Blending romantic peril with escalating stakes and a steady stream of revelations, Foxfield (Getting Away with Murder) delivers a paranormal murder mystery steeped in tension and spectacle. Empowered by a generations-old pact with the devil, the white-cued, London-based Winter family has amassed extraordinary wealth and influence through supernatural abilities that are tied to a dangerous alternate realm known as the Ruin. When 19-year-old Cicely’s uncle is murdered on the family estate, it becomes clear that someone is targeting the Winters and threatening to dismantle their empire. Determined to prove her worth to her mother, Cicely plunges into the Ruin to track down the killer. Her investigation repeatedly leads her to teenage Soren, a ghost who dwells within the Ruin, having been sacrificed by the Winters in a ritual four years earlier. As Cicely and Soren become locked in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse and the death toll rises around them, their intermittent encounters ignite a volatile mix of attraction and suspicion. The deeper into the Ruin Cicely goes, the more she uncovers the sinister truths beneath her family’s polished exterior, forcing her to reckon with the cost of their power and her place among them. Gratifyingly thorny family dynamics and a case of forbidden love inject high drama into an intriguing, whirlwind narrative. Ages 14–up. Agents: Chloe Seager, Madeleine Milburn Literary. (July)

Reviewed on 04/10/2026 | Details & Permalink

Gonzalez Rose (Marisol Acts the Part) pairs a tender romance with a murder investigation in a story about a Latinx teen who feels that her life is quietly unraveling. Dina Soto’s father has recently been convicted of murder, her mother is overbearing, and the small town they live in has turned the Soto name into shorthand for scandal. The lone bright spot is Dina’s bond with transgender Afro-Latino classmate Kai Thompson, whose easy warmth toward Dina feels as surprising as it is welcoming. When Kai invites her to spend a weekend at his family’s secluded lake house, Dina jumps at the chance to escape town and spend more time with him. Kai’s sister and a group of friends round out the guest list, and it soon becomes clear that some may have ulterior motives for attending. Before long, the power goes out, the phone signal disappears, and the group finds itself cut off from the outside world. After someone is murdered, Dina must reckon with the secrets surrounding her own family if she hopes to both stop the killer and survive. Short, brisk chapters alternate between direct first-person narration and snippets of news articles, text messages, voicemail transcripts, and more presented as evidence from the murder trial that follows the events of the story. Measured pacing and familiar plot turns dilute much of the suspense, making for a mystery that’s more cozy than thrilling. Ages 14–up. (July)

Reviewed on 04/10/2026 | Details & Permalink

This psychologically incisive supernatural novel by Bruzas (Ever Since) blends the eerie cadence of dark fairy tales with modern suspense to probe themes of obsession. Seventeen-year-old, white-cued Sylvie travels from Seattle to the Nebraska Great Plains, desperate to escape her emotionally distant father and uncover the untold story of her late mother, whom Sylvie never knew. In Nebraska, Sylvie encounters welcoming teenage ranch hand Jack and becomes increasingly fixated on a mysterious unnamed shepherd. Yet beneath her tentative sense of belonging on the ranch lies a persistent dread. Sylvie is convinced that something monstrous moves through the landscape, but the OCD and intrusive thoughts she lives with—which she calls “the monster inside my head”—make it difficult for her to trust her own perceptions. As she pieces together fragments of her mom’s past through a box of personal items and the memories of Madeline, a lodge owner who once knew her mother, Sylvie begins to suspect that her family history is entangled with the creature she believes is haunting the locale. Sylvie’s unflinchingly self-critical yet deeply empathetic first-person narration captures both the claustrophobic logic of her OCD and the aching vulnerability of a girl desperate to be seen and loved. It all adds up to a sensitive, fully fleshed-out portrayal of one teen navigating grief alongside mental health challenges. Ages 14–up. Agent: Susan Hawk, Upstart Crow Literary. (July)

