Beginning Readers

Galaxy Zack

Ray O'Ryan, Illustrated by Colin Jack

(Little Simon, $4.99 each, TP, Hello, Nebulon!: 9781442453869 / Journey to Juno: 9781442453906)

Readers will be happy to follow 8-year-old Zack Nelson's adventures in Galaxy Zack, a new beginning reader series by Ray O'Ryan, the first two volumes of which are just out. In the first outing, Hello, Nebulon!, Zack adjusts to a new life when he and his parents move from Earth to the far-off planet of Nebulon, where vehicles fly through the air, houses come equipped with Ira (an Indoor Robotic Assistant), and a space bus flies students to and from the school cafeteria. In the second outing, Journey to Juno, Zack must deal with bratty Seth Stevens, a classmate he's paired-up with on a field trip to Juno, a planet made of crystals. The tales are zippy and fun, helped along with Colin Jack's cartoony, black-and-white illustrations. New volumes are set to release every two months or so. FICTION/Humorous Stories/Science Fiction/Social Issues-General

Graphic Novels & Manga

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen

Lucy Knisley

(First Second, $17.99, TP, 9781596436237)

A great graphic memoir that works for both older teens and adults is Relish: My Life in the Kitchen, from Lucy Knisley (French Milk). Knisley approaches this coming-of-age memoir in a unique way by associating her memories of growing up with that of particular foods and meals. The daughter of a chef and a gourmet, Knisley recounts her young years growing up in Manhattan, playing in out-of-the-way corners in the high-end restaurant kitchens in which her mother worked; the move to upstate New York after her parents divorce; trips to Mexico, Japan, & Europe; and onto life in and out of college. Through it all, the food takes center stage: shucking oysters with her uncle; attempting to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie; appreciating the food from both farmer's markets and McDonalds; and on and on. Knisley relays it all through wonderful, full-color art, complete with illustrated recipes at the end of each chapter. Hers is sure to be an idealized childhood for all the foodies out there, and Relish has been called a "love letter to food." I'd have to agree, it's one of the better graphic novels I've read in awhile. Check out a preview here. Rated T. NONFICTION/Biography & Autobiography-General/Cooking & Food

Also New in Graphic Novels & Manga:

• Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search, Part One... Gene Luen Yang, Illustrated by Gurihiru
• Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 1... SUNRISE & Masafumi Nishida, Illustrated by Mizuki Sakakibara

Middle Readers

Bad Unicorn

Platte F. Clark

(Aladdin, $15.99, HC, 9781442450127)

Fantasy and humor mix to absurd heights in Bad Unicorn, the first book in a new trilogy by Platte F. Clark. In the human realm of Techrus, middle-schooler Max Spencer is your typical nerdy protagonist, into virtual gaming, picked last in PE, and generally attuned to keeping a low profile so as not to draw the attention of bully Ricky Reynolds. In the realm of Magrus, Rezormoor Dreadbringer, the magical realm's most powerful spellcaster, commissions the nasty, carnivorous unicorn, Princess the Destroyer, to locate a particularly powerful book, The Codex of Infinite Knowability, a legendary tome lost for thousands of years - one that just happens to be in the possession of young Max. Once Princess delivers the ancient text, she'll be allowed to return to Techrus and munch on as many tasty humans as she desires. When said tome transports Max to a desolute future version of Techrus and he sees the results of Princess's destruction, it's up to him to figure out how to read the Codex, get back to the present, stop the evil unicorn, and save the world. FICTION/Action & Adventure/Fantasy & Magic/Humorous Stories/Social Issues-Friendship

Also New in Middle Readers:

• Art2-D2's Guide to Folding and Doodling... Tom Angleberger
• Ghoulish Song... William Alexander
• The Imaginary Veterinary, Book 1: The Sasquatch Escape... Suzanne Selfors, Illustrated by Dan Santat
• The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict... Trenton Lee Stewart
• 13-Story Treehouse... Andy Griffiths, Illustrated by Terry Denton

Picture Books

A Long Way Away

Frank Viva

(Little, Brown and Company, $16.99, HC, 9780316221962)

The great Frank Viva (Along a Long Road) is back with a fantastic new tale, A Long Way Away. The story begins deep in space as a family of happy, tentacled aliens send one of their youngsters on a long, galactic journey. As the little alien zooms through space, it twists and turns through and around planets, stars, spaceships and on past our moon and into our atmosphere, where it splashes into the ocean and settles down on a sea shelf for a much deserved sleep. Meant to be read vertically, the reader can just as easily begin from the back, following the little creature as it rises through the sea and back toward home. The simple text is presented in short fragments ("A Home"; "A Hug"; "A Happy Face"; "A Happy Place", etc.) and works perfectly in either direction. Viva's stylized, high-contrast illustrations (rendered in red, yellow, blue, ivory and black) are full of fun details and pop right off the page, and he illustrates the alien's loopy trajectory as one continuous, bright yellow line, offering young readers a chance to interact with the story by tracing the path with their finger. Don't miss it. FICTION/Science Fiction/Animals-Marine Life/Concepts-General

Also New in Picture Books:

• Bluebird... Bob Staake
• Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle... Chris Raschka
• Steam Train, Dream Train... Sherri Duskey Rinker, Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
• The Dark... Lemony Snicket, Illustrated by Jon Klassen
• Ol' Mama Squirrel... David Ezra Stein
• Tea Rex... Molly Idle
• Ball... Mary Sullivan
• I Am Blop!... Hervé Tullet
• Awesome Dawson... Chris Gall

Pre School

Tails Chasing Tails

Matthew Porter

(Sasquatch Books, $9.99, Board Book, 9781570618529)

Be sure to take a look at Tails Chasing Tails, a great new board book from Matthew Porter. This engaging guessing game offers a chain of different animals in pursuit of one another, beginning with a friendly elephant chasing the orange-and-black striped back-half of...turning the page reveals a tiger, who in turn is chasing a bear, who is chasing a pig, and so on. Kids should have a lot of fun identifying the tail-end of each animal, fully revealed when the page is turned. The story comes full circle with a little mouse chasing the tail-end of the elephant who started the whole thing off. Porter renders the animals in a friendly, big-eyed manner on bright, colorful backgrounds painted on blocks of wood, giving them a slightly rustic quality. FICTION/Animals-General

Also New in Pre School:

• Larry Loves Seattle... John Skewes

Young Adult

Clockwork Princess

Cassandra Clare

(Margaret K. McElderry Books, $19.99, HC, 9781416975908)

Cassandra Clare brings her bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy to a conclusion with Clockwork Princess. This historical prequel to Clare's bestselling Mortal Instruments has sold nearly as well as that parent series and has the Shadowhunters racing to save Tessa and themselves from the evil Mortmain and his army of automatons. As expected, sales have been strong for this as well as for the second volume, Clockwork Prince (9781416975892, Margaret K. McElderry Books, $12.99, TP), which is finally out in trade paperback. Sales will likely continue throughout the summer as buzz for the big-budget film version of City of Bones, due in theaters 8/23/13, continues to build - you can check out the trailer here. FICTION/Fantasy & Magic/Paranormal/Historical-Europe

Also New in Young Adult:

• Dark Triumph... Robin LaFevers
• Mojo... Tim Tharp
• Legend... Marie Lu