Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a novel in which siblings escape their family for a weekend, a biography of an influential children’s book author, and a middle grade story about a fairy granting her first wish.
Layover by Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer. Crown, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5247-6487-6. In their first book for teens, this screenwriting duo looks at the complexities of blended families and the relationships that can develop.
Astrid Lindgren: The Woman Behind Pippi Longstocking by Jens Andersen, trans. from the Danish by Caroline Waight. Yale Univ., $30; ISBN 978-0-300-22610-2. While not for young readers, Andersen’s biography of Lindgren will be of interest to aficionados of children’s literature. The first biography to appear in English reveals the Pippi Longstocking creator to be a Pippi-like force to be reckoned with: a loving mother, gifted writer, marketing genius, and influential editor. In the process, Andersen tracks Sweden’s transformation from a conservative, hierarchical society into a more open, inclusive one.
Granted by John David Anderson. Walden Pond, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-264386-5. In a fantasy about grappling with unforeseen challenges, a fairy embarks on a mission to grant her first wish.
Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories by Kelly Barnhill. Algonquin, $24.95; ISBN 978-1-61620-797-7. The eight short stories and one novella in Newbery Medalist Barnhill’s collection feature characters, mostly girls and women, who chafe at rules and rebel in ways both quiet and extraordinary. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis. Scholastic Press, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-545-15666-0. Echoing themes found in Curtis’s Newbery Honor–winning Elijah of Buxton, this tense novel set in 1858 provides a very different perspective on the business of catching runaway slaves. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani DasGupta, illus. by Vivienne To. Scholastic Press, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-338-18570-6. Mythology, science, and interdimensional travel merge in this imaginative story about one girl’s search for self and the discovery of pride in one’s culture. First in the Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series.
No Truth Without Ruth: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Kathleen Krull, illus. by Nancy Zhang. Harper, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-256011-7. In this addition to the growing body of Ruth Bader Ginsburg literature for children, Krull offers a detailed account of the Supreme Court justice’s intellectual and professional development.
The Problim Children by Natalie Lloyd, illus. by Júlia Sardà. HarperCollins/Tegen, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-242820-2. Seven gifted Problim siblings, each born on a different day of the week, offer an irreverent twist on the “Monday’s Child” nursery rhyme, in this middle grade series launch from Lloyd (The Key to Extraordinary).
Say You’ll Remember Me by Katie McGarry. Harlequin Teen, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-373-21237-8. In this YA novel, the only daughter of the governor of Kentucky, who lives a privileged, high-profile life with little freedom, falls for a boy from a different world.
Rodent Rascals by Roxie Munro. Holiday House, $17.95; ISBN 978-0-8234-3860-0. Munro celebrates the biodiversity of rodents, in a nonfiction picture book that earned a starred review from PW.
Tiny and the Big Dig by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by Matt Myers. Scholastic Press, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-545-90429-2. Rinker (Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site) moves from hard-at-work vehicles to an equally determined canine in an earnest story about a dog who refuses to listen to others’ negative opinions.
Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present by Jamia Wilson, illus. by Andrea Pippins. Wide Eyed Editions, $22.99; ISBN 978-1-78603-158-7. With a title drawn from Nina Simone’s “To Be Young, Gifted and Black,” this striking volume highlights 52 black activists, politicians, artists, writers, scientists, and entertainers from around the world.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of January, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.