Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a supernatural story, a book about best friends, a YA dystopian novel, the story of a family healing after the death of their dog, and many more.
The In-Between by Rebecca K.S. Ansari. Walden Pond, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-291609-9. With this eerie supernatural tale, Ansari (The Missing Piece of Charlie O’Reilly) explores grief, loss, and trauma—both personal and familial. The middle grade novel earned a starred review from PW.
What’s the Matter, Marlo? by Andrew Arnold. Roaring Brook, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-22323-4. Marlo and the narrator of this book are best friends: “We read together. We laugh together. We play games together,” writes Arnold (the Adventures in Cartooning series), making his picture book debut. But when Marlo falls into a funk that he won’t explain, an emotional void opens up.
Unchosen by Katharyn Blair. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-0626-5764-0. A viruslike curse lays bare a society’s flaws in this dystopian novel, as the rich and powerful are able to escape its worst consequences at the expense of the vulnerable. Featuring a strong female protagonist, this relevant adventure is sure to interest socially conscious fantasy fans.
Bear Island by Matthew Cordell. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-31716-2. In a story that respects the slow pace of grief, Caldecott Medalist Cordell’s writing and artwork together carry grace, economy, and heart.
Marsha Is Magnetic by Beth Ferry, illus. by Lorena Alvarez. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-544-73584-2. A girl makes friends without squelching her own distinctive personality, in this picture book centered around the principles of scientific research.
Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic by Wauter Mannaert, trans. from the French by Montana Kane. First Second, $22.99; ISBN 978-1-250-62205-1. In this graphic novel, 11-year-old chef Yasmina, a lanky child with thick squiggles of black hair and light skin, believes food is, first and foremost, about love, which puts her immediately at odds with shady businessman and potato farmer Tom de Perre.
Don’t Tell a Soul by Kirsten Miller. Delacorte, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-525-58120-8. Miller (the Kiki Strike series) delivers a feminist twist on gothic horror that thrills and chills while exploring the myriad ways that society tries to silence “problematic” women.
The Knockout by Sajni Patel. Flux, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-63583-059-0. For the past nine years, Indian American 17-year-old Kareena Thakkar has practiced Muay Thai, her parents supporting her right to participate in a “violent” sport traditionally “left for boys,” and she begins to compete nationally.
Nicky & Vera by Peter Sís. Norton Young Readers, $19.95; ISBN 978-1-324-01574-1. Though Nicholas Winton saved hundreds of children during the Holocaust, his heroism didn’t come to light until 1988, when his wife found records of the train journeys he had arranged to carry Czech children from Prague to London. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Good War by Todd Strasser. Delacorte, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-593-17365-7. Caleb Arnett is one of the inaugural members of his largely white school’s eSports club, in this middle grade novel that explores discrimination and racialization. Strasser (Summer of ’69) packs a lot into this brief tale by using a gaming lens to explore the students’ entrée to prejudice.
Bump by Matt Wallace. HarperCollins/Tegen, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06300-798-7. Channeling preteen drama into the larger-than-life sensibility of lucha libre, Wallace, making his middle grade debut, tells the heartfelt story of MJ Medina, a Mexican American 12-year-old struggling to recover from her father’s sudden death. After the racist white girls on her gymnastics team reject her, MJ finds solace training as the youngest wrestler at Mr. Arellano’s Victory Academy.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of January, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
