Here are 100 books that A Royal Conundrum fans have personally recommended if you like
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Starting at age ten, I loved everything about Superman. I loved his origin story—who wouldn’t root for an alien baby arriving on Earth with superpowers that are eventually used to fight evil? Superman comics were a place for me to escape for entertainment and to dream about becoming something more…maybe something super. I hope kids today will dream about superheroes and, in the end, realize they have superpowers they can use to make their lives and the world a better place. This explains why I connect with the following five books.
I fell in love with these two brothers, Link and Hud, but I couldn’t help asking myself what I would do if I were one of their long line of failed babysitters. Their energy and hi-jinks would challenge anyone. At the same time those same characteristics make Link and Hud loveable and memorable. Never underestimate the creativity and intelligence of a child.
I hope all kids will embrace their imaginations and childhood years to have grand adventures. I loved the mix of comic book storytelling inserted within passages of text.
Lincoln and Hudson Dupre are brothers with what grown-ups call "active imaginations". Link and Hud hunt for yetis in the Himalayas and battle orcs on epic quests. Unfortunately, their imaginary adventures wreak havoc in their real world. Dr. and Mrs. Dupre have tried every babysitter in the neighbourhood and are at their wits' end.
Enter Ms Joyce. Strict and old-fashioned, she proves to be a formidable adversary. The boys don't like her or her rules and decide she's got to go. Through a series of escalating events-told as high-action comic panel sequences-the brothers conspire to undermine Ms Joyce and get…
Starting at age ten, I loved everything about Superman. I loved his origin story—who wouldn’t root for an alien baby arriving on Earth with superpowers that are eventually used to fight evil? Superman comics were a place for me to escape for entertainment and to dream about becoming something more…maybe something super. I hope kids today will dream about superheroes and, in the end, realize they have superpowers they can use to make their lives and the world a better place. This explains why I connect with the following five books.
Jack Briglio’s main character, Logan, is non-verbal and autistic. There are many scary things for him in the world, like clowns, but Logan has learned to cope by becoming the superhero ThunderBoom. By wearing this identity and acting it out, Logan learns he’s a little bit super, too.
The graphic novel format is perfect for a story about a non-verbal boy. The pictures fill in where words can’t come out of Logan’s mouth. I found this book to be moving, and it opened a window for me to see inside the heart of a very special boy.
An action-packed superhero story about the power of imagination.
In this exciting graphic novel, Logan is thrilled when his parents tell him they’re all taking the train to see the Santa Claus parade. But Logan isn’t like most 11-year-olds - he can’t speak, and he mostly lives in his head. On this adventure, Logan must face some of his greatest fears: masks, dogs and the unknown. When he’s separated from his parents at the parade, Logan goes where he’s the bravest version of himself - his imagination. Transforming into superhero ThunderBoom, Logan is determined to stomp his way through any…
Starting at age ten, I loved everything about Superman. I loved his origin story—who wouldn’t root for an alien baby arriving on Earth with superpowers that are eventually used to fight evil? Superman comics were a place for me to escape for entertainment and to dream about becoming something more…maybe something super. I hope kids today will dream about superheroes and, in the end, realize they have superpowers they can use to make their lives and the world a better place. This explains why I connect with the following five books.
Portico Reeves tries hard to escape the “mean time.” When his parents are fighting, he retreats to his fantastical castle home, where he becomes Stuntboy to protect everyone who dwells within. But as often happens when our fantasy flights bump into our reality, Portico gets a bad case of the frets.
I admire how Jason Reynolds tackles a serious issue with a framework of fun, complete with humorous commercial breaks. I could relate to Portico’s dilemma and was rooting for him all the way. I hope kids will read this and realize their parents’ “mean time” is not their fault, and it’s not their job to stop the fighting.
He's the newest superhero in town. Or at least in his own head. He'll save you from baddies like Herbert Singletary The Worst and the Frets. Or at least he'll TRY to. And maybe someone will end up saving him too...
From two superheroes, 2021 CILIP Carnegie Medal winning author Jason Reynolds and super illustrator Raul the Third, comes a never-before-seen tale featuring acts of daring and courage... and one mysterious cat.
Starting at age ten, I loved everything about Superman. I loved his origin story—who wouldn’t root for an alien baby arriving on Earth with superpowers that are eventually used to fight evil? Superman comics were a place for me to escape for entertainment and to dream about becoming something more…maybe something super. I hope kids today will dream about superheroes and, in the end, realize they have superpowers they can use to make their lives and the world a better place. This explains why I connect with the following five books.
I’m a huge Alan Gratz fan, and this book did not disappoint. Like the creators of Superman, Siegel and Schuster, in Heroes, we have a tween writer, Frank, and a tween artist, Stanley, who talk non-stop about superhero comics as they set out to write their own. But this day is December 7, 1947, and the Japanese military attacks the boys’ Pearl Harbor home.
