Top Ten Tuesday: Indie & Self-Published Books

This theme was a little tricky for me this week. I don’t tend to read a lot of self-published titles because I’m typically reading what I borrow from the library. But, I do read some independently published titles. Although again, not too many as they aren’t purchased as often at the public library level.

But, I did come discover a number of children’s and YA titles being published this year from indie publishers. Specifically, titles that I thought sounded like something I would read. At conferences, I’ve often seen IPG with a booth. IPG is a book distributor often working with small presses to help get their books into the hands of readers. Especially through larger markets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. So, I perused their most recent catalog of children’s and YA titles. And as I mentioned found a lot of great books! It’s always nice to try something new whether it’s something from a small independent press or self-published – you may just discover a new favorite!

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Indie & Self-Published Books

August or Forever by Ona Gritz

Ten-year-old Molly has always loved having a sister, but sisters are supposed to live together, right? Molly certainly thinks so. Unfortunately, her older half-sister Alison lives on a whole other continent. Their video chats are great, and Molly is thrilled when Alison’s hand-written letters arrive in the mail like surprise gifts. Still, it’s not enough, not compared to what other siblings have. That’s why when Molly finds out that Alison is finally coming to visit over the summer, she devises a plan she’s sure will get her sister to stay. But then Alison arrives with plans of her own, a fragile heart gets broken, and Molly stumbles upon a painful piece of her sister’s past. Molly has always loved having a sister, but this is the August when she’ll learn what it really means to be one.

A Human for Kingsley by Gabriel Evans

Kingsley had decided to own a human. This was not a decision to be taken lightly. After all, owning a human is a responsibility.

But finding the right kind of human is much harder than Kingsley expected. Some are too bossy. Some are too busy. And some just don’t seem to appreciate a dog the way they should. Will Kingsley ever find a human that is exactly right?

A sweet, tender and deeply funny story about the power of friendship, and one dog’s mission to find his perfect person.

I Feel the World by Zanni Louise and Dr. Ameika Johnson, illustrated by Nina Gould

Feelings can be crawly things.
Some have spikes and some have wings.
Some will creep from nowhere, fast!
Some cling tight and some float past.

Inside each of us is a whole world of feelings. It is reassuring to know that no matter what we feel in this moment, all feelings are okay.

I Feel the World encourages children to explore their feelings with curiosity and acceptance. This book helps to make sense of emotions and open up important conversations with parents, caretakers and teachers.

It’s Not You, It’s Me by Gabrielle Williams

A literally life-changing novel about time travel, soulmates and serial killers that asks a very big question: Can you ever change your fate? This is award-winning YA author Gabrielle Williams’ most surprising, ambitious and dexterous book yet.

Holly Fitzgerald has inexplicably woken up inside the body of an LA teenager called Trinity Byrne in 1980 – trapping Trinity in Holly’s forty-year-old body back in Melbourne, 2020.

Mind. Officially. Blown.

Holly finds herself navigating a brand-new body, family and cute boy next door – not to mention rock band that might just make it, and potential kidnapper. Meanwhile, lies intersect with truth, hurtling both Holly and Trinity towards a dangerous fate as the connections between them grow deeper and stranger than either could have ever imagined.

Freaky Friday meets Pretty Little Liars – if the Liars were an all-girl punk band from the 1980s – in this highly original soul-swap story.

Liam, the Brave by Michael Wang, illustrated by Simon Koay

A beautifully illustrated story, Liam, The Brave is about a boy who overcomes his greatest fear: butterflies.

Liam desperately wants to become The Bravest Boy in the World, and he goes through an extraordinary journey of self-discovery to face and overcome his fear. Beyond simply being a story about a boy with an irrational fear, it is also a story about perseverance and more importantly, how accolades don’t matter. What is more important is being true to oneself.

Quest for Neptius by A. H. Benjamin

Meet Marissa, a caring, curious, and brave eleven-year-old girl whose summer stroll on a quiet beach becomes an epic adventure that pulls her into a mysterious undersea world. Lured by the simple sounds of a unique seashell, Marissa finds herself pulled into a battle between an ancient marine species and advanced life forms not of this planet. Her survival and only path home is that of legends as she befriends magical creatures and battles an evil nymph while in quest of a simple flower. The petals of the Neptius flower hold the answers and are the salvation for Marissa and an entire undersea universe.

Sherlock Bones and the Case of the Crown Jewels by Tim Collins, illustrated by John Bigwood

When the crown jewels go missing from Buckingham Kennel, it’s up to super-sleuth Sherlock Bones and his trusty sidekick Dr Catson to solve the crime.

The Song of Lewis Carmichael by Sofie Laguna, illustrated by Marc McBride

Matthew stood on the snowy peak and stared out at the world spread before him. Every picture in his books had been limited by the size of the page, contained within frames. Here, there was no frame. Here, the picture didn’t end. Beyond those icy plains, the sea, and beyond the sea, a land that floated on the ice, drifting northwards. Matthew put the binoculars to his eyes and saw valleys and cliffs and rivers all made of snow. Everywhere was white.

Matthew has dreamed and read and thought about the North Pole for as long as he can remember. And he has done it secretly. It is a place that cannot be tarnished by the world in which he lives – a world in which he struggles to find answers and make friends, while everything seems to come easily to other children.

But one day, a crow called Lewis Carmichael lands at Matthew’s window – a crow who believes in Matthew in the most simple and ordinary ways. Soon, the unexpected voyage of a lifetime begins, and it will change everything…

Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues by H. S. Valley

What happens when your enemy becomes your friend… with benefits? 

Red, White and Royal Blue meets The Magicians in this surprising, wildly original and joyously funny LGBTQ YA novel set in a magical boarding school. 

Tim Te Maro and Elliott Parker – classmates at Fox Glacier High School for the Magically Adept – have never gotten along. But when they both get dumped the day before the big egg-baby assignment, they reluctantly decide to ditch their exes and work together. When the two boys start to bond over their magically enchanted egg-baby, they realize that beneath their animosity is something like friendship … or physical attraction.

Soon, a no-strings-attached hook-up seems like a good idea. Just for the duration of the assignment. After all, they don’t have feelings for each other … so what could possibly go wrong? 

Walking Your Human by Liz Ledden, illustrated by Gabriella Petruso

Have you ever wondered what your dog is thinking? It turns out they know just what humans want – to be walked! And once they’re on their way, these dogs will share exactly how to do it. For dog lovers everywhere, this picture book offers a lighthearted look at the very different ideas dogs and humans have about what makes for a good walk!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.