Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a series opener centering a role-playing-game club, a picture book about the sense of home a farmhouse provides for a family, a YA novel following a Jewish teen’s move into a new town, a middle grade extraterrestrial mystery adventure, and many more.
Monster Club by Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel, illus. by Ronald Kurniawan. HarperCollins, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-313663-2. In this duology opener, Doodles and his friends find refuge in playing games together as the Monsters Club, until Doodles discovers a magic ink that brings his monsters to life.
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-52894-8. In rhythmic, lightly rhyming verse and densely textured multimedia spreads, two-time Caldecott Medalist Blackall relays the history of a white clapboard farmhouse “where twelve children/ were born and raised,/ where they learned to crawl,/ in the short front hall.”
The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum. Philomel, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-52582-1. After a move to a new town, Orthodox Jewish teenager Hoodie Rosen struggles to reconcile this new community’s antisemitism and his growing feelings for the mayor’s daughter. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
The Area 51 Files by Julie Buxbaum, illus. by Lavanya Naidu. Delacorte, $14.99; ISBN 978-0-593-42946-4. Sky Patel-Baum moves into alien-watch facility Area 51, and when aliens begin to disappear and her uncle is the prime suspect, Sky opens her own investigation into extraterrestrial activities.
The Epic Story of Every Living Thing by Deb Caletti. Random House/Labyrinth Road, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-48550-7. Internet-savvy Harper learns to live in the moment when she discovers her three half siblings, and together the newfound family search for their biological father. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
Picture Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg, illus. by Judy Love. Charlesbridge, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-62354-157-6. In this addition to the Jitters picture book series, a teacher attempts to keep her students tidy for their class photo, but learns that their personalities are what’s worth catching on camera.
Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt. Peachtree Teen, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-6826-3466-0. Blackjack whizz Jack Shannon enlists the assistance of his online asexual-teen support group to uncover the truth when his casino-running mother is wrongly arrested for fraud.
The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber. Flatiron, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-250-26842-6. In the sequel to Once Upon a Broken Heart, Evangeline Heart discovers a new dangerous curse and must partner once again with Prince of Hearts Jack in order to break it.
Duet by Phillip Hoose. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $24.99; ISBN 978-0-374-38877-5. Hoose chronicles the scientific and cultural interconnectedness of mankind and the northern mockingbird.
Until Someone Listens by Estela Juarez, illus. by Teresa Martínez. Roaring Brook, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-83212-2. In this picture book based on a true story, after her mother is deported, eight-year-old Estela Juarez writes to anyone who can help, from local papers to members of the U.S. Congress, until a nation takes notice.
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-35137-9. Amid the Syrian War, 17-year-old Salama Kassab struggles between following her family’s instructions to flee the country or staying to help her country when it’s in need. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
Everyday Hero Machine Boy by Irma Kniivila and Tri Vuong. Image, $12.99; ISBN 978-1-5343-2130-4. When weaponized robot Machine Boy crash-lands into the city, he’s taken in by a retired dojo owner and attempts a normal teenage life as he enters high school. The graphic novel earned a starred review from PW.
Finding Fire by Logan S. Kline. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1302-7. A prehistoric child sets out to find a new source of fire after a torrential rain douses a local cave hearth. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
The Stars Did Wander Darkling by Colin Meloy. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-301551-7. When Archie Coomes discovers that a planned real estate development will awaken a long-buried evil, it is up to him and his friends to unravel their community’s history and save their small seaside town.
Over and Under the Waves by Kate Messner, illus. by Christopher Silas Neal. Chronicle, $18.99 USD ISBN 978-1-79720-347-8. The newest addition to the Over and Under picture book series offers a look into the ecosystems existing in the deepest depths and highest peaks of the ocean.
Violet and Jobie in the Wild by Lynne Rae Perkins. Greenwillow, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-249969-1. Sibling mice Violet and Jobie are removed from their human homes and planted into wildlife and learn to not only survive but appreciate life outdoors. The middle grade book earned a starred review from PW.
Windswept by Margi Preus, illus. by Armando Veve. Amulet, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-5824-9. Tagalong has spent most her life indoors to avoid being whisked away forever, or “windswept.” When she discovers that the elders of her community have a secret agenda, she gathers the children of her community to discover what truly happened to the “windswept” children.
Clover by Nadine Robert, trans. from the French by Nick Frost and Catherine Ostiguy, illus. by Qin Leng. Milky Way, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-990252-14-3. When different groups of siblings invite Clover to come along on their adventure, they tune into their inner voice to make the best choice. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Adventuregame Comics: Leviathan by Jason Shiga. Amulet, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-5779-2. In this interactive book, readers facilitate their own unique story lines through a series of choices, following an unnamed protagonist seeking the power to control a frightening sea monster. The graphic novel earned a starred review from PW.
I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers. Wednesday, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-2508-0836-3. When George discovers the body of 13-year-old Ashley, she teams up with Ashley’s older sister while working at an exclusive mountain resort to investigate the death and gets sucked into the sinister adult world of the resort. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
Beatrice Likes the Dark by April Genevieve Tucholke, illus. by Khoa Le. Algonquin, $18.95; ISBN 978-1-6437-5157-3. Sisters with stark personality differences discover that they don’t need to change their fundamental preferences to get along.
If You Believe in Me by Rosemary Wells. Red Comet, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-636-55016-9. A young bear becomes more confident with the trust and support they receive from their guardians.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of September, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
