Middle Grade ARCs I Picked Up At PLA

I talked yesterday about the awesome experience I had at PLA this past weekend. What I didn’t get to finish talking about is that I picked up so many great ARCs that I’m having a hard time deciding what to start reading first.

If you’re unfamiliar with a large library conference or BookExpo America, let me try and explain it to you. Imagine a large convention center room filled with exhibits – furniture, supply companies and so much more. These exhibits also include many publishing houses with full displays set up promoting previously published titles and new titles recently published. The most exciting part is that they often have ARCs (advanced reader copies) for you to pick up. These are titles that are often slated to be published over the next year and depending on what book and what publisher it is you, the book may or may not be finished, may have significant editing still need to done, illustrations may not be placed in the book yet, etc. Basically, the book has been pre-published to promote it to librarians, booksellers and bloggers in the hopes of getting some strong sales.
Imagine an exhibit floor filled with books that you can just pick up for free! It’s overwhelming and amazing and so much fun! A few points to remember about ARCs:

1. Make sure you talk to the reps that are working these booths – the conference days are long and people can get pushy. I often ask, “What are you most excited about coming out?” This often gets you chatting about books you like and they are often more willing to go search for a title you’re looking for or are willing to send you something from the office if it’s not available at the conference.
2. ARCs cannot be sold, every once in a while you’ll see them for “re-sale” which is illegal (and says so on every ARC I’ve ever received). Don’t do it – it’s not fair to the the people who work so hard on the finished copy. Just buy a new copy and support your favorite authors and illustrators.
3. Some publishers will give you strict instructions on how, what, and when you can review the title. Double-check the book’s first few pages or the publisher’s website for more information.
4. Make sure you use the ARCs for good – don’t pick up every title available. Try to pick up the titles you’ll actually read and find great ways to promote the book – social media, talk it up at work and make sure your organization or you personally buy a copy when it comes out.

These are the middle grade titles I picked up at PLA (and they all look so good!)

1. The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss (2018, no specific date)
2. Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed (May 8, 2018)
3. The Ambrose Deception by Emily Ecton (February 13, 2018)
4. Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead (May 1, 2018)
5. The Boy, The Bird and The Coffin Maker by Matilda Woods (May 1, 2018)
6. Breakout by Kate Messner (June 5, 2018)
7. Charlie & Frog by Karen Kane (April 10, 2018)
8. The Frame-Up by Wendy McLeod MacKnight (June 5, 2018)
9. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake (March 6, 2018)
10. The Jigsaw Jungle by Kristin Levine (June 19, 2018)
11. Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya (August 21, 2018)
12. A Possibility of Whales by Karen Rivers (March 13, 2018)
13. So Done by Paula Chase (August 14, 2018)
14. You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly (April 10, 2018)