The Groundhog predicted early spring, and that's welcome news to everyone at the BAM offices! If you need us, we'll be over here making our lists for spring reading, summer reading, beach reading, vacation reading...

On the Come Up, by Angie Thomas

Don't miss the highly anticipated second novel from Angie Thomas, bestselling author of The Hate U Give. On the Come Up returns to the world of Garden Heights in a story about fighting for your dreams, even when the odds are against you.Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be a rapper. Her dad was a hip hop legend who died before he hit it big. But it's hard to get your come up when you're going hungry at home and everyone at school writes you off as a hoodlum. When her first music video goes viral (for all the wrong reasons), she finds herself at the center of a media frenzy.On the Come Up is an insightful and heartfelt ode to hip hop from a new and hugely influential literary voice. Don't miss our interview with Angie Thomas, where she discusses OTCU and THUG.

American Pop, by Snowden Wright

American Pop follows three generations of a wealthy Mississippi family whose fortune was built on PanCola, a soft drink that created a dynasty. The saga begins with Houghton Forster, a child of immigrants who always wanted more. When he hit the big time, his family had to learn to live up to their newfound wealth. The novel continues through the generations that follow, moving from Mississippi to Paris to New York, in a humorous mosaic that blends fact and fiction.

Merchants of Truth, by Jill Abramson

From former executive editor of the New York Times comes a groundbreaking and definitive study of how the news media has been upended over the past decade. Merchants of Truth follows four companies--The New York Times, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed, and VICE Media--over the last decade of radical turbulence and disruption in the media world. As Abramson argues, we've come to a head and are facing a crisis that threatens the very fabric of the free press. Merchants of Truth is a book about the future of truth in a society that so often ignores it.

Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry, by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down the mysteries of the cosmos easy-to-swallow pieces, from the basics of physics to the nature of space and time. Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry brings the secrets of how the universe works to those who you may have thought were too young to understand, with a little fun thrown in for good measure. This edition is specifically for young people, featuring full-color photos, infographics, and explanations to make even the most difficult ideas accessible.