept. 15, 2024).