Too much candy?

Why not try one of these great new books hitting the shelves this month? It’s easy on the stomach, yummy on the mind.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID : The Ugly Truth(Amulet Books) – Jeff Kinney (Author) Jeff Kinney (Author), Greg Heffley has always been in a hurry to grow up. But is getting older really all it’s cracked up to be? Greg suddenly finds himself dealing with the pressures of boy-girl parties, increased responsibilities, and even the awkward changes that come with getting older—all without his best friend, Rowley, at his side.

BARTIMAEUS: The Ring of Solomon (Hyperion Books) – Jonathan Stroud, Bartimaeus, everyone’s favorite (wise-cracking) djinni, is back in book four of this best-selling series. Now, for the first time, fans will go back in time with the djinni, to Jerusalem and the court of King Solomon in 950s BC. He’ll have to contend with an unpleasant master and his sinister servant, and runs into just a “spot” of trouble with King Solomon’s magic ring….

HERO (Philomel) – Mike Lupica (Author), Fourteen-year-old Zach Harriman’s dad had been a hero, a savior to America and a confidante of the president. Then he died, and the changes began in Zach. What Zach never knew was that his father was no ordinary man–he was a superhero, battling the world’s evil. And now it’s Zach’s turn to take on the fight. It’s Zach’s turn to become a hero.

BIG NATE STRIKES AGAIN (HarperCollins) – Lincoln Peirce (Author, Illustrator), Big Nate will surpass all others! But it won’t be easy. He’s stuck with Gina, his all time enemy, who just might ruin everything! Will Nate win or lose? Pass or fail? Or end up in detention . . . again?

THE FIEND AND THE FORGE: Book Three of The Tapestry (Random House Books for Young Readers) – Henry H. Neff (Author, Illustrator), An unforgettable dystopian adventure across a landscape overrun with goblins and trolls. The world has changed almost beyond recognition, for with the Book of Origins firmly in his possession, the villainous Astaroth now has the power to reshape history at will. Plucking pivotal discoveries from mankind’s past, he has reduced the world to a preindustrial nightmare.

THE FIVE FAKIRS OF FAIZABAD (Children of the Lamp) (Orchard Books) – P. B. Kerr (Author), John and Philippa Gaunt are all ready for their lives to return to normal now that their mother has given up her djinn powers. But the siblings are quickly drawn into yet another mystery when the world’s luck tips wildly out of balance (to the world’s detriment). The key to the world’s fate lies with five fakirs who were buried alive, each of whom guards a secret that can answer a great question of the universe. But there’s an evil djinn desperate to dig up the secrets. Without their mother’s powerful magic, John and Philippa must face this djinn alone.

YOURS TRULY, LUCY B. PARKER: SEALED WITH A KISS Book 2 (Puffin) – Robin Palmer (Author), Lucy B. Parker has a new BFF in Beatrice, and she’s spending her summer vacation off in L.A. visiting Laurel on the set of her new movie and meeting teen heartthrobs left and right. Life is good, until Lucy develops a crush, and unlike previous crushes, this one is not on a character in a book or a movie, but on a real living breathing boy, Beatrice’s brother Blair. Unfortunately for Lucy, nothing ever seems to go as she plans. Because although Lucy dreamed that Blair would be her first kiss, it seems like someone else might beat him to it!

SCHOLASTIC BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS 2011 (Scholastic Paperbacks) – Georgian Bay (Author), Whether kids want to know what the world’s deadliest snake is, which country eats the most chocolate, who has the most career touchdowns in the NFL, or which state has the largest water park, the SCHOLASTIC BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS 2011 has all of the answers and much, much more! Over the past nine years, kids, parents, and teachers have come to love this kid-friendly book.

GROUNDED (Feiwel and Friends) – Kate Klise (Author), After her brother, sister, and father die in a plane crash, Daralynn Oakland receives 237 dolls from well-wishers, resulting in her nickname: Dolly. But dolls are little comfort to a twelve-year-old girl whose world is rocked by the dramatic changes in her life, including her angry, grieving mother’s new job as a hairstylist at the local funeral home. Dolly gets a job, too, where she accidentally invents a fashionable new haircut. But her real work begins when a crematorium comes to town, and someone has to save a dying business, solve a burning mystery, and resuscitate the broken hearts in Digginsville, Missouri, population 402.

FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB (Dial) – Antony John (Author), The Challenge: Piper has one month to get the rock band Dumb a paying gig. The Deal: If she does it, Piper will become the band’s manager and get her share of the profits. The Catch: How can Piper possibly manage one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl? And how can she do it when she’s deaf?

HEREVILLE: HOW MIRKA GOT HER SWORD (Amulet Books) – Barry Deutsch (Author), Spunky, strong-willed eleven-year-old Mirka Herschberg isn’t interested in knitting lessons from her stepmother, or how-to-find-a-husband advice from her sister, or you-better-not warnings from her brother. There’s only one thing she does want: to fight dragons!

BLACK RADISHES (Delacorte Books for Young Readers) – Susan Lynn Meyer (Author), Inspired by her father’s experiences as a Jewish child living in France during World War II, Susan Lynn Meyer tells the story of a family’s day-to-day struggles in a country that may not be able to keep its promise of “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.”

ANIMALS (DISCOVERING CAREERS) (Ferguson Publishing Company) -  Inc. Facts on File (Author) Grade 5-9–Two handy, quick-reference sources. The layout is logical and the book’s cover a wide range of high-profile and behind-the-scenes jobs.

