Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a YA coming-of-age story during WWII, a picture book centering a bison’s beauty routine, a YA romance with seasonal themes, a graphic novel about a break dancer incorporating a new hobby into his style, and many more.
Beneath the Wide Silk Sky by Emily Inouye Huey. Scholastic Press, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-338-78994-2. On the brink of WWII, Japanese teen Sam struggles with growing feelings for classmates while competing in a photography competition. The middle grade book earned a starred review from PW.
Blue Bison Needs a Haircut by Scott Rothman, illus. by Pete Oswald. Random House Studio, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-42816-0. Blue Bison explores feelings of agency and independence when the barbershop is closed for the day.
Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things by Maya Prasad. Disney-Hyperion, $17.99; ISBN 9781368075800. Siblings Rami, Avani, Nidhi, and Sirