June 2026 Books

** Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Seaside Corpse by Marthe Jocelyn with illustrations by Isabelle Follath - My god! The writing by Jocelyn is damn near poetic at times. Scratch that, it is poetic. There was a bit at the start of a chapter when Aggie is in a tent by the seashore and the description was so good that I could hear the light passing of a breeze against the tent and the surf lapping against the sandy pebbled beach. I even took a photo of the page so I would remember to share it here: But the white canvas glowed in today's early sunshine, making it seem that I had slept inside a seashell. The rolling murmur of waves was as steady as blood through a vein. I love when an author overly describes things because it allows me to jump into the story as if I were Mary Poppins with Bert and the children, popping in to the chalk painting and becoming a part of it. I was able to peer over Aggie's shoulder and watch the unearthing of a new dinosaur and sit beside her in the tent gazing in amazement as Hector volunteered in the circus show. I so, so hope that more is to come in this fantastic series.

♥ Narwhal Peanut Butter and Jelly by Ben Clanton - I thought no series could be cuter than Dog Man by Dav Pilkey, but then I discovered Narwhal and Jelly, the stinkin' cutiest cute-cutes in all the land. Or, sea rather. Regardless of where they roam, Narwhal and Jelly are adorable to the max and I look forward to one day having every book in the series. This one is about a narwhal that eats only waffles until he is introduced to peanut butter cookies by his jellyfish pal. Who wouldn't want to read a story like that? Well, if such a person exists, I do not want them in my circle of friends, that's for sure.

Penny Parker Mystery Stories: Tale of the Witch Doll by Mildred A. Wirt - I had high hopes that this series of books by my favourite Nancy Drew author would be a new go-to for relaxing reads in between heavier ones. Nope. It was blah and I put it in one of the Little Free Library boxes right after I was done with it. Wholly unmemorable.

¹ - audiobook
² - abridged version
* - liked
♥ - loved
Any unmarked titles were, in my opinion, so-so.