SELLING HOPE (Feiwel and Friends) – Kristin O’Donnell Tubb (Author), It’s May 1910, and Halley’s Comet is due to pass thru the Earth’s atmosphere. And thirteen-year-old Hope McDaniels and her father are due to pass through their hometown of Chicago with their ragtag vaudeville troupe.  Hope wants out of vaudeville, and longs for a “normal” life—or as normal as life can be without her mother, who died five years before.

LUCY AND THE GREEN MAN (David Fickling Books) – Linda Newbery (Author) Lucy knew Lob was there, from the way she felt inside. There was a sparking of mischief in her head, a tingle of energy in her arms and legs. She wanted to run, jump, climb, be everywhere at once. You have to be a special person to see Lob, that’s what Lucy’s Grandpa Will says. Lucy’s parents don’t believe in him. But Lucy does. And then she finally catches sight of the Green Man in Grandpa’s garden. And then she knows. Lob is here, and he is real—now and forever and ever!

WORLD’S END (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children) – Jake Halpern (Author)hor), Peter Kujawinski (Author), Ever since returning from Dormia, Alfonso has enjoyed sleeping in a bed like a normal person. No more waking up at the top of a tree or the edge of a cliff. In fact, no sleepwalking at all. But then, while visiting France on a class trip, Alfonso feels that strange and familiar pull of sleep. Upon waking, he finds himself in the belly of a ship headed to Egypt. In his backpack are a few old books and a vial of medicine he stole while asleep. Something is calling Alfonso back to Dormia. Perhaps it’s the Founding Tree? Or perhaps it’s the man he sees in his dreams—the one who looks just like his deceased father? Whatever it is, Alfonso is powerless to resist.

GEORGE WASHINGTON’S SPY (Scholastic Press) – Elvira Woodruff (Author), When Katie and her twin cousins step into a mysterious rowboat, Matt and his three buddies run to their rescue. But they are too late–and soon the seven are swept back in time–to Boston in 1775. The British have occupied the city, and George Washington and his troops are planning an attack. While the boys are trying to find their way to the girls after being separated, the boys become entangled with patriot spies.

WE COULD BE BROTHERS (Scholastic Press) – Derrick Barnes (Author), In this much anticipated middle grade novel by author Derrick Barnes (Ruby & the Booker Boys) two thirteen- year-old African-American boys become friends during a three day stint in an after school suspension. They were both involved in two unrelated incidents with the same person, the resident menace at Alain Locke Middle, Tariq Molten.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 100 DAYS (Dutton Juvenile) – Gary Blackwood (Author), Picking up where Around the World in Eighty Days left off, Harry Fogg, the son of Phileas Fogg, has just made a wager of his own. Harry bets that he can drive a steam-powered motorcar all the way around the world in only 100 days. Racing off with three companions, Harry undertakes a grueling journey that will pit him against flash fires, marauders, and even sabotage from within. In the tradition of the Jules Verne classic, this is one historical adventure that will have you racing to the finish!

EGGS OVER EVIE (Henry Holt and Co.) – Alison Jackson (Author), Tuesday Mourning (Illustrator), Twelve-year-old Evie Carson lives with her mom. In an apartment across the lake, Evie’s celebrity-chef dad is starting a new life with his young second wife, Angie, who’s expecting twins. To make matters worse, Evie’s dad has custody of the beloved family dog. Navigating her new family situation is difficult, and Evie turns to her love of cooking as a way to stay connected to her father. Through cooking classes, Evie finds an unexpected friend in Corey, whose eccentric aunt Shanti might be able to make everyone a little happier. Evie learns to look outside herself, help others, and make friends where she never thought she could (she also learns to make a pretty darn good soufflé!).

THE HOLE IN THE WALL (Milkweed Editions) – Lisa Rowe Fraustino (Author), Eleven-year-old Sebby has found the perfect escape from his crummy house and bickering family: The Hole in the Wall. It’s a pristine, beautiful glen in the midst of a devastated mining area behind Sebby’s home. But not long after he finds it his world starts falling apart: his family’s chickens disappear, colors start jumping off the wall and coming to life, and after sneaking a taste of raw cookie dough he finds himself with the mother of all stomachaches.

THE FAIRY TALE OF THE WORLD (NorthSouth) – Jurg Amman (Author), Kathi Bhend (Illustrator), This is not a fairy tale in the usual sense. There are no princesses, no golden eggs, no happy endings. A brooding portrait of a solitary postapocalyptic existence, The Fairy Tale of the World is nonetheless compelling.

SCHEME SPIRIT (Cinderella Cleaners) (Turtleback Books) – Maya Gold (Author), Diana’s never been a fan of cheerleaders. After all, mean queen bee Kayleigh is one, and she’s always snooty to Diana and her friends. Still, Diana has school spirit, and is bummed to be missing all the festivities for the town’s Homecoming game while she’s stuck working at the cleaners. But when Diana’s co-worker Cat has to help a friend in need, Diana finds herself at the homecoming parade…and, against all odds, in a cheerleading costume borrowed from the cleaners! And to her surprise, Diana almost…enjoys her disguise! But can she pull off this top-secret pom-pom mission?

SWEET TREATS & SECRET CRUSHES (Amulet Books) – Lisa Greenwald (Author), When a blizzard threatens to ruin Valentine’s Day, three seventh-grade friends make and distribute fortune cookies to their lonely neighbors—and confront the secrets they’ve been keeping from one another.

THE NOTORIOUS BENEDICT ARNOLD: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery (Flashpoint) – Steve Sheinkin (Author), Most people know that Benedict Arnold was America’s first, most notorious traitor. Few know that he was also one of its greatest war heroes. This accessible biography introduces young readers to the real Arnold: reckless, heroic, and driven. Packed with first-person accounts, astonishing battle scenes, and surprising twists, this is a gripping and true adventure tale.