Monthly Staff Picks | October, 2026

We’ve got a frightfully great batch of Monthly Staff Picks here at Little Village Toy & Book Store this October!

It’s a Double Creature Feature for our Adult Picks this month featuring stories that leap to life off the page and screen! First up we have ‘The Shadow Glass’ by Josh Winning; this fun fall fantasy-horror riff sees a young man return home only to find his father’s ‘80s puppet films (think Jim Henson’s fantasy classics) come from a world much more real than he ever could have imagined. And coming (very) soon is ‘Winterset Hollow’, available 10/6; Jonathan Edward Durham’s internet horror phenomenon finally gets a wide release! Journey to Addington Isle in this twisted tale that finds characters from a Beatrix Potter-esque nursery rhyme to be far darker and much more dangerous than they seem.

Brandon James Scott’s ‘The Skeleton and the Cat’ is our Picture Book pick for readers of all ages. The quiet life of a skeleton is interrupted by the knocks of a small black cat at her door in this story told through bite-sized vignettes which sees an unlikely friendship develop through the course of an unexpected day.

For Chapter Book readers we have ‘Ghoulia: Making New Friends Can Be Scary’. Join Ghoulia, a young zombie, as she sets out from her haunted manor to make friends on Halloween Night. This International favorite is a great seasonal tale about celebrating the things that might make us different.

The ‘Queens of the Crypt’ seek to save Widow’s Creek in our Young Adult selection this month. Artist and illustrator Dom&Ink makes their graphic novel debut with this eerie tale that sees a teen accidentally summons a group of undead Queens inspired by favorite horror icons.

Visit us in-store this October for 20% off all of these Monthly Staff Picks, while supplies last!

Contact Us

Monthly Staff Picks | September, 2026

This September’s Monthly Staff Picks feature favorite returning authors and contemporary classics that make perfect additions to your late summer or early fall reading!

Since launching our Monthly Staff Picks with Charlotte McConaghy’s ‘Once There Were Wolves’ in January 2023, it has become an environmental fiction favorite and frequent bestselling title in our store ever since. This month McConaghy returns to our Adult Picks with ‘Wild Dark Shore’, as it hits shelves in paperback; this mysterious family drama sees a woman wash ashore on a remote island as a storm lingers on the horizon.

Author and Illustrator Lucy Fleming’s ‘Oak: The Littlest Leaf Girl’ is our picture book selection this month. Big changes are in store for the titular Oak and her forest dwelling friends as the air chills in this beautifully illustrated tale about the adventure that lies in life’s changes.

Our Middle Reader pick is the Japanese fantasy classic ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’, which inspired the beloved Studio Ghibli film, and follows Kiki and her cat Jiji as they leave for a new town, new friends, and new adventures… with plenty of magic in tow. Available in both a paperback and a Hardcover Deluxe Edition.

‘The Hate U Give’ is Angie Thomas’s award-winning novel and our Young Adult selection for September. This debut follows Starr Carter, a young woman torn between the two worlds of her poor neighborhood and the wealthy suburban prep school she attends, when tragedy strikes and she finds herself in the middle of it all.

Visit us in-store throughout September for 20% off all of these Monthly Staff Picks, while supplies last!

Contact Us

Monthly Staff Picks | June, 2026

Little Village Toy & Book Shop’s Monthly Staff Picks for June are here!

As you may have seen last month, the Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Angel Down’ kicked things off a little earlier in May than expected but will continue as one of our Adult picks throughout June, too.

We’ve added an additional Adult title this month with ‘Ducks, Newburyport’ by Lucy Ellmann; another title that plays with form and function, like ‘Angel Down’, but in an entirely different setting. This Booker Prize shortlisted tome of a novel follows an American housewife’s stream of consciousness in a not-too-distant Ohio; it’s an ambitious but worthwhile effort for the author and readers alike.

Our Middle Reader and Picture Book Picks this month are a delightful pair with Katherine Applegate’s ‘Odder’ & ‘Odder: An Otter's Story’. ‘Odder’, for middle readers, is the bestselling novel told in verse that follows a remarkable otter off the coast of central California. ‘Odder: An Otter’s Story’ is a picture book adaptation of the novel sure to delight readers young and old. Both versions of this heartwarming tale inspired by the true story of a Monterey Bay Aquarium Program feature gorgeous illustrations from Charles Santoso.

