Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a YA novel about a monster-slaying secret society, a graphic novel focusing on an unexpected friendship in a school band, a picture book about a circus performer’s big second chance, a feminist YA novel about protesting school dress codes, and many more.
Scout’s Honor by Lily Anderson. Holt, $18.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-250-24673-8. Following the death of her best friend, Prudence Perry quits the Ladybirds, a secret society of young women who protect the world from interdimensional monsters, but makes her return in this book about friendship, inclusivity, and mental health. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
Scout Is Not a Band Kid: (A Graphic Novel) by Jade Armstrong. Random House Graphic, $20.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-5931-7622-1. In order to meet the creator of her favorite character at a music festival, Scout joins the school band (despite not playing an instrument) and falls into an unexpected friendship with focused trombone chair Merrin.
The Great Zapfino by Mac Barnett, illus. by Marla Frazee. S&S/Beach Lane, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5344-1154-8. After running away during his performance’s big leap, circus performer the Great Zapfino gets a stupendous second chance. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Does My Body Offend You? by Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt. Knopf, $18.99 (442p) ISBN 978-0-593-42585-5. When Malena is called in by the school administration for not wearing a bra to class, she and new friend Ruby protest their school’s dress code, challenging the privileges and expectations of different kinds of bodies.
Show the World by Angela Dalton, illus. by Daria Peoples. Viking, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-35139-0. A young Black narrator travels through her neighborhood, showcasing through her friends the varying joyous methods of self-expression.
Fine: A Comic About Gender by Rhea Ewing. Liveright, $21 ISBN 978-1-63149-680-6. In Ewing’s debut, they conduct and draw dozens of interviews over a decade to demonstrates the diversity of experiences and personal relationships to gender within the trans community. The comic earned a starred review from PW.
Very Bad People by Kit Frick. McElderry, $19.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-5344-4973-2. Calliope is set to join an exclusive secret society on campus, dedicated to fighting for social justice, but when the society’s tactics take a turn for the worse, she must consider the definition of justice. The YA novel earned a starred review from PW.
A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser. Clarion, $16.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-544876-40-8. Following the unexpected death of her father, her mother’s subsequent retreat into silence, and an eviction, viola-playing June Yang and her Chinese American family move to Huey House, a Bronx shelter for unhoused people. The middle grade book earned a starred review from PW.
After the Buzz Comes the Bee: Lift-The-Flap Animal Sounds by Rachel Isadora and Robie Rogge, illus. by Rachel Isadora. Holiday House, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8234-4920-0. In this lift-the-flap book, 11 creatures announce their presence, each with their own distinctive noise to a preschool cast.
This Book Will Get You to Sleep! by Jory John, illus. by Olivier Tallec. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-374-31130-8. Directing via megaphone, an orange kangaroo in blue cowboy boots asks what would tire readers, then attempts to induce zzzs by engaging with possible answers to that question. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Heartbreak Symphony by Laekan Zea Kemp. Little, Brown, $17.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-31646-038-5. Chicane teens Aarón and Mia both seek entrance and a scholarship to the Acadia School of Music, and bond over their shared passion for music, and grief after having each lost a parent.
I Will Protect You: A True Story of Twins Who Survived Auschwitz by Eva Mozes Kor with Danica Davidson. Little, Brown, $17.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-316-46063-7. In a powerful telling, the late Eva Mozes Kor (1934–2019) and Davidson provide as much history lesson as personal recollection and call for human rights.
The Pronoun Book by Chris Ayala-Kronos, illus. by Melita Tirado. Clarion, $8.99 (26p) ISBN 978-0-358-65315-8. Through illustrations relaying the gender identities of a variously inclusive audience, Ayala-Kronos’ helps young readers answer the question “How do you know what someone wants to be called?”
She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick. Simon & Schuster, $18.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-5344-9379-7. College freshman Alex plans to get her ex-girlfriend back by assisting Molly, another queer freshman, win over the girl of her dreams, in this YA romance.
This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke. Knopf, $18.99 (448p) ISBN 978-0-593-38124-3. In Post-WWII Budapest, a Jewish newspaper typist plans to make her escape from Stalin’s rule to Israel, but when news of revolutions around the world spark talk of revolution in her own city, she must decide whether to stay or go.
I Am!: A Book of Reminders by Juana Medina. Versify, $14.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-358-62125-6. The second in the I Will series, Medina’s new picture book inspires young readers to verbalize qualities they love about themselves.
Alone Out Here by Riley Redgate. Disney-Hyperion, $18.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-368-06472-9. In this futuristic Lord of the Flies retelling, students trapped on a ship prototype must learn to survive together as the world outside burns.
Take a Breath by Sujean Rim. Atheneum/Dlouhy, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5344-9253-0. With the help of his friends, Bob the bird learns that before he’s ready to fly, he’ll need to take some soothing breaths.
All You Need by Howard Schwartz, illus. by Jasu Hu. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8234-4329-1. In this picture book, a Chinese girl matures into a successful artist while learning to appreciate the gratifying little things about life.
Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor. Razorbill, $18.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-593-40451-5. Two sisters in search of a better life get themselves hired at the magical Hotel Magnifique, only to discover that everything they’ve learned about their new home is a lie. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
K’s Car Can Go Anywhere! by Jonathan Tune and Eleanor Doughty. Penguin Workshop, $17.99 (80p) ISBN 978-0-593-22206-5. Two amphibian siblings undertake an audacious impromptu road trip that teaches the value in enjoying the unexpected.
Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk. Versify, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-358-65535-0. In a novel in verse that captures the unbalanced experience of an all-consuming love, two unnamed queer Black teen girls move rapidly from strangerhood into a protective best friendship before becoming dysfunctional lovers and mutually destructive partners in crime. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of April, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
