Hitting bookshelves next week are a picture book about America’s melting pot, a middle grade novel about an eventful summer road trip, and a YA novel in which one character struggles with mental illness, and a young hopeful psychiatrist takes an interest in him.
Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie, illus. by Yuyi Morales. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-01372-7. The first picture book from National Book Award winner Alexie tells the story of an American Indian boy choosing his name – and asserting his identity – within his family.
The Airport Book by Lisa Brown. Roaring Brook/Porter, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-62672-091-6. Plenty of tiny surprises are sprinkled throughout this picture book tracing a family’s – and many other travelers’ – airport journey.
From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess: Royal Wedding Disaster by Meg Cabot. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-2500-6604-6. Cabot’s middle grade novel follows princess Olivia as she discovers her new palace home, and half-sister Mia from the Princess Diaries series plans her wedding.
Our Great Big Backyard by Laura Bush and Jenna Bush Hager, illus. by Jacqueline Rogers. HarperCollins, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-246835-2. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, former First Lady Laura Bush and her daughter Jenna Bush Hager offer up a picture book tribute to national parks and the importance of connecting with nature.
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge. Abrams/Amulet, $17.95; ISBN 978-1-4197-1895-3. The winner of this year’s Costa prize (marking only the second time a children’s book has taken the honor) is a supernatural story about a girl who discovers a tree that feeds on lies. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Bell in the Bridge by Ted Kooser, illus. by Barry Root. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-6481-7. This picture book from the duo behind Bag in the Wind moves slowly through a summer vacation as Charlie, staying with his grandparents for two weeks, passes the time by exploring outside. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Three Magic Balloons by Julianna and Paul Margulies, illus. by Grant Shaffer. Random House, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-101-93523-1. Actress Margulies retells a story her father told her in childhood, about three siblings and their magic balloons.
Unrivaled by Alyson Noël. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-232452-8. Noël (Matched) launches the Beautiful Idols series with this novel about teens set in the glitzy, elitist, and seamy Los Angeles nightclub scene.
Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat by Gary Paulsen. Simon & Schuster, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-5223-6. The Hatchet author moves it indoors for this middle grade novel about six eighth-grade boys taking shelter in a school bathroom during a severe weather alert.
This Is My Dollhouse by Giselle Potter. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-553-52153-5. Potter’s picture book narrator takes readers on a tour of her lovingly crafted cardboard box dollhouse and all its accoutrements, including a “plate of noodles” from a bottle cap and yarn. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-37959-5. The power of the written word is on full display as junior Nanette O’Hare upends her privileged, “normal” life after discovering an out-of-print cult classic. The book earned a starred review from PW.
We Came to America by Faith Ringgold. Knopf, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-517-70947-4. Using a broad brush and folk style familiar from her story quilts, Ringgold pictures families of diverse heritage, accompanied by general comments on migrant experiences.
Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding, illus. by Sydney Smith. Little, Brown, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-316-29858-2. Technically, the Fitzgerald-Trout children are stepsiblings, but in this quirky series kickoff – a sort of modern-day answer to the Boxcar Children – family is family.
Everland by Wendy Spinale. Scholastic Press, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-545-83694-4. Zeppelins dot the sky and Marauders roam the bombed-out streets of Everland, formerly London, in this darkly imaginative take on Peter Pan, which earned a starred review from PW.
Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley. Dial, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-525-42818-3. In need of a subject for a scholarship essay about mental illness, Lisa thrusts herself into 16-year-old Solomon’s existence with a plan to “cure” him of his anxiety and agoraphobia using some armchair cognitive behavior therapy.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of May, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