And last but certainly not least, our YA selection this month is ‘Encore!’ (available 6/2). This queer graphic novel rom-com sees two former best friends reunite in high school after drifting apart during childhood.

Visit us this month for 20% off of our Monthly Staff Picks for June, while supplies last!

Contact Us

Monthly Staff Pick | December, 2025

December’s batch of Monthly Staff Picks have arrived!

We’ve got a perfect pairing of Adult selections celebrating books this month with Keith Houston’s ‘The Book’ which chronicles the origins and evolutions of the book in this fascinating and joyous history title; plus, Helene Hanff’s classic ‘84, Charing Cross Road’ following the New York freelance writer and her decades long correspondence with a used-book dealer in London and is a heartwarming showcase of the power of books. Both of these titles make a great gift for the readers and book lovers on your holiday shopping list.

For Picture book fans this month we have ‘Charley Mouse Cleans House’ written and illustrated by Katerina Gorelik. This visual delight follows Charley, who has a love for cleanliness and order, as they set out for their week helping to clean the homes of her friends and neighbors. Full of familiar fairytale faces and plenty of little details to spot in the art, this book is cozy fun for picture book fans of all ages.

‘Anne Arrives’ is an early reader’s introduction into L.M. Montgomery’s beloved Green Gables, and our Chapter Book selection this December. This retelling of the classic following Anne Shirley features full-color illustrations and is a perfect introduction for fans old and new alike.

And finally, this month’s Young Adult pick is ‘The Reappearance of Rachel Price’. From the bestselling Holly Jackson, this mystery follows Bel and family as they agree to a true-crime documentary about the disappearance of Rachel Price only for her to come back into their lives as the cameras are rolling.

Visit us this December for 20% off this month’s selections, while supplies last!

Contact Us

New Releases | September 16, 2025

• New Releases List (Click to Expand)

  Adult Art

  • Crochet Snails and Mushroom Sprites - Lapp, Megan (Author)

  Adult Fiction

  • The Wilderness - Flournoy, Angela (Author)

  • Boy from the North Country - Sussman, Sam (Author)

  Adult Science

  • Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy - Roach, Mary (Author)

  Biography

  • Wild Forest Lands: Finding History and Meaning in the Adirondacks (New York State) - Terrie, Philip G (Author)

  Board Books

  • Hanukkah 1-2-3!: A First Counting Book - Wieder, Joy Nelkin (Author) , Lewis, Aura (Illustrator)

  Chapter Books

  • Wolf Girl #2: The Great Escape - Do, Anh (Author)

  • Jingle, All the Way Home: An Advent Countdown Story -Hapka, Catherine (Author), Selbert, Kathryn (Illustrator)

  Children’s Poetry

  • Dragons: Meet the Legendary Monsters of Mythology - Stevenson, Cait (Author) , Neon Squid (Author) , Alvarez, Cinthya (Illustrator)

  Cookbooks

  • Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love - Nosrat, Samin (Author), Brackett, Aya (Photographer)

  D&D TCG

  • Dungeons & Dragons RPG: Starter Set - Heroes of the Borderlands

  Family Issues

  • American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era - Lang, Nico (Author)

  Fun & Games

  • Minecraft Atlas of the World

  • Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles - Wainerdi, Brandon (Author)

  Graphic Novels

  • Box Tales: Grow, Strawberries, Grow! -Burks, James (Author)

  • Ilustra: Daybreaker: Book 1 - Tadiar, Tori (Author)

  • Shadow Warrior (Spider-Man: Original Manga) - Aoki, Shogo (Author) , Aoki, Shogo (Illustrator)

  Great Outdoors

  • Pocketguide to Eastern Hatches - Ames Jr, Thomas (Author)

  History

  • We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution -Lepore, Jill (Author)

  • History Matters - McCullough, David (Author) , McCullough Lawson, Dorie (Contribution by) , Hill, Michael (Contribution by)

  Horror

  • Fiend - Katsu, Alma (Author)

  • The Whistler - Medina, Nick (Author)

  • Exiles - Coile, Mason (Author)

  • October Shadows: Classic Ghost Stories for Halloween - Rice, John A (Illustrator) , Rice, John A (Selected by)

  Humor Book

  • I'm So F*cking Bored: A Sweary Activity Book for Adults - Peterson, Caitlin (Author)

