The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston, 327 pages

 ‘Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.'

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he’s desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. But Fred’s luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of grumpy Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up.

Denise Simms is stuck breathing the same disappointing air again and again. A middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard's facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter's health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. Wounded by her two-faced husband, she vows never to let a man deceive her again.

As Fred walks in Bernard’s shoes, he leaves a trail of kindness behind him, fueling Denise's suspicions about his true identity. When unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition.

Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a hilarious, feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.

World of Betty and Veronica #21, 225 pages

 TWO BRAND NEW STORIES! First, in “Snow Way!“ When Betty & Veronica make snowmen in front of Veronica’s mansion, Veronica decides to outdo Betty and make a high-fashion snow-woman. Even though it’s done mostly as a joke, it catches the eye of a Holiday blogger and goes viral. Suddenly Veronica’s on Fashion TV with a whole runway of fashionable snow-people! But can she keep her cool enough to maintain this level of cold-weather celebrity?

Then, in “Expensive Stuffing,” Betty’s volunteering at the local animal rehabilitation center, when she’s tasked with a very special case—the superhero Captain Flag’s beloved pet eagle is sick! Does Betty have the know-how to bring this special super-powered animal back to health?

Archie's Double Digest #114, 125 pages

 

World of Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics #32, 189 pages

 BRAND NEW STORY! Jaguar and Jughead are being held by a group of super-power squashing gangsters! Can Superteen and Powerteen rescue them without their powers?

The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Broden, 95 pages

 In 1940, Hans and Margret Rey fled their Paris home as the German army advanced. They began their harrowing journey on bicycles, pedaling to Southern France with children’s book manuscripts, including what would become the international sensation Curious George, among their few possessions.

Louise Borden combed primary resources, including Hans Rey’s pocket diaries, to tell this dramatic true story. Her collection of archival materials introduce readers to the world of Hans and Margret Rey while Allan Drummond's dramatic and colorful artwork illustrates their wartime trek to a new home.

Now elementary school readers can follow the Rey’s amazing journey in this Young Reader's Edtion. Part travel journal, part gripping biography this volume includes full-color illustrations, original photos, ticket stubs, entries from Hans Rey's diaries, activities, an new afterword, and an interview with the author. The perfect selection for book reports, biography units, and Curious George fans of all ages. 

Happy Medium by Sarah Adler, 556 pages

 A clever con woman must convince a skeptical, sexy farmer of his property's resident real-life ghost if she's to save them all from a fate worse than death, in this delightful new novel from the author of Mrs. Nash's Ashes .

Fake spirit medium Gretchen Acorn is happy to help when her best ( wealthiest) client hires her to investigate the unexplained phenomena preventing the sale of her bridge partner’s struggling goat farm. Gretchen may be a fraud, but she'd like to think she’s a beneficent one. So if "cleansing" the property will help a nice old man finally retire and put some much-needed cash in her pockets at the same time, who's she to say no?

Of course, it turns out said bridge partner isn't the kindly AARP member Gretchen imagined—Charlie Waybill is young, hot as hell, and extremely unconvinced that Gretchen can communicate with the dead. (Which, fair.) Except, to her surprise, Gretchen finds herself face-to-face with the very real, very chatty ghost that’s been wreaking havoc during every open house. And he wants her to help ensure Charlie avoids the same family curse that's had Everett haunting Gilded Creek since the 1920s.

Now, Gretchen has one month to convince Charlie he can’t sell the property. Unfortunately, hard work and honesty seem to be the way to win over the stubborn farmer—not exactly Gretchen's strengths. But trust isn’t the only thing growing between them, and the risk of losing Charlie to the spirit realm looms over Gretchen almost as annoyingly as Everett himself. To save the goat farm, its friendly phantom, and the man she's beginning to love, Gretchen will need to pull off the greatest con of her being fully, genuinely herself.

What Time the Sexton's Spade doth Rust by Alan Bradley, 298 pages

 In the absence of adult supervision, Flavia has taken on the mentorship of her “pestilent” younger cousin Undine. Undine too seems fascinated by mayhem. Flavia has nigglings of doubt about her motivations. Has Undine inherited her dead mother’s darkness? Or worse?

A mysterious villager, Major Goodinall, a virtual hermit and former public hangman with stomach-curdling deeds in his past, has been found dead, killed by ingesting poisonous mushrooms.

In her search for the murderer, Flavia becomes entangled with the families of those who have lost relatives to the dead man, only to be led to the most unlikely of suspects.