Reviewed on 04/10/2026 | Details & Permalink

A teen turned covert asset matches wits with her unsuspecting hostage-takers in this outstanding thriller from Lloyd-Jones (The Wild Huntress), set in a technologically evolved near-future Portland, Ore. The narrator is 15 when her botched hacking of a driverless car kills her boyfriend and, briefly, herself, deactivating her government-issued biometric tattoo, which is used to confirm one’s identity. At the hospital, the Identity Security Division extends an offer: get re-inked and face murder charges or let everyone think she’s dead and become Augusta Pine, an untraceable ISD operative. Three years later, homesick Augusta contrives to surveil her grandmother from the vacant apartment next door. Augusta is poolside chatting with teenager Eames and his younger sister, Piper, when cyberterrorists seize control of a nearby smartbuilding; they seek Project Persephone, a top secret government property purportedly stashed somewhere inside the building that the terrorists would kill to recover. With external communications jammed and only Eames, Piper, and sentient bumblebee spybot Edgar for backup, resourceful Augusta sets out to save Nonna—and the day. Excerpts from ISD case files intercut Augusta’s snarky present-tense narration, providing context and further developing individual character arcs of the white-cued cast. Subtle sci-fi worldbuilding complements witty, whiz-bang plotting, which ratchets up stakes while probing issues of grief and class disparity. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sarah Landis, Sterling Lord Literistic. (July)

Reviewed on 04/10/2026 | Details & Permalink

Recently released from a juvenile detention center, Black 16-year-old Jasmine struggles to adjust to her family’s newly affluent lifestyle in an uneven contemporary drama, McCallum’s debut. Jasmine’s overprotective mother, who recently remarried, is determined that the family move on from the teen’s past at Guiding Hearts Home for Troubled Girls. She even goes so far as to lie to Jasmine’s new stepfamily about the truth surrounding her year away and forbids Jasmine from contacting her former friends. Jasmine chafes against the deception and her mother’s strict rules, which causes tension within the household, particularly between Jasmine and stepsister Kayla. Caught between a past she is encouraged to forget and a present that refuses to accept her, Jasmine struggles to maintain balance, especially when an old flame from the center reenters her life, threatening to upend the fragile stability she’s trying to build. Occasional contradictions between character dialogue and actions somewhat undermine the impact of overarching conversations about the juvenile justice system. Still, restrained prose depicts Jasmine as a sympathetic protagonist, and readers will find it easy to root for her to find her place and voice in this straightforward coming-of-age portrait. Ages 12–up. (July)

Reviewed on 04/10/2026 | Details & Permalink

in this reflective romp, Korman (Hypergifted) spotlights five children who find themselves with too much time on their hands upon discovering that they no longer need to sleep. White-cued Mickey, 12, and four racially diverse classmates in the town of Shagbark—Skye, Levi, Cyrus, and Thea—have no idea why they’re inexplicably unable to sleep. At first unaware of one another’s predicament, each uses their extra waking hours to pursue personal ambitions in secret: Mickey turns to athletics, Skye becomes an academic overachiever, Levi experiments with multiple social media identities as an influencer, Cyrus immerses himself in invention, and Thea throws herself into musical theater. But when the group realizes they share the same sleeplessness, they form an unlikely friendship, meeting at night to investigate the cause of their insomnia. As they dig deeper, the quintet confronts a pressing question: Is their condition a gift or a curse? And if a cure exists, do they want it? Throughout this fast-paced tale, characters weigh the costs and pleasures of their nocturnal freedom, including its effects—both positive and negative—on identity, popularity, and achievement. While an abrupt resolution somewhat dampens the impact of the intriguing existential premise, perceptive narration nevertheless excels in its interpretation of wish fulfillment. Ages 9–12. Agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. (July)

Reviewed on 04/10/2026 | Details & Permalink

This nuanced, emotionally layered verse novel by Dubois (Ode to a Nobody) explores grief alongside the complicated role technology plays in middle schoolers’ lives. After white-cued 13-year-old Tolly’s older sister, Sunny, dies in a car crash that some believe was caused by Sunny’s distracted driving, Tolly and her parents struggle to connect with one another. Feeling isolated and burdened by the fear that her own texts to Sunny may have contributed to the accident, Tolly resolves to navigate eighth grade sans cellphone as she searches for concrete clues about the crash and contends with a strained relationship with her former best friend, Willa. Encouraged by a school counselor, Tolly starts the Luddite Club, whose mission of mindfulness finds kinship with those in the Outdoors Club. Among the Outdoors Club’s endearingly offbeat members is Khalil, a nature-loving classmate whose grief over his own loss helps Tolly realize that others too may be dealing with challenges like hers. As Tolly detaches herself from electronic devices and shifts her focus toward others, she discovers that grief doesn’t have to be shouldered alone. Spare verse lines balance a clear-eyed look at technology’s pitfalls with a nondidactic and nonjudgmental approach. The result is a thoughtful and quietly powerful story of loss and healing. Ages 9–12. Agent: Louise Fury, Bent Agency. (July)

