Wry text by Rodari (The Book of Whys) presents the satirical adventures of young Cipollino (or “Little Onion”), one of seven brothers living in a whimsical world populated by anthropomorphic fruits, vegetables, insects, and animals. After Cipollino’s father accidentally offends the land’s tyrannical governor, Prince Lemon, Papa Cipollone’s unjust prison sentence inspires the youth to leave home on a mission to free Papa and others who’ve been unfairly jailed. Settling into a new village as an apprentice cobbler to Master Raisin, Cipollino makes an enemy of Cavalier Tomato, a henchman of the local contessas of Cherrytree. Cipollino’s campaign to save villagers from Cavalier’s revenge is complicated by the arrival of Prince Lemon and his ludicrous court dignitaries. As an introduction notes, “insurgent ingenuity triumphs over the petty corruptions and caprices of overripe oranges, steamed tomatoes, and bitter lemons” in this witty tale. Brief asides describe a gluttonous supporting character being transported via wheelbarrow “given the size of his belly.” Tolstikova (Boney) portrays the absurdity of Cipollino’s quests via emotive, mostly unlined watercolor illustrations of the fruits, veggies, and more, which are peppered throughout the rambunctious narrative. Ages 9–14. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 06/27/2025 | Details & Permalink

A tween’s boring summer vacation takes a bizarre turn in this eerie ghost story by Badua (Thea and the Mischief Makers). Twelve-year-old Barnaby Vargas is resigned to spending the summer helping pack up his grandfather’s beachfront home in preparation for his moving in with the Vargases. What Barnaby assumes will be a humdrum season, however, becomes a certified nightmare when he realizes that his family’s nearby summer rental is haunted by perpetually 11-year-old Maxwell Warner, who died in 1984 and has been stuck in the residence ever since. Following some initial friction—the ghost isn’t thrilled to be sharing his room with the mortal, who is similarly unenthused about being haunted—the pair strike a tentative truce: if Barnaby helps Maxwell complete his unfinished business, Maxwell will stop tormenting Barnaby. But the longer it takes to discover what Maxwell’s unfinished business is, the more likely it becomes that Barnaby will be haunted forever. Badua contrasts a carefree summer at the beach with expressions of Maxwell’s—and, across a lateral subplot, Grandpa’s—frustration and loneliness as they each struggle to move on. Maxwell’s plight as a boy out of time and Barnaby’s craving for normalcy against the backdrop of a decades-old mystery further highlight themes of home and belonging as both boys search for their place and purpose. The Vargases are of Filipino descent; Maxwell cues as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Looking Glass Literary. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 06/27/2025 | Details & Permalink

As part of a long-term exploration project, 11-year-old Nathan and his family—members of an alien species called Kast—are masquerading as humans in New York City. But when Nathan starts to unexpectedly grow a tail, and he and his family are summoned to their mother ship, the Wagon, he fears he’ll go missing like several other Earth-side Kast children who failed to maintain cover—including his long-distance crush Izzy. Life on the Wagon is even worse than he expected. Upon arrival, he discovers it to be a place of inequity and deprivation, where Izzy and other disappeared children are forced into menial labor, while Nathan and his new tail are inexplicably celebrated as a success story and sent back to Earth. Suspecting the Wagon’s leadership of hiding a dark secret, Nathan enlists his human best friend Victor to uncover the truth behind his people and their lifelong mission. In this twisty, thoughtful tale, Stead (The List of Things That Will Not Change) touches on themes of estrangement, assimilation, exploitation, and agency as Nathan’s seeking independence for himself and his interstellar peers parallels contemporary challenges faced by immigrants in the U.S. The Kast are described as having “assumed all Earthly skin tones.” Ages 8–12. Agent: Faye Bender, Book Group. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 06/27/2025 | Details & Permalink

Two white-cued brothers who are total opposites team up to win a cash prize in this The Amazing Race–flavored adventure by Grabenstein (the Mr. Lemoncello series). Puzzle-loving Benjamin Broderick, 12, often finds himself at odds with his athletic 18-year-old brother Ethan. When the siblings’ parents persuade them to take a summer road trip together for some much-needed bonding, it looks like a recipe for disaster. Then the boys receive an invitation to participate in a cross-country race for $1 million, hosted by infamous enigmatic puzzle enthusiast Ms. Pennypickle. Ben and Ethan prove ready for the challenge, which takes them on a journey to various iconic stops along Route 66, where puzzles and riddles await them. As they strive to outrace, outwit, and outlast their fellow competitors, the youths gain a greater appreciation of each other’s skills, but their newfound camaraderie may not be enough to see them across the finish line. In this clever and comedic homage to code breaking and treasure hunting, Grabenstein highlights quirky and historic roadside attractions such as the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle and the automotive Stonehenge of the Cadillac Ranch, while offering assorted riddles and puzzles for readers to solve alongside the Brodericks, making for a thoroughly entertaining, lighthearted romp. Ages 8–12. Agent: Carrie Hannigan, HG Literary. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 06/27/2025 | Details & Permalink

When eighth grader Virginia Vaughn’s pals tease her about an encounter with her crush Grayson—a social pariah among her classmates—she vehemently defends herself, leading to a friendship-ending blowout between Virginia and her three besties. The next day, screenshots of the mean things she’s said about fellow students in her friends’ group chat are posted online. Soon all her classmates have turned against Virginia. Feeling isolated, the 13-year-old attempts to befriend Grayson while also seeking refuge in an anonymous texting friendship with someone known only as Knight Errant, with whom she connected via a wrong number message. As bullying by her former friends intensifies and as she struggles to navigate the aftermath of her public fall from grace, Virginia is caught between two developing relationships. Through winningly acerbic, tech-savvy narration, Meadows (Bye Forever, I Guess) explores budding first love, the complexities of toxic middle school frenemies, and the potential boons and perils of online friendships and communities in this introspective offering. Characters default to white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Lauren MacLeod, Aevitas Creative Management. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 06/27/2025 | Details & Permalink