Gratz brings history to life with the stories of life-like characters. Frank was already riddled with fears, even fear of flip flops (you’ll have to read the book), and now the situation is beyond his worst fears. Not many of us will be tested as these boys are tested, but Gratz has the power in his writing to put us in perilous situations in order to examine our own lives.
Growing up in a violent household drove me to find refuge in books and libraries. By vicariously experiencing other lives, I found inspiration in strong heroines. I am continuously attracted to stories where women who are victims of crime or injustice fight back with grit, brains, and strategy to win. That being said, in a worldly society that demands conformity in behavior and thought, the outsider—that independent thinker who embraces her individuality and faith—is my very favorite kind of heroine. The outsider heroine is also the kind I create in my books to inspire women to complain less and achieve more.
I recommend this book for its suspenseful pacing, fabulous characters, and resolute heroine who fights for justice despite extreme heartbreak and danger.
“Jack” and her husband Gabe are hired to break into buildings and computer networks to test their security systems, but one break-in goes sideways and turns deadly. Her courage is inspiring. “Jack” does an unusual job that is often mistaken for criminal activity.
I adore “Jack” because instead of collapsing into a pool of self-pity when her world falls apart, she draws strength to get justice against dangerous enemies.
PRE-ORDER ONE PERFECT COUPLE, THE THRILLING NEW NOVEL - AND THEN THERE WERE NONE meets THE TRAITORS - FROM INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR RUTH WARE, OUT JULY 2024!
'This is Ruth Ware like you've never read her before' DAVID BALDACCI
'She's done it again!' CLARE MACKINTOSH
HER HUSBAND HAS BEEN MURDERED AND SHE'S THE ONLY SUSPECT. WHAT SHOULD SHE DO?
Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband Gabe are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead.
I love to see complicated characters rising to the occasion. People in real life generally have a lot going on just handling the day-to-day, and they aren’t waiting around for adventure, romance, or mystery to find them. It feels very human to me to see characters struggling with more mundane things like social situations, worrying about their appearance, or holding down a job, rather than only focusing on the plot arc, and that’s the type of character I also focus on as a writer. My latest protagonist, Simon, definitely has enough problems without a missing-person case to solve, so he may be what got me thinking of this topic.
The complicated and wonderful characters in Mia’s family really drew me in. They all have enough to deal with: the pandemic; Mia’s first breakup; her complicated relationship with her twin, who seems to do everything right; their brother Eugene’s disabilities, which mean he’s often discriminated against or underestimated; and their parents’ struggles to keep it all together and move on from heartbreaking false hopes.
When her father disappears, Mia doesn’t let her other problems or even the fear and heartbreak get in the way of her determination to find out the truth–no matter how painful–and protect Eugene from unjust suspicion.
I loved the role the complex bonds between the various family members came to play in unraveling this case and coping with its ramifications.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • When a father goes missing, his family’s desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another in this thrilling page-turner, a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek.
Belletrist Book Club Pick • Finalist for the New American Voices Award • “This is a story with so many twists and turns I was riveted through the last page.”—Jodi Picoult
One of the Most Anticipated Books of the Season: The New York Times • Los Angeles…
For the last 19 years, I have worked narcotics K-9s for a private company called Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines. I recently retired from the K-9 work, but over the years, I loved seeing how dogs solve crimes in real life. Not only do they help us solve crimes, but dogs have a way of reaching people and changing lives. Dogs are quite literally “man’s (or woman’s) best friend,” and because of that, they become the best partners for many characters in books. There’s nothing better than discovering a new K-9 series that depicts the real-life love and bond between K-9 and handler.
I am so happy I discovered Griffith’s Sam Rivers Mystery Series. While each book reads great as a standalone, I recommend starting with the first book in the series, Wolf Kill. Dead Catch, the fourth book, continues the story of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Agent Sam Rivers and his faithful four-legged sidekick Gray—a wolf-hybrid. I love that Griffith has a wolf-hybrid as his fictional K-9 character.
Griffith weaves environmental issues into each book. Dead Catch explores the world of poaching walleye, which I found fascinating. But adding to the mystery is the relationship between Sam and his childhood friend charged with murder. I appreciated the theme of giving those we love a second chance and reviving a friendship years after a tragedy.
A murdered conservation officer and a multi-million-dollar poaching business-how are they connected to Sam Rivers' childhood friend?
Holden Riggins is an expert outdoorsman and a known poacher. He's made a small fortune by exploiting nature's bounty. So it's no surprise when two conservation officers (COs) from the Department of Natural Resources come upon Holden's fishing boat, anchored beside an illegal walleye net.