  Just the Facts

  • Tales of Pirates: Adventures on the Seven Seas - Nelson, Katie (Author), Meikle, Olivia (Author) , Neon Squid (Author), Ermos, George (Illustrator)

  Manga & Adult Graphic Novels

  • Thor & Loki: Epic Tales from Marvel Mythology - Dawson, Delilah S (Author), Walta, Gabriel Hernández (Illustrator)

  • Harley Quinn: Wild at Heart: DC Compact Comics Edition - Conner, Amanda (Author) , Palmiotti, Jimmy (Author)

  • Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga - Book of Heartslabyul Complete Box Set (Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga - Book of Heartslabyul #1) - Hazuki, Wakana (Author), Kowono, Sumire (Illustrator)

  Mystery & Thriller

  • Murder on the Orient Express Deluxe Collector's Edition: A Hercule Poirot Mystery - Christie, Agatha (Author)

  • No Rest for the Wicked - Adams, Rachel Louise

  • The Wasp Trap - Edwards, Mark (Author)

  Personal Growth

  • The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People with Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss - Mace, Nancy L (Author), Rabins, Peter V (Author)

  Picture Books

  • The Book of Candles: Eight Poems for Hanukkah -Snyder, Laurel (Author), Hatch, Leanne (Illustrator)

  • The Elf on the Shelf: How Old Is Santa Claus? - Bell, Chanda A (Author), Innocente, Agnese (Illustrator) , Loog, Lera (Illustrator)

  • Seven Ways Through the Woods - Reese, Jenn (Author), Kurtz, Devin Elle (Illustrator)

  • The Polar Express: Christmas Countdown Deluxe Gift Set - Van Allsburg, Chris (Author) , Van Allsburg, Chris (Illustrator)

  • Fancy Nancy: Besties for Eternity - O'Connor, Jane (Author), Glasser, Robin Preiss (Illustrator)

  • The Digger and the Christmas Tree - Kuefler, Joseph (Author) , Kuefler, Joseph (Illustrator)

  • Wally Mammoth: The Sled Race - Tabor, Corey R (Author) , Webb, Dalton (Illustrator)

  • The Big Cheese Presents: Have Yourself a Cheesy Little Christmas - John, Jory (Author), Oswald, Pete (Illustrator)

  • If We Were Dogs - Blackall, Sophie (Author)

  • Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?: A Hard-Boiled Mystery - Sayres, Brianna Caplan (Author) , Fearing, Mark (Illustrator)

  • Gather Grateful - Litwin, Megan (Author), Finkeldey, Alexandra (Illustrator)

  • Hogbert - Smith, Briony May (Author) , Smith, Briony May (Illustrator)

  • Peppa Pig: Our New Baby Sister - Spinner, Cala (Text by (Art/Photo Books))

  • Snow Kid - Sima, Jessie (Author) , Sima, Jessie (Illustrator)

  Poetry

  • Poems & Prayers - McConaughey, Matthew (Author)

  Political Sciences

  • When You Come at the King: Inside Doj's Pursuit of the President, from Nixon to Trump - Honig, Elie (Author)

  • Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine - Agha, Hussein (Author) , Malley, Robert (Author)

  • Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense -Manchin, Joe (Author), Saban, Nick (Contribution by)

  • Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy - Weingarten, Randi (Author)

  Romance

  • The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor #5) - Gilmore, Laurie (Author)

  • The Academy - Hilderbrand, Elin (Author), Cunningham, Shelby (Author)

  • Uncharmed - Wood, Lucy Jane (Author)

  • We Met Like This - West, Kasie (Author)

  • The Last Letter (Signed) - Yarros, Rebecca (Author)

  • Assistant to the Villain (Special Edition Hardcover) - Maehrer, Hannah Nicole (Author)

  Science Fiction & Fantasy

  • The Hobbit: A Graphic Novel (Revised and Expanded) - Tolkien, J R R (Author) , Wenzel, David (Illustrator)

  • Among the Burning Flowers (Roots of Chaos) - Shannon, Samantha (Author)

  Social Sciences

  • If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All - Yudkowsky, Eliezer (Author), Soares, Nate (Author)

  • Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI - Harari, Yuval Noah (Author)

  True Crime

  • 50 States of Murder: An Atlas of American Crime - Schechter, Harold (Author)

  Workbooks

  • The Big Fat High School Algebra 2 Workbook

  Young Adult

  • Hekate (Deluxe Limited Edition) - Gill, Nikita (Author)

This Week’s Top 5 Picks

• The Academy

  From #1 bestselling author of The Perfect Couple Elin Hilderbrand, and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham: the irresistible, deliciously scandalous story of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school.

