Welcome to another edition of Must Read Monday!

This feature is where I spotlight older, recent, or upcoming releases I am looking forward to. The lists will include all genres I like to read, everything from picture books to comics, children’s lit to adult fiction!

This week: Peter Brown‘s The Wild Robot and Ally Condie‘s Summerlost. First up is the children’s fiction debut from popular and acclaimed picture book author and illustrator Peter Brown. I have adored all of Brown’s books so far- from You Will Be My Friend to My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I am not.). With four starred reviews already (!) (from Kirkus, Booklist and more), and a description that had me hooked from the moment of reading it, I think The Wild Robot sounds like a wonderfully unique and emotional middle grade read. Second up is Summerlost, the middle grade debut from author Ally Condie- perhaps best known as the author of bestselling dystopian YA series Matched. While dystopian YA and I have not had the best of relationships, I am really looking forward to read what Condie does with a completely different genre. With a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, and multiple favourable reviews, Summerlost looks to be a solid middle grade read (with a nice touch of mystery and surprise).

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Expected publication: April 5, 2016 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. Why is she there? Where did she come from? And, most important, how will she survive in her harsh surroundings? Roz’s only hope is to learn from the island’s hostile animal inhabitants. When she tries to care for an orphaned gosling, the other animals finally decide to help, and the island starts to feel like home. Until one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her….

Summerlost by Allie Condie
Expected publication: March 29, 2016 by Dutton Books for Young Readers

It’s the first real summer since the devastating accident that killed Cedar’s father and younger brother, Ben. But now Cedar and what’s left of her family are returning to the town of Iron Creek for the summer. They’re just settling into their new house when a boy named Leo, dressed in costume, rides by on his bike. Intrigued, Cedar follows him to the renowned Summerlost theatre festival. Soon, she not only has a new friend in Leo and a job working concessions at the festival, she finds herself surrounded by mystery. The mystery of the tragic, too-short life of the Hollywood actress who haunts the halls of Summerlost. And the mystery of the strange gifts that keep appearing for Cedar.

Infused with emotion and rich with understanding, Summerlost is the touching middle grade debut from Ally Condie, the international bestselling author of the Matched series, that highlights the strength of family and personal resilience in the face of tragedy.