Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a picture book about a boy’s encounter with a mysterious creature, a graphic novel following the founding of a creative club, a YA novel about a witch’s quest for agency spiraling out of control, and more.
The Boy Who Lost His Spark by Maggie O’Farrell, illus. by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. Walker US, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-3393-3. After moving to a new town, Jem discovers a nouka, a mysterious local rumored to be behind the mischievous tricks plaguing the family’s new home.
The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud. Graphix, $24.99 hardcover; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-338-77722-2; ISBN 978-1-3387-7721-5. Eager to make her own comics, middle schooler Makayla, a budding writer, joins forces with fellow creatives to establish the titular Cartoonists Club. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
The Coven Tendency by Zoe Hana Mikuta. Disney Hyperion, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-36809-919-6. When witch Vanity Adams escapes the hold of the museum curators who keep her captive with the help of fellow witches Clover and Ellies, Vanity becomes entangled with the duo, and her tenuous grip on her powers—and reality—grows increasingly unstable. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
A Day at the Beach by Gary D. Schmidt and Ron Koertge, illus. by Yaoyao Ma Van As. Clarion, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-338092-9. Authors Schmidt and Koertge team up to explore a single day at Rockcastle Beach, N.J., through the perspectives of more two dozen kids in this winsome work.
Earl & Worm #1: The Bad Idea and Other Stories by Greg Pizzoli. Knopf, $10.99; ISBN 978-0-5936-4966-4. Via this three-story early reader, Pizzoli chronicles an unexpected friendship growing between two new neighbors: extroverted saxophonist Earl, a white bird in a blue jacket, and book-loving introvert Worm, who lives in an apple-shaped abode.
Hazel the Handful by Jamie Michalak, illus. by Matt Myers. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-3119-9. Hazel, a tiny brown and gray terrier, grows concerned after she makes a big mess but realizes that there is plenty of room in her family—and in her own heart as well—even when she makes mistakes.
Hedgehogs Don’t Wear Underwear by Marissa Valdez. Roaring Brook, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-81438-8. Hedgehog Jacques girds his loins while preparing to make a big announcement: he loves to wear underwear.
Hilwa’s Gifts by Safa Suleiman, illus. by Anait Semirdzhyan. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-2942-4. Harvest season and more time with nature deepens feelings of connection in a work that highlights the enduring role of olive trees in Palestinian culture.
How to Tell a True Story by Tricia Springstubb. Holiday House/Ferguson, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-82345-8-486. After her family’s home is engulfed by fire, seventh grader Amber Price grapples with tensions within her family as well as her sudden new popularity at school.
Kaya Morgan’s Crowning Achievement by Jill Tew. Freedom Fire, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-368-10468-5. Middle schooler Kaya Morgan is thrilled to finally join the Renaissance fair’s apprentice camp and train for the role of queen, but must acclimate when she’s instead cast as the court jester, and deals with an administration using her image to diversify the financially struggling camp’s image. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
The Littlest Drop by Sascha Alper, illus. by Jerry and Brian Pinkney. Random House/Schwartz, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-30912-4. When a fire breaks out, a single hummingbird proves that their effort to bring water to stop the fire has tremendous impact. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Mistaco! by Eliza Kinkz. Kokila, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-5937-0023-5. Kinkz, making her solo debut with magnificently scrawled artwork, offers a story that blends deep empathy, raucous candor, and a useful ritual for dealing with shame. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Nightmare Hunter (Maxwell Dark #1) by Brady Smith. Penguin Workshop, $23.99 hardcover; $13.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-75118-3; ISBN 978-0-5937-5113-8. Orphaned middle schooler Maxwell Dark utilizes his gift to enter dreams to help classmate Sid in expelling her demons and discovers traces of his missing older sister in the dreamscape that exists parallel to his own realm.
The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton. Viking, $21.99; ISBN 978-0-451-47966-2. Two cousins, established Nora and newcomer Lotte, compete in a trial to inherit the family fortune in this fantastical mystery.
The Pecan Sheller by Lupe Ruiz-Flores. Carolrhoda, $18.99; ISBN 979-8-7656-1052-7. Petra is forced to leave school and shell pecans in a factory for little pay and in dangerous conditions. But when a tragedy occurs, Petra must weigh her family’s needs with the changes promised by a strike and union, should she join other laborers’ efforts. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Renegade Girls: A Queer Tale of Romance and Rabble-Rousing by Nora Neus, illus. by Julie Robine. Little, Brown Ink, $25.99 hardcover; $18.99 paper ISBN 978-0-316-43983-1; ISBN 978-0-3164-3993-0. A determined teen spending the summer with her wealthy aunt and uncle in 1880s New York City eschews societal expectations to find a suitor, instead working as a stunt reporter to expose the city’s injustices. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
The Summer of the Bone Horses by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, illus. by Steph Littlebird. Amulet, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-41975-955-0. Eddie spends a summer at his grandparents’ Rosebud Reservation home, learning how to help care for the land, and when his grandfather is injured, it’s up to Eddie to use everything he’s learned to get him to the hospital. The chapter book received a starred review from PW.
We Leap Together by Christopher Silas Neal. Knopf, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-81264-8. Though whales live in the water and human beings live on Earth, their mammalian lifeways parallel each other, Neal shows in a series of side-by-side portraits. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of April, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