What is a surprise, though, is Holden's condition: nearly frozen to death on the bottom of his boat. That's not the COs' most shocking discovery. Twisted and tangled within the twines of another nearby net is the dead…
I love the thrill of the chase and have always been passionate about the dramatic. In school, I was always the evil sorceress in plays. Later, as a professional actress, I sought dramatic roles or outrageously funny characters. Psychological thrillers fulfill the need to make my world more dramatic than it actually is. I call good thrillers “fudge reading.” Because having them in my life is like pigging out on the best fudge you can find, now, as a writer of psychological thrillers, I try and give my readers a roller coaster ride on daring topics just the way these five writers have inspired me to do.
I never realized before that a horror novel could also be a spellbinding thriller. Early on, I learned about the awful things this supposedly respectable couple was doing in their basement and the ghastly purpose they had done it for. But pit it against the naivete of the bumbling private detective who stumbles into the disaster, and for me, the story was thrilling and horrible at the same time.
Again, the author’s prose just took my breath away. I found myself holding my breath while turning the page and then letting it out when the chapter finished. This is one hell of a story!
Holly Gibney, one of Stephen King’s most compelling and ingeniously resourceful characters, returns in this thrilling novel to solve the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a midwestern town.
“Sometimes the universe throws you a rope.” —BILL HODGES
Stephen King’s Holly marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Readers have witnessed Holly’s gradual transformation from a shy (but also brave and ethical) recluse in Mr. Mercedes to Bill Hodges’s partner in Finders Keepers to a full-fledged, smart, and occasionally tough private detective in The Outsider. In King’s new novel, Holly is on her own, and up against…
I know all too well that finding a diagnosis and treating a chronic health condition can be like unraveling a mystery—maybe that’s why characters dealing with these issues make natural detectives. As a mystery writer with chronic illness, I love reading about sleuths who embody the difficulties of living with health challenges yet show the tremendous capacity we still have to contribute. Many of the sleuths on this list are confined to their homes and unable to work, so solving a mystery not only adds suspense. It gives us the satisfaction of seeing these characters find their way back into the world and rediscover their sense of purpose.
Lana Rubicon is one of my favorite fictional characters in recent years. Real estate powerhouse and femme fatale, Lana is a force to be reckoned with—that is, until she gets cancer, goes through surgery and chemo, and moves in with her estranged daughter and granddaughter.
With work off-limits and her sense of purpose taken away, Lana becomes consumed with solving a murder. What I love about Lana is the wonderful balance of how the normally tough-as-nails woman accepts her vulnerability and, in the process, opens herself up to reconciling with her daughter and demonstrates just how strong she is.
Nothing brings a family together like a murder next door.
"The perfect mix of family drama and murder mystery" (Kellye Garrett, award-winning author) in this lighthearted whodunnit about a grandmother-mother-daughter trio of amateur sleuths. Think: Gilmore Girls, but with murder.
High-powered businesswoman Lana Rubicon has a lot to be proud of: her keen intelligence, impeccable taste, and the L.A. real estate empire she's built. But when she finds herself trapped 300 miles north of the city, convalescing in a sleepy coastal town with her adult daughter Beth and teenage granddaughter Jack,…
Many of us were taught as children that life isn’t fair. I never accepted this; shouldn’t we do all we can to make life fair? I grew up to be a lifelong activist and a writer for social justice organizations. As a reader and writer, I love books about women’s lives, especially women who realize that the world around them shapes their own experiences. Sometimes history is happening right here, right now—and you know it. Those transformative moments spark the best stories, illuminating each book I’ve recommended.
Any book in which a journalist and a librarian are the heroes gets a gold star from me. In this gripping novel, a Black journalist from Detroit who writes about the Black Lives Matter movement goes to Birmingham, Alabama, in 2019 on a personal and professional quest.
Her great-grandfather was, she believes, killed there by a white policeman 90 years ago, and she’s determined to find out the truth. She also thinks his story can illuminate what’s happening nationwide today. Based on this compelling premise, the novel is a mystery, a love story, a history, and an examination of racial justice rolled into one. I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes view of exactly how a journalist builds a story.
A searing and tender novel about a young Black journalist’s search for answers in the unsolved murder of her great-grandfather in segregated Birmingham, Alabama, decades ago—inspired by the author’s own family history
Birmingham, 1929: Robert Lee Harrington, a master carpenter, has just moved to Alabama to pursue a job opportunity, bringing along his pregnant wife and young daughter. Birmingham is in its heyday, known as the “Magic City” for its booming steel industry, and while Robert and his family find much to enjoy in the city’s busy markets and vibrant nightlife, it’s also a stronghold for the Klan. And with…
