Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a book about a young drummer, a middle grade allegory, a retelling of Jane Eyre, and a picture book about a giraffe on the move.
Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow. HarperCollins, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-279114-6. Carrying a bundle of anger and confusion along with her drumsticks, Melly arrives at Camp Rockaway unprepared for the challenges she will face. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Boy, the Boat, and the Beast by Samantha M. Clark. S&S/Wiseman, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-1255-2. In this allegorical middle grade novel, a boy, perhaps 10 years old, wakes up on a sunny beach with no memory of who he is, how he got there, or even how old he is.
My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. HarperTeen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-265277-5. Hand, Ashton, and Meadows follow up My Lady Jane (about Lady Jane Gray) with another tongue-in-cheek novel about a famous Jane—this time, Jane Eyre. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Geraldine by Elizabeth Lilly. Roaring Brook/Porter, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-62672-359-7. In this picture book, a giraffe acclimates to her new home. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Jack B. Ninja by Tim McCanna, illus. by Stephen Savage. Orchard, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-545-91728-5. This fast-moving readaloud adventure is just right for a quiet break between ninja practice sessions.
Best Frints at Skrool by Antoinette Portis. Roaring Brook/Porter, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-62672-871-4. In their second outing (following Best Frints in the Whole Universe), alien best friends Omek and Yelfred are pink and purple, with reptilian tails and pincer arms, and they “go to skrool, just like here on planet Earth.”
Your Destination Is on the Left by Lauren Spieller. Simon & Schuster, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-9212-6. In a thoughtful novel depicting the downside of nomadic life, debut author Spieller renders a convincing portrait of a blossoming artist facing relatable coming-of-age issues.
The First Day of School (Mr. Wolf's Class #1) by Aron Nels Steinke. Graphix, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-338-04769-1. Readers of this graphic novel, the first in a series by Eisner Award–winning Steinke (The Zoo Box), will settle right into Mr. Wolf’s classroom as the new teacher and his animal students get to know each other.
The Life and Death Parade by Eliza Wass. Hyperion, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4847-3252-6. In this gothic YA novel, a 16-year-old orphan lives in an English castle with her deceased mother’s former employers, Lord and Lady Bramley.
One Small Thing by Erin Watt. Harlequin Teen, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-335-01727-7. Good girl falls for bad boy may be an old theme in romance novels, but Watt (When It’s Real) adds an edgy twist.
A Dog Named Doug by Karma Wilson, illus. by Matt Myers. S&S/McElderry, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-442-44931-2. Doug is a dog who really likes to dig. He digs his way to Hollywood, the White House (where he tears through the floor of the Oval Office), a mummy’s tomb, a mountain summit, Easter Island (where he accidentally knocks over a stone moai), and eventually finds himself—where else?—upside-down in China.
The Ruinous Sweep by Tim Wynne-Jones. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-9745-7. In Wynne-Jones’s tense, eerie thriller that lightly draws from Dante’s Inferno, 17-year-old Donovan lies unconscious in a hospital after a hit-and-run left him gravely injured. The book earned a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of June, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
