Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a historical YA novel, a seaside picture book, an anthology of essays from children’s book authors, and a YA novel about siblings throwing a party.
Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist. Greenwillow, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-264278-3. In Berquist’s debut, it’s 1877, and strong-willed 17-year-old Daisy “Willie” Wilcox is struggling to support her three younger siblings in the desert town of Glory, Tex. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-36238-2. Painted with the light touch that distinguishes Caldecott Medalist Blackall’s work, this graceful account of a lighthouse keeper’s life celebrates a lost era. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Personal Struggles edited by Jessica Burkhart. Simon Pulse, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-9464-9. Renowned writers of fiction and nonfiction, including Ellen Hopkins, Francisco X. Stork, Maureen Johnson, and Sara Zarr, among others, candidly speak about their experiences with often stigmatized mental illnesses, including agoraphobia, OCD, Alzheimer’s, bipolar disorder, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Sam & Ilsa’s Last Hurrah by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Knopf, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-399-55384-4. Twins Ilsa and Sam alternate chapters telling the story of the last dinner party at their grandmother Czarina’s Upper West Side apartment. The party is final for two reasons: Czarina has agreed to sell her lease for an outrageous sum of money, allowing her to move to Paris, and the twins are graduating from high school.
Grin and Bear It: The Wit and Wisdom of Corduroy by Don Freeman. Viking, $12.99; ISBN 978-0-451-47929-7. This slender volume in cherry red offers motivational tips gleaned from the Corduroy books, with Freeman’s vintage illustrations featured throughout.
The Unicorn Rescue Society Book 1: The Creature of the Pines by Adam Gidwitz, Jesse Casey, and Christopher Smith, illus. by Hatem Aly. Dutton, $14.99; ISBN 978-0-7352-3173-3, 978-0-7352-3170-2. This middle grade series opens with the story of two friends, Elliot and Uchenna, who join the Unicorn Rescue Society, a group of adventurers committed to protecting mythological animals.
Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert. Hyperion, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4847-2602-0. In this YA novel, the protagonist wrangles with the grief following a friend’s suicide, family secrets, and the hopes of a fresh start after high school in art school. The book earned a starred review from PW.
You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly. Greenwillow, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-241418-2. In Newbery Medalist Kelly’s (Hello, Universe) new novel, a long-distance online friendship provides a lifeline for two brainy, lonely kids facing turbulent events.
Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-544-96857-8. In this lush historical fantasy set in a world reminiscent of the Renaissance-era Mediterranean, the discovery of a mysterious map triggers a search for the truth behind the tragic events of decades past. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal. Candlewick, $15.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-9355-8. In this picture book, Alma’s full name (Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela) is so long that “it never fits,” as the girl explains to her father. But Daddy explains that there’s a remarkable relative behind each of her names, and Alma realizes that she embodies their talents and character. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-8804-2. In this uplifting, multifaceted historical novel set in 1941, Nesbet (Cloud and Wallfish) creates a sympathetic character in 11-year-old Augusta, whose family is forced to leave New York City for her grandmother’s home in Springdale, Maine. The book earned a starred review from PW.
For Everyone by Jason Reynolds. Atheneum, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-8624-8. Reynolds’s poem, originally performed at the unveiling of a memorial for Martin Luther King Jr., is published in a gift edition.
Sunny by Jason Reynolds. Atheneum, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-5021-8. This middle grade novel is the third in the author’s Track series.
A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir. Razorbill, $19.95; ISBN 978-0-448-49450-0. Tahir offers the third installment in her YA fantasy series, which began with An Ember in the Ashes.
Lulu Is Getting a Sister by Judith Viorst, illus. by Kevin Cornell. Atheneum, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-7190-9. In this new addition to Viorst’s picture book series, which started with Lulu and the Brontosaurus, Lulu’s family expects an addition.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of April, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