Fifth grader Benji Ames-Cyr hates being the center of attention. He especially dislikes the stares and comments he gets when people notice he “was born without hands.” Living in Maine with Dad and Papa, who adopted him from an overseas orphanage, he’s accustomed to using tools, such as straps to wield utensils. Though he tries to emulate the can-do attitude of his favorite superheroes, he often feels like the opposite of super, particularly because he can’t hold the hand of his spirited seven-year-old sister Becka, who has Down syndrome, to comfort her when she’s overwhelmed or keep her close, as she’s inclined to wander off. Then Benji attends a speech by staff sergeant Dirk Snyder, a “real live superhero” and quadruple amputee who uses a prosthetic arm and legs following an IED explosion. Benji resolves to become more like Snyder, who was “greater than any superhero I’d ever seen before.” This uplifting, feel-good narrative by Plourde (Best Buddies) is reinforced by the compassionate support of Benji’s family and friends, particularly from Snyder, whom the white-cued protagonist looks to as he begins to see himself in a new light. Ages 8–12. Agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 06/27/2025 | Details & Permalink

Known by most creatures as “that delicious shrub on the hill,” Belladonna—a sylph-like plant with dark berries, graceful flowers, and thoughtful eyes—worries about her legacy. If animals keep eating her, how will she ever propagate? She dreams of fleeing the forest on spindly legs topped with magenta booties, musing “All I want is for my flowers to open and for my berries to grow plump in the sun.” Counseled by other flora and fauna, Belladonna realizes that the way to protect the future of her species is to slowly evolve into a poisonous plant. And generations later, another Belladonna comes to understand that select birds—such as a sumptuously illustrated pheasant—will co-evolve, becoming immune to her toxins, scattering her seeds, and ensuring that her progeny can “live happily and multiply.” Shapiro (Roy Is Not a Dog) draws on folk art motifs, botanical art, and classic fairy tale aesthetics to portray a forest where, via debut author Finney’s extended text, everything is not only alive but eager for deep conversations about the paradoxes of adaptation and interdependence. Ages 6–9. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 06/27/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this speculative metafictional romp, readers open the covers to find themselves on one side of an apparent space portal staring at Zrk and Blrg, two bottle-shaped creatures—one chartreuse, one traffic-cone orange—whose googly eyes move around their faces. “ALIENS ARE REAL!!!!” they shout, sure they’re about to be devoured. But after assuring themselves that humans’ pearly whites are tiny and unthreatening, first contact turns into a cosmic meet-cute. Zrk and Blrg ask about “Planeturth”—though it’s hardly a peer of their home planet Xyl (which translates to “most important planet in the most important solar system in the most important galaxy in the universe”)—and introduce readers to their vibrantly colored friends, who, after a moment of trepidation, respond with friendly chorus of “Hi!” It seems like the beginning of a beautiful intergalactic friendship, but sharp-eyed readers will note the “power” and “auto translate” buttons on each spread shifting from green to ominous yellow, setting up a sudden farewell. Portis (A New Green Day) has cooked up something wonderfully weird and slyly relevant—both an interactive experience and a comic reminder that perspective is relative. Ages 4–8. Agent: Deborah Warren, East/West Literary. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 06/27/2025 | Details & Permalink

Pablo the pig, a “scatterbrain” in his mother’s words, manages to lose all manner of objects: a new backpack (at the bus stop), the shoes off his feet (location unknown), and perennially left-behind stuffie Mr. Crunch (once on an airplane headed for Singapore). Tired of going above and beyond to retrieve Pablo’s belongings, Mom and Dad lay down the law: “You will have to look for things all by yourself.” But this tough love doesn’t register with the distractible Pablo until his room’s chaotic clutter stands between him and a fitting show-and-tell item. The story takes a leap into animism when Rocco, a rock with a painted-on smile from Pablo’s kindergarten days, guides the pig through the animal-populated city and to a meeting of the Committee for Lost and Forgotten Things, where Pablo’s many lost objects await with others. Sala (If You Run Out of Words), working in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil, matches knowing, always empathic text with vivid settings that help anchor both Pablo and readers in this object lesson, which reinforces that caring for beloved belongings (and beings) demonstrates how deeply they are valued. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 06/27/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this tale of friendship and second chances, young, teal-hued Bridget is eager to spend “a lovely day” with friends. But she finds that all of them—gouache and colored pencil illustrations portray a minimally detailed group rendered in tones ranging from lime green to orange—are “very busy.” Rodney has to “see a man about a dog,” Penelope is midway through digging an enormous hole, and Pearl is methodically making (and crossing things off) a to-do list. But Bridget isn’t seeking an ordinary playdate. It’s her birthday, and after Pearl overhears Bridget’s quiet lament about celebrating solo, her friends’ collective forgetfulness becomes clear—though none admits it to the others (“Erm... of course I remembered! I was... um... just going to get her a card,” Rodney fibs). With no grown-ups in sight, the kids consider the obligations of friendship and the sting of thoughtlessness on their own, and quickly assemble to give Bridget a celebratory day. Modeling kind actions in lieu of an extended apology session, Jeffers (Begin Again) shows how sometimes making things right speaks louder than words. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 06/27/2025 | Details & Permalink