There are a number of upcoming releases that I am super excited to read, but seeing as I’ve called it “Two Book Tuesday,” I will limit myself to just two books from entirely different collections… all the while wondering just what titles you are looking forward to this Autumn?

The first title is Lizard Radio and it is a young adult science fiction novel written by Pat Schmatz. What I noticed first about this title is the cover and if the novel is half as good as the cover then this should prove to be quite an interesting read.

Having just finished reading Static by L.A. Witt, I was surprised to see another title with a main character who does not fit the mainstream image of a single-gendered person.

Kivali, the fifteen-year-old protagonist of Lizard Radio has grown up in a gender-rigid world that doesn’t accept her status as a “bender.” Abandoned as a baby, she doesn’t know where she came from or what she is, but she does have a special gift… Kivali is able to enter a trance-like state to harness the “knowings” inside her.

Just what are these “knowings” and how do they help Kivali in this coming-of-age story? Well, I guess we will have to read this book and find out!

The second book that I am excited to see is a picture book written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (who may be a new favorite illustrator of mine). The Day the Crayons Came Home is a companion to the insanely popular The Day the Crayons Quit! and is sure to be just as entertaining for children and parents as the first book.

In this beautifully illustrated picture book, Duncan is about to take on the task of rescuing crayons from beneath sofa cushions and inside of socks.

This is a story about finding friends in the unlikeliest of places, surviving the tough times in life, and coming home (to the crayon box).