Our Most Anticipated New Book Releases of May 2022

1. Our Most Anticipated New Book Releases of May 2022 A new month of exciting publishing has arrived, and we like to think of this as a little heat to jumpstart your summer reading. A book about people who love books, a reworking of Beauty and the Beast, a couple of murders between friends, a deadly game of hide-and-seek, and memoirs from some of our favorite on-screen sweethearts. Which ones will you choose? Here are the best new books to read this May. With a baking tray belted to his small, feathery body, a saucepan for a helmet, and a wooden spoon brandished in wing, young Owl’s desire to become a knight is clear from the first spread. His is a medieval owl family; his mother, wearing a white wimple, eyes his armor while holding a tray of dead mice. Eager Owl’s chance comes when knights start to go missing in the kingdom and applications are solicited. Though his size makes training challenging (adorable vignettes show Owl struggling with a sword, then flattened under “even the smallest shield”), the bird’s biological clock is perfectly suited to night watch responsibilities, and he soon encounters the dragon that seems responsible for the shrinking knight population. “You look like a midnight snack,” the dragon tells Owl, menacingly, but Owl foils the dragon’s violence with a surprising charm offensive that proves more effective than skilled swordplay. Through delicately conveyed firelight, deep shadows, and even an imagined tapestry, Denise (Sleepytime Me) provides this cracking tale with illustrations that feel like fully fleshed animated classics as Owl’s actions subvert a traditional conflict story line. Ages 4–8. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management.(Mar.)Publishers Weekly Books Computers & Technology Books For Teens Young Adult Novels Medical Books Graphic Novels & Comic Books Comic Books And Graphic Novels