  It's move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news arrives: America Today just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. It's a seventeen-spot jump - was there a typo? The dorms need to be renovated, their sports teams always come in last place, and let's just say Tiffin students are known for being more social than academic. On the other hand, the campus is exquisite, class sizes are small, and the dining hall is run by an acclaimed New York chef. And they do have fun--lots of parties and school dances, and a piano man plays in the student lounge every Monday night.

  But just as the rarefied air of Tiffin is suffused with self-congratulation, the wheels begin to turn - and then they fall off the bus. One by one, scandalous blind items begin to appear on phones across Tiffin's campus, thanks to a new app called ZipZap, and nobody is safe. From Davi Banerjee, international influencer and resident queen bee, to Simone Bergeron, the new and surprisingly young history teacher, to Charley Hicks, a transfer student who seems determined not to fit in, to Cordelia Spooner, Admissions Director with a somewhat idiosyncratic methodology - everyone has something to hide.

  As if high school wasn't dramatic enough...As the year unfolds, bonds are forged and broken, secrets are shared and exposed, and the lives of Tiffin's students and staff are changed forever. The Academy is Elin Hilderbrand's fresh, buzzy take on boarding school life, and a thrilling new direction from one of America's most satisfying and popular storytellers.

• History Matters

  In this posthumous collection of thought-provoking essays--many never published before--Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and bestselling author David McCullough affirms the value of history, how we can be guided by its lessons, and the enduring legacy of American ideals.

  History Matters brings together selected essays by beloved historian David McCullough, some published here for the first time, written at different points over the course of his long career but all focused on the subject of his lifelong passion: the importance of history in understanding our present and future. Edited by McCullough's daughter, Dorie McCullough Lawson, and his longtime researcher, Michael Hill, History Matters is a tribute to a master historian and offers fresh insights into McCullough's enduring interests and writing life. The book also features a foreword by Jon Meacham.

  McCullough highlights the importance of character in political leaders, with Harry Truman and George Washington serving as exemplars of American values like optimism and determination. He shares his early influences, from the books he cherished in his youth to the people who mentored him. He also pays homage to those who inspired him, such as writer Paul Horgan and painter Thomas Eakins, illustrating the diverse influences on his writing as well as the influence of art.

  Rich with McCullough's signature grace, curiosity, and narrative gifts, these essays offer vital lessons in viewing history through the eyes of its participants, a perspective that McCullough believed was crucial to understanding the present as well as the past. History Matters is testament to McCullough's legacy as one of the great storytellers of this nation's history and of the lasting promise of American ideals.

• We the People

  The U.S. Constitution is among the oldest constitutions in the world but also one of the most difficult to amend. Jill Lepore, Harvard professor of history and law, explains why in We the People, the most original history of the Constitution in decades--and an essential companion to her landmark history of the United States, These Truths.
  
  Published on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding--the anniversary, too, of the first state constitutions-- We the People offers a wholly new history of the Constitution. "One of the Constitution's founding purposes was to prevent change," Lepore writes. "Another was to allow for change without violence." Relying on the extraordinary database she has assembled at the Amendments Project, Lepore recounts centuries of attempts, mostly by ordinary Americans, to realize the promise of the Constitution. Yet nearly all those efforts have failed. Although nearly twelve thousand amendments have been introduced in Congress since 1789, and thousands more have been proposed outside its doors, only twenty-seven have ever been ratified. More troubling, the Constitution has not been meaningfully amended since 1971. Without recourse to amendment, she argues, the risk of political violence rises. So does the risk of constitutional change by presidential or judicial fiat.
  
  Challenging both the Supreme Court's monopoly on constitutional interpretation and the flawed theory of "originalism," Lepore contends in this "gripping and unfamiliar story of our own past" that the philosophy of amendment is foundational to American constitutionalism. The framers never intended for the Constitution to be preserved, like a butterfly, under glass, Lepore argues, but expected that future generations would be forever tinkering with it, hoping to mend America by amending its Constitution through an orderly deliberative and democratic process.
  
