Atlantic County Library System

Two new middle grade novels with academic settings have a message for students: Beware adults who claim they only want what’s best for you.

When the “Crime Junkie” co-host’s debut novel came out, it didn’t seem real until she signed copies to the sound of boarding announcements.

“Somewhere along the line I liberated myself from the idea that I have to finish every book I start, instantly enlarging my exposure to new kinds of books.,” says the author and illustrator, whose latest picture book is “The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster!” “A book doesn’t have to be to my taste to be ‘good.’”

In King’s latest novel, a teenage boy discovers another world beneath a backyard shed.