This month, tuck yourself in with a warm blanket and catch up with some of your favorite continuing stories. Find out what happens next when a well-meaning zookeeper sleeps through his alarm; the daughter of a prolific winged hero takes up the mantel of saving the world; a betrayal of trust leaves two lovers-turned-enemies with the bitter taste of revenge; and much more.
Picture Books and Graphic Novels
Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty, illus. by David Roberts (Abrams, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-5396-1)
From the creators of Ada Twist, Scientist comes Aaron Slater who loves listening to stories and dreams of one day writing them himself. But when it comes to reading, the letters just look like squiggles to him. When his teacher asks the class to write a story, Aaron can’t write a single word, and is sure his dream of being a storyteller is out of reach, until inspiration strikes. Read more about The Questioneers series here.
Amos McGee Misses the Bus by Philip C. Stead, illus. by Erin E. Stead (Roaring Brook, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-21322-8)
In this sequel to A Sick Day for Amos McGee, the friendly zookeeper is very considerate and always on time. But after a late night planning a surprise for all his animal friends, Amos falls asleep and misses his bus to the zoo. Now he won’t be on time for the surprise he planned‑unless his friends help him out.
The Big Book of Belonging by Yuval Zommer (Thames & Hudson, Nov. 16 $19.95; ISBN 978-0-500-65264-0)
Part of The Big Book series, The Big Book of Belonging is a celebration of all the ways that humans are connected to life on planet Earth. With children at the heart of every illustrated spread, this book draws parallels between the way humans, plants, and animals live and behave.
The Great Rat Rally by Geronimo Stilton, illus. by Tom Angleberger (Graphix, $12.99; ISBN 978-1-338-72938-2)
In the third installment in the Geronimo Stilton Graphic Novel series, Geronimo and Trap enter the Rat Rally, a high-speed car race.
Parker Shines On by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry, illus. by Brittany Jackson (Aladdin, Nov. 2 $17.99; ISBN 978-1-534-45474-3)
The star of the Parker Curry series loves being a big sister as much as she loves to dance. But when a dancer joins her class and needs her help, Parker wonders if she has what it takes to be not only a real dancer, but a real friend.
The Smart Cookie by Jory John, illus. by Pete Oswald (HarperCollins, Nov. 2 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-304540-8)
In the fifth installment in the Food Group series, Cookie has never felt like a smart cookie. So when Ms. Biscotti assigns the class to create something original overnight, Cookie is forced to try something totally new. Could a dash of creativity and a sprinkle of confidence be all she needs?
Novels
Courageous Creatures by Lauren Tarshis (Scholastic, $7.99 paper; ISBN 978-1-3383-1794-7)
Continuing the I Survived True Stories series, Tarshis tells the tale of four animals who have faced disaster, including a pigeon hero of WWI, two captured dolphins and their return to sea, 20,000 penguins saved from an oil spill, and two orphaned cheetahs with their unlikely new dad.
Aurora’s End by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Knopf, Nov. 9 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5247-2088-9)
In the third and final arc of the Aurora Cycle series, Squad 312 has one last chance to rewrite their endings: making friends, making enemies, and making history while trying to save the galaxy.
City of the Dead by James Patterson and Mindy McGinnis (Little, Brown/Patterson, Nov. 29 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-50015-9)
Maximum Ride’s daughter, Hawk, returns and so does the burden of being a hero. In the City of the Dead, life happens in the shadows. That’s why a war is brewing against an enemy no one can see. But as the dead begin to outnumber the living, a mother’s experience and a daughter’s instinct can make one powerful arsenal.
Escape from Falaise by John Flanagan (Philomel, Nov. 2 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-11348-6)
After their plan to rescue the prince of Gallica has gone horribly wrong, Will Treaty and his apprentice, Maddie, are being held captive at the Chateau des Falaises in Gallica in this fifth installment of the Royal Ranger series. But the dangerous baron Lassigny is intent on keeping them—and the prince—no matter what.
Faith: Greater Heights by Julie Murphy (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, Nov. 2 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-289968-2)
From the author of Dumplin’ comes the conclusion in the two-book origin story of fan-favorite comic character Faith—a fierce plus-size superhero. After the chaos of her first semester, Faith just wants to end her senior year in a normal way. But a cryptic warning about psiots going missing and a rash of inexplicable fires means things are off to a strange start.
