So the new catalog has arrived from Candlewick with the usual impressive fare and a couple of things that made me think. First, take a peek at Doret's recent post pointing out that several Candlewick picture books include people of color, something we have all become more and more mindful of when perusing new offerings. (She provides specific titles for those interested.) Also, in the MG historic novel, Take Me With You by Carolyn Marsden there is an actual biracial girl front and center because - get this - the story is about a biracial girl! Huzzah! (Hmm and is that an African American fairy in Laura Schlitz's The Night Fairy? Maybe? Anyone else think so?) And when glancing through the back pages I saw that Charles R. Smith's Chameleon is listed as coming out in paperback in the spring (oh how I loved this book) and the new cover features an African American teen which makes me very happy. He looks like I imagined Shawn did from reading the novel and I hope this new edition brings the book some fans.

There are still an overwhelming number of white faces in this catalog (and even white dogs? what's up with that?) but somebody at Candlewick is mindful of the fact that their audience is actually not only Caucasian. Be still my beating heart - we might be seeing some actual progress here!

Now onto some specific titles that sounded good to me:

The General by Michael Foreman. This new edition of the 1961 picture book about a general who embraces peace comes out from the Templar Books imprint and looks charming. Templar has yet to disappoint me and this looks to be a title tailormade for their special care.

My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood by Rosemary Wells with Dino Fernandez. A fictionalized account of Fernandez's childhood in Cuba in the 1950s before his family moved to NYC where he later became an architect. The gorgeous cover caught me here and the notion of a story set in Cuba kept my attention. Plus it's Rosemary Wells; I'm quite excited to read it.

The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon by David Almond. Am I the only one who looks forward to Almond's books with bated breath? This time we have Paul who does not think the moon is really the moon but rather a hole in the sky. He gets some helpers and a plan to build a really long ladder and along with artist Polly Dunbar's illustrations we have "a whimsical tale" (duh) that has a dose of magical realism which "transforms a quiet boy's life". I'm pretty much onboard with anything Almond has to offer at this point but Paul sounds irresistible and I love a kid with a big imagination.

Finally, The Agency: A Spy in the House by YS Lee. Oh my. I think I've found a YA mystery. I hesitate to embrace it right now because I have been down this path before and it has not turned out well. But this go-round we have 1850s London, an orphan offered an education at a girl's school which turns out to be "a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency", and a mission to infiltrate a rich man's home and find clues for some missing cargo ships. The blurb promises action, suspense, banter (Dear heavens! BANTER!!!) and romance.

I swear I will not let myself get too excited about this. I won't. But what if it really lives up to catalog copy? Wow. Enola Holmes for the older crowd. Please don't let us be disappointed!