A new book combines the alphabet with bedtime in "The Sleepy Little Alphabet" by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Melissa Sweet.

In calm, rhyming text, the book tells the story of the little letters in Alphabet Town, and their parents trying to get them to settle down and go to sleep. A child's bedtime routine is shown, from book to bath to kisses goodnight, and some of the letters, like some little kids don't want to go to sleep yet!

The illustrations are fun and will establish a few nighttime giggles. This would be a great book for a preschooler's bedtime story.

"The Sleepy Little Alphabet" is published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House. It is $16.99 and is for ages 2 to 6.

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A pig believes she's a princess thanks to a humorous quirk in "Princess Pig" by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by Tim Bowers.

When a gust of wind rips the sash off of the Pickle Princess and blows it onto Pig, who is sleeping, she wakes up believing she's been crowned royalty. Goat tells her a princess wears a crown, so Pig makes one. Cow says she must have a gold necklace, so Pig makes one. Rooster says she must smell good, so Pig makes "perfume." And turns the tractor into her throne. The other animals start to wonder if maybe she is a princess, but not Pony. Soon she has the farmer and the other animals waiting on her. But then Pig begins to realize being a princess isn't fun all the time. She can't roll in the mud anymore and can't play with her friends anymore. Maybe being who she really is is better after all.

A great story about being yourself, this is a cute story for little girls obsessed with being princesses and anyone to know they are just right the way they are.

"Princess Pig" is published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House. It is $16.99 and is for ages 5 to 8.

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Two little girls from opposite parts of Kentucky learn how much they have in common in Newbery Medal winning author Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's "Faith, Hope, and Ivy June."

Ivy June lives in the hills of Thunder Creek. She's recently moved in with her grandparents up the hill because her parents' house has become too crowded after the birth of their fifth child. Ivy June doesn't mind, and in fact loves to be closer to her coal-miner grandfather and help her grandma take care of her 100-year-old great-grandmother. She only wishes the rest of her family wouldn't be so standoffish when she goes to see them, especially since it's been announced she's been chosen for an exchange program.

Ivy June is to spend two weeks with Catherine in Lexington, and then Catherine will spend two weeks in Thunder Creek with her and both girls will record their experience in journals. Her family is worried Ivy June will get too many ideas from visiting the city or be treated badly, but Ivy June just wants the experiences.

Ivy June finds life at Catherine's to be a fun journey as she attends her all-girls school, church, and goes to see plays and horses. And Catherine's family, especially her stepgrandmother, find Ivy June to be beyond any stereotype. The two girls become friends as they see past any differences they have and focus on the similiarities. When Catherine comes for her part of the visit, the two find themselves both experiencing fear as Catherine's sick mother worsens and Ivy's grandfather is trapped in a mine and neither knows how their loved one is doing. The support the two give each other is endearing and theirs is a friendship that will last as they promise to write each other and look to a future where they can possibly even be college roommates one day.

A wonderful story of two little girls with two different lifestyles, both characters are relatable and strong girls with their own inner strength to rely on. This is a great book for other young girls.

"Faith, Hope, and Ivy June" is published by Random House. It is $16.99 and is for ages 9 to 12.

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Keep a box of tissues near by for the heartwrenching "Love, Aubrey" by Suzanne LaFleur.

When the reader meets her, eleven-year-old Aubrey is taking care of herself because no one else is there. Soon her grandmother shows up because she can't get ahold of anyone on the phone and finds that her daughter has abandoned Aubrey in the wake of the accident that took both Aubrey's father and little sister. She takes her back to Vermont to live with her and Aubrey begins a journey of healing. Aubrey is angry with her mother for leaving her and is missing her father and little sister. Memories of them and everything that has happened make her physically ill. With the help of the girl next door who becomes her best friend, Aubrey begins to confront her feelings about what has happened and is able to begin to find a new life in Vermont. And when her mother is finally found and begins a healing process of her own, eventually wanting Aubrey to come back home and try to start being a family again, what will Aubrey do?

This is a very emotional book about tragedy and the healing that comes after. In letters at first to her sister's imaginary friend, and then finally to her father, sister and eventually her mother, Aubrey deals with what she is feeling along the journey and is a very sympathetic character. This is a powerful book that will leave the reader thinking after the last page.

"Love, Aubrey" is published by Random House. It is $15.99 and is for ages 9 to 14.

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One summer changes everything for a troubled teen in "One Lonely Degree" by C.K. Kelly Martin.

Finn's problems really start before the summer begins. Her only close friend is Audrey, and Audrey is the only one who knows what happened at a party with Adam Porter. Finn's parents are fighting all the time and it scares her and her brother. When an old friend of her mom's moves back to town with her now handsome son, Finn's friendly to Jersy, but Audrey is the one who falls for him. Soon Audrey and Jersy are using Finn as their cover story to sneak around together. Finn's getting sick of it, but things go from bad to worse when they're caught. Audrey is shipped away to an aunt's for the summer, leaving Finn and Jersy behind.

Finn's stuck working the job the two of them were going to do together and somehow, hanging out with Jersy. But as the two become closer and Finn tells him about Adam and about her parents' break-up, it becomes apparent that they want to be together. And Finn will have to deal with the consequences of this with Audrey.

A story about changing relationships, this is a interesting read about one girl's summer and how everything in her life changes.

"One Lonely Degree" is published by Random House. It is $16.99 and is for ages 14 and up.

Contact Amy Mendenhall at amendenhall@newsandsentinel.com