  Lepore's remarkable history seeks, too, to rekindle a sense of constitutional possibility. Congressman Jamie Raskin writes that Lepore "has thrown us a lifeline, a way of seeing the Constitution neither as an authoritarian straitjacket nor a foolproof magic amulet but as the arena of fierce, logical, passionate, and often deadly struggle for a more perfect union." At a time when the Constitution's vulnerability is all too evident, and the risk of political violence all too real, We the People, with its shimmering prose and pioneering research, hints at the prospects for a better constitutional future, an amended America.
  

• Among the Burning Flowers

  With the awakening of fire-breathing dragons, Among the Burning Flowers sees the first sparks of danger that threaten to consume the world in The Priory of the Orange Tree.

  Take your first steps into the epic.

  Yscalin, land of sunshine and lavender, will soon be ablaze.

  It has been centuries since the Draconic Army took wing, almost extinguishing humankind.

  Marosa Vetalda is a prisoner in her own home, controlled by her cold father, King Sigoso. Over the mountains, her betrothed, Aubrecht Lievelyn, rules Mentendon in all but name. Together, they intend to usher in a better world.

  A better world seems impossibly distant to Estina Melaugo, who hunts the Draconic beasts that have slept across the world for centuries.

  And now the great wyrm Fýredel is stirring, and Yscalin will be the first to fall . . .

  A story of human resilience in the face of dire circumstances, Among the Burning Flowers leads readers through the gripping and tragic events that pave the way for the opening of the million-copy bestseller The Priory of The Orange Tree.

  Richly illustrated with magical artwork by Rovina Cai (@rovinacai).

• Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy

  The body is the most complex machine in the world, and the only one for which you cannot get a replacement part from the manufacturer. For centuries, medicine has reached for what's available--sculpting noses from brass, borrowing skin from frogs and hearts from pigs, crafting eye parts from jet canopies and breasts from petroleum by-products. Today we're attempting to grow body parts from scratch using stem cells and 3D printers. How are we doing? Are we there yet?

  In Replaceable You, Mary Roach explores the remarkable advances and difficult questions prompted by the human body's failings. When and how does a person decide they'd be better off with a prosthetic than their existing limb? Can a donated heart be made to beat forever? Can an intestine provide a workable substitute for a vagina?

  Roach dives in with her characteristic verve and infectious wit. Her travels take her to the OR at a legendary burn unit in Boston, a "superclean" xeno-pigsty in China, and a stem cell "hair nursery" in the San Diego tech hub. She talks with researchers and surgeons, amputees and ostomates, printers of kidneys and designers of wearable organs. She spends time in a working iron lung from the 1950s, stays up all night with recovery techs as they disassemble and reassemble a tissue donor, and travels across Mongolia with the cataract surgeons of Orbis International.

  Irrepressible and accessible, Replaceable You immerses readers in the wondrous, improbable, and surreal quest to build a new you.

Contact Us

Monthly Staff Pick | September, 2025

Romance is back on the Monthly Staff Pick menu with our selection for Adults this month, Mazey Eddings’s ‘Well, Actually’. Filled with favorite tropes like second chances, enemies to lovers, and black cat & golden retriever energy all while tackling toxic masculinity, trauma, and forgiveness; this recent release from the fan-favorite author features all of the witty dialogue, strong characters, and a dash of spice that make it a perfect pick for Romance readers of all types.

Middle-grade readers, it’s time to journey to the Archipelago! Katherine Rundell’s ‘Impossible Creatures’ is now available in paperback in a special Griffin Edition featuring sprayed edges, while supplies last. This launch of a new fantasy series was an immediate favorite, and with the next entry ‘The Poisoned King’ just a few short weeks away, there’s no better time to pick up a copy.

‘Sync’, the latest novel in verse from Ellen Hopkins, is our Young Adult selection this month. Using her trademark voice and deft handling of topics that have resonated with readers for decades, ‘Sync’ follows twins separated in the foster care system on their own journeys as told through their unsent letters to each other.

Our picture book selection needs little introduction, the all-ages Classic ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ by Maurice Sendak is our pick this September in celebration of this month’s release of ‘Hansel and Gretel’, the collaboration between the late Sendak and horror icon Stephen King (available tomorrow, September 2nd).

All four of our Monthly Staff Picks this September are available for 20% off, while supplies last!

Contact Us