New series books releasing this November and December feature mythical creatures, kid detectives, unusual chickens, and other returning characters.
Slow Burn
Strange Fire (2017), the first novel in the Anchor & Sophia universe, is set on Earth following a cataclysmic collision with an asteroid. Slow Burn again features the multiple narrators of Strange Fire, as they grapple with the conflicts and divisions within the rising civilizations of North America.
Arch Enemies
In the second volume of Meyer’s SFF trilogy, following Renegades, superhero Nova navigates her multiple identities: she works alongside her fellow Renegades to protect Gatlon City, while also posing as a villain in a secret mission to exact revenge. Meanwhile, romantic tension simmers between Nova and Adrian, despite the fact that they are meant to be sworn enemies.
Are You Ready to Hatch an Unusual Chicken?
In the middle grade follow-up to Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer, protagonist Sophie Brown has brand-new magical chickens to care for, is anxious about entering a new school, and is doubly worried about an upcoming inspection from the Unusual Poultry Committee. Quirky illustrations and the integration of email correspondences, letters, lists, and other texts provide a multidimensional reading experience.
The Girl with the Dragon Heart
In The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart (2017), a young dragon is transformed into a powerful human and apprentice chocolatier. The second installment in Burgis’s middle grade fantasy series stars Aventurine’s best friend, Silke, a waitress at The Chocolate Heart who goes undercover for the Elfenwald royal family.
Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix
Dao continues the Rise of the Empress series that began with the author’s 2017 debut, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. While the previous book was based on the story of Snow White’s Evil Queen (named Xifeng), the sequel focuses on Princess Jade, Xifeng’s stepdaughter. Dao crafts an original fantasy world that draws on East Asian settings and traditions.
Two's a Crowd
In their second book, sibling detectives Moxie and Milton investigate the mysterious arrival of letters signed with purple squiggles. Married collaborators Swanson and Behr offer lively, highly visual spreads.
The Storyteller
Chee’s fantasy trilogy, which began in 2016 with The Reader takes place in the world of Kelanna, in which reading and writing are nonexistent. After the murder of her father, protagonist Sefia discovers a strange object (a book), which leads her on an epic journey. The final installment of the series continues to explore the secrets of the book and the power of the written word.
Sasquatch and the Muckleshoot
Gidwitz teams up with Joseph Bruchac (Code Talker) for the third illustrated book in the Unicorn Rescue Society series, which began with The Creature of the Pines. Professor Mito Fauna whisks returning characters Uchenna, Elliot, and Jersey (the Jersey Devil) to the Muckleshoot territory of Washington State, where they face off against a logging company and a cable news team to protect Bigfoot.
Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow
Townsend, a 2017 Flying Start, returns to the world of Nevermoor. In her heroine’s first story, she escaped death and was transported to the enchanted world of Nevermoor, where she joined the mystical Wundrous Society. In the sequel, Morrigan faces suspicion when people of the Wundrous Society begin to disappear, and she must fight to clear her name.
Ethan Marcus Makes His Mark
Could-not-be-more-different siblings Ethan and Erin Marcus star in their second, graphics-filled chapter book. They are both asked to attend an exclusive technology camp, and tasked with designing an invention. Through alternating first-person perspectives, Hurwitz explores both Ethan and Erin’s different cognitive approaches to life and learning, as well as those of three of their peers.
Children of Jubilee
Haddix’s Children of Exile introduced 12-year-old Rosi and her brother Bobo who, along with the other children of their town, were raised by adults known as “Freds.” After being returned to their real parents, the children learned that reality is not what they had understood it to be. The dystopian trilogy concludes as Rosi and other children from Fredtown attempt escape from alien enslavement.
Realm of Ruins
West’s debut novel, Kingdom of Ash and Briars, introduced 16-year-old kitchen maid, Bristel, who discovers that she has elicromancer blood and is charged with protecting the land of Nissera from dangerous magic. This companion story takes place a century after Bristel’s, and stars her elicromancer descendent, Valory Braiosa.
Broken Lands
Maberry returns to the zombie-ravaged world of Rot & Ruin with the first in a spinoff series. Texas teen Gabriella “Gutsy” Gomez isn’t surprised that her dead mother has become one of the “los muertos vivientes,” but is puzzled why her grave—and others—are being desecrated.
The Secrets of Winterhouse
In book two of the series, Guterson returns to the setting of the Winterhouse Hotel, where protagonists Elizabeth and Freddy continue to explore a supernatural mystery gripping the hotel and its guests. Bristol’s moody artwork enhances the story’s gothic atmosphere.