Reviewed on 04/10/2026 | Details & Permalink

Across an evocative story of agricultural upheaval, Hoffmann (The Ocean’s Heart) follows a curious tween’s search for answers about her past in her guarded mother’s childhood diaries. Twelve-year-old Xyla, a space-obsessed bookworm who reads as white, would rather lose herself in library books than tend to the endless chores on her family’s Iowa farm. This puts her at odds with her overworked mother, Cassie, who wishes that Xyla was invested in the property. Tensions rise with the arrival of Alegría, a capable and conscientious tween whose Mexican American family rents a nearby house and who seems, to Xyla, like the daughter her mother wishes she had. When Xyla discovers Cassie’s old journals, she becomes absorbed in her mother’s past—especially the mystery of Xyla’s absent father, whom Cassie refuses to discuss. Interspersed among Xyla’s inquisitive present-day first-person perspective, verse diary entries transport readers to the 1980s, where a younger Cassie emerges as a budding environmental activist, determined to challenge her own parents’ reliance on harmful farming practices. As Xyla uncovers signs of a worsening environmental threat on her family’s farm, past and present narratives intertwine, linking buried secrets with larger questions about land stewardship and responsibility. This is an illuminating exploration of the enduring impact of past decisions on future generations. Ages 8–12. Agent: Lori Steel, Steelworks Literary. (July)

Reviewed on 04/10/2026 | Details & Permalink

Kelly (The First State of Being) and Schrefer (The Brightness Between Us) craft a brisk, unnerving tale that blends technological horror with a cautionary fable. After accidentally injuring her younger sister, 11-year-old Sofia Mendoza, who reads as Latinx, is sent by her father to Forestjaw, an isolated wilderness camp, hoping the experience will encourage her to “reflect on what you did.” There, she encounters unsettling figures, including severe and enigmatic camp director Monarch, who’s often accompanied by a mechanical vulture. Sofia’s expectations of solemn self-improvement give way to something more sinister when Monarch reveals that Forestjaw is backed by the wildly popular video game Sandbox. The campers are soon thrust into a high-stakes, elimination-style competition, with the promise of a million in-game credits for the winner. Challenges inspired by Sandbox, shifting rankings, and the ever-present threat of removal by robotic vultures create a cutthroat environment. Sofia embraces the rules with chilling resolve, determined to win at any cost. Her willingness to lie, manipulate, and betray sets her apart as a deliberately unlikable protagonist, and the novel’s central tension lies in just how far she will go. Stark b&w illustrations from Arroyo (I Am Sally) heighten the suspenseful atmosphere. Ages 8–12. Authors’ agents: (for Kelly) Sara Crowe, Sara Crowe Literary; (for Schrefer) Richard Pine, InkWell Management. (July)

Reviewed on 04/10/2026 | Details & Permalink

In debut author Beck’s spirited fantasy novel, 12-year-old Airrelle, who is Black, must navigate magical trials and personal challenges on the road to becoming a full-fledged witch. Airrelle lives in Missen Dessalin, a hidden community in Southern California where witches live in seclusion from the outside world. When Airrelle’s mother can no longer train her due to worsening mental health struggles, Airrelle’s older sisters step in to help the youth complete the four rites that will define her powers, which are rooted in song. When she encounters Rabiah, a grieving, strong-willed tween from the nonmagical Overside who’s eager to escape her own world by becoming a witch, Airrelle believes she’s found the answer to the problems plaguing her family. But inviting an outsider into Missen Dessalin is taboo, and Airrelle must rely on her growing abilities—and her trust in others—to protect her community. Airrelle’s winning, adventurous voice propels the story, while her evolving friendship with Rabiah forms its emotional core. Their bond underscores a shared longing for connection amid complicated family dynamics. Familiar magical worldbuilding, which involves patron animals, talking birds, and sentient plants, rounds out this tender tale of hope and belonging. Ages 8–12. (July)

Reviewed on 04/10/2026 | Details & Permalink