Genius Camp by Chris Grabenstein (Random House, Nov. 30 $16.99; ISBN 978-0-593-30177-7)
Jake McQuade is the smartest kid in the universe—and he’s back to defend his title. This time, he is heading off to a camp for geniuses. But it isn’t all fun and brain games at camp, especially when Jake goes up against the artificially intelligent Virtuoso quantum computer.
Girls of Fate and Fury by Natasha Ngan (Little, Brown/Patterson, Nov. 30 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-52878-8)
In the last installment in the Girls of Paper and Fire series, the fates of Lei and Wren are hanging in uncertainty. But one thing is certain: the Hidden Palace is the last place that Lei would ever consider home. See our q&a with Ngan on wrapping up her trilogy.
I’m Trying to Love Garbage by Bethany Barton (Viking, Nov. 30 $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-20703-1)
In this companion to I’m Trying to Love Spiders, Barton speaks to young readers who may wonder where we put all of our garbage, who gets rid of it, and how our planet isn’t a big pile of mess. From scavengers to detritivore to decomposers, nature’s garbage collectors are everywhere.
The Big Race Home by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by Alex Willan (Bloomsbury, Nov. 9 $15.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-0367-1)
Revver is a little squirrel with big plans to be part of a race team. Now that he has secured his place as part of the crew, there are so many new things to see and explore—and so many lessons to learn in this second book of the Revver the Speedway Squirrel series. See our q&a with Rinker.
Newton’s Flaw by Valerie Tripp (National Geographic Kids, Nov. 23 $12.99; ISBN 978-1-4263-7154-7)
In book two in Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad, with their first mystery solved and first-day jitters behind them, Izzy and her pals start to settle into the normal day-to-day at Atom Middle School. Things are going well until a mysterious illness threatens to shut down the media center—and maybe the entire school.
The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee (HarperCollins/Tegen, Nov. 16, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-291601-3)
Years after the events of Gentleman’s Guide and Lady’s Guide, Monty and Felicity’s younger brother, Adrian Montague—who stands to inherit his family’s estate—sets out on his own adventure to find his disowned siblings after discovering he’s not an only child. See our interview with Lee about saying farewell to the Montagues.
Out of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper (Atheneum, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-665-90216-8)
In the long-awaited sequel to Out of My Mind, Melody is a year older, and a year braver. And now with her Medi-talker, she feels nothing’s out of her reach, not even summer camp. By the light of flickering campfires and the power of thunderstorms, through the terror of unexpected creatures in cabins and the first sparkle of a crush, Melody’s about to discover how brave and strong she really is. See our cover reveal for the new book.
Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong (S&S/McElderry, Nov. 16 $19.99; ISBN 978-1-534-45772-0)
In the sequel to These Violent Delights, after sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on a mission. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure. Read our Flying Starts interview with Gong.
A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, Nov. 2 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-289152-5)
Months have passed since the violent coup that upended Princess Karina’s life. She is now a fugitive, in this duology closer of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. Meanwhile, Malik’s illusion magic is flourishing under Farid’s tutelage, but the bonds keeping the Faceless King trapped in his mind are weakening. When the fate of the world hangs on a single, horrifying choice, they each must decide what they value most.
A New Sheriff in Town by Brett Bean (Penguin Workshop, $12.99; ISBN 978-0-593-22660-5)
Book three in the Zoo Patrol Squad series follows Fennlock Fox and Penny the Pig as they head to the Wild, Wild West. When a chatty chicken named Nugget makes it to the zoo to beg for help, the team is on the case.
Terciel and Elinor by Garth Nix (HarperCollins/Tegen, Nov. 2 $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-304932-1)
A quarter of a century after the Old Kingdom began, Nix tells the love story of Sabriel’s parents, Terciel and Elinor, and the Charter and Free Magic that define their world in this prequel.
Wednesday—The Forest of Secrets by Ralph Lazar (Scholastic, Nov. 2 $6.99 paper; ISBN 978-1-338-77046-9)
In the third book in the Total Mayhem series, Dash Candoo is used to really strange, mysterious things happening at his school. But really, really strange things have been happening, including mysterious tire marks coming from the forest to their school. When he and his friend Rob investigate, they can’t work out what’s going on. All they know is they’re being watched.
