Spring Series Galore

This story originally appeared in Children's Bookshelf on April 26, 2007 Sign up now!

by Joy Bean, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 4/26/2007

In sorting through the great number of books we receive here at PW, we've come across what seems to be an exceptional number of series launching this season. Big series with large marketing campaigns, smaller series that will likely have a slower build, series about growing up, series about love, series about dragons. You name it, there seems to be a series for it debuting this spring. To give booksellers a heads up, we've come up with a list (though not exhaustive) of new series to be on the lookout for.

• Candy Apple Books, one of five new series from Scholastic, are stand-alone chick lit titles for tweens. Various authors will write for the series, including Mimi McCoy, author of the first title, The Accidental Cheerleader; and Laura Dower, who wrote the second novel, The Boy Next Door. Both titles were published in January.

• I (heart) Bikinis, from the Point imprint at Scholastic, are beach reads that combine humor and romance. Tamara Summers wrote the debut title He's with Me (May) and Jeanine Le Ny has written the second offering, Island Summer, due out in June.

• The Ellie Chronicles by John Marsden (Scholastic Press) launches in April with While I Live, a new series that follows some of the same characters from Marsden's Tomorrow series.

• Nancy Krulik gets into the head of Jenny McAfee, a sixth grader dealing with a best friend who just left her for the popular girls, in the series How I Survived Middle School. Scholastic Paperbacks releases the first and second titles, Can You Get an F in Lunch? and Madame President, in June.

• Also dealing with school friendships, but this time in high school, is In or Out, a new series by Claudia Gabel about the drama of high school friendships. Published by the Point imprint at Scholastic, the first book, In or Out, is due in June, with a second, Loves Me, Loves Me Not, in August.

• Charise Mericle Harper introduces a funny, well-meaning third-grader named Grace in Just Grace (Apr.), the debut title in this illustrated hardcover chapter book series from Houghton Mifflin.

• British author Cathy Hopkins (the Mates, Dates series) returns with a new series for middle graders called Zodiac Girls. Twelve books are planned, one for each sign of the zodiac, with each book focusing on a new character. The first two titles, From Geek to Goddess and Recipe for Rebellion, are due from Kingfisher in May.

• Earlier this year, Tundra launched a line of easy-to-read spooky tales with the Don't… line. The first five titles, all based on folktales, are Don't Open the Door!, Don't Go into the Forest!, Don't Go Near the Water!, Don't Go in There! and Don't Walk Alone at Night!, all written by Veronika Martenova Charles and illustrated by David Parkins.

• Chooseco, the company that publishes the Choose Your Own Adventure books, will debut a series for younger readers, ages 5-8, in May. Called DragonLarks, the series will contain full-color art and a larger trim size than its older counterpart. The first four titles are Caravan, Indian Trail, Your Very Own Robot and The Haunted House, all by R.A. Montgomery.

• In February, Simon Pulse presented a new paperback series, Drama! by Paul Ruditis, with the first title The Four Dorothys. Following a cast of private school teenagers, Drama! brings readers backstage into the theatrical world of the school's lavish spring musicals.

• Material World by Jasmine Oliver is another new paperback series from Simon Pulse, this one focusing on fashion and design students in London. The first title, Gucci Girls, was released in March.

• Katy Duck by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, illustrated by Henry Cole, is a new preschool duck character making her series debut in board book format. Little Simon is launching the series this June with the title Katy Duck.

• Insiders is a new nonfiction series from S&S Books for Young Readers, launching with four titles in June: Dinosaurs, Egypt, Oceans and Space. With a+ dedicated Web site, the series allows for downloadable content and additional information for readers.

• Cassandra Clare debuts a hardcover fantasy series, The Mortal Instruments, about teens who are pulled into the world of Shadowhunters, a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. The first book, City of Bones, was released earlier this month from the Margaret K. McElderry imprint of Simon & Schuster.

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a new paper-over-board series (and the name of the first book) told with comics by debut author Jeff Kinney. In the series, which originally began as a comic-a-day on the Funbrain Web site, middle schooler Greg Heffley must navigate the trials and tribulations of family and school. The debut book was released earlier this month by the Amulet imprint at Abrams.

• In choose-your-own-adventure style, the Date Him or Dump Him series by Cylin Busby offers girls the opportuntity to choose what happens next. The first two titles, The Campfire Crush and The Dance Dilemma, will be released by Bloomsbury in May and August, respectively.

• Inside Girl is a new paperback series by J. Minter, a spin-off from the Insiders series. The debut title, Inside Girl, will be released from Bloomsbury in May, and follows the life of high school freshman Flan Flood, little sister of Patch Flood from Insiders.

• Caldecott Honor artist Mo Willems enters the early reader market with two books, Today I Will Fly! and My Friend Is Sad. Both titles in the Elephant & Piggie series were released earlier this month by Hyperion.

• Disney Press is tieing in to the popularity of its Disney Channel hit movie High School Musical with a series of original books, Stories from East High. The first title, Battle of the Bands, pubbed in February, with Wildcat Spirit following in June and Crunch Time in August.

• Fame School is a new series by Cindy Jefferies about a girl who makes it into Rockley Park, a school for budding pop stars. The first two titles, Reach for the Stars and Rising Star, were released this month by Puffin.

• The Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff by Jason Lethcoe follows an 11-year-old orphan who, on his birthday, wishes for unlimited wishes and sets into motion a chain of events that may disrupt the magical realm of wishes and curses. Released in April, You Wish is the first title in the paper-over-board series from Grosset & Dunlap.

• Six princesses-in-training are the focus of The Tiara Club by Vivian French, illustrated by Sarah Gibb. The Katherine Tegen imprint at HarperCollins released the first two books in the series, Princess Charlotte and the Birthday Ball and Princess Katie and the Silver Pony, in January. Fans of the series can get news from the princesses via the series's {Web site} www.tiaraclubbooks.com.

• Peter Hannan, creator of Nickelodeon's TV show CatDog, has created a new series about superheroes you've probably never heard of, like Amazing Techno Dude or Super Vacation Man. Books one and two in the Super Goofballs series, That Stinking Feeling and Goofballs in Paradise, came out in February from HarperCollins.

• HarperTeen launched a squeaky clean first romance series in January called First Kisses. Written by various authors, the line aims to be innocent but contemporary. Trust Me, the first title, was written by Rachel Hawthorne and The Boyfriend Trick, the second release, was written by Stephie Davis.

• Erin Hunter, creator of the bestselling Warriors series, starts a new story arc with Warriors Power of Three, which follows the next generation of heroic cats—Firestar's grandchildren. The first title, The Sight, will be released in May by HarperCollins.

• Magical horse adventures are the focus for Magic Pony Carousel, a new paperback series from HarperCollins written by Poppy Shire, illustrated by Ron Berg. The first two titles, Sparkle the Circus Pony and Brightheart the Knight's Pony, will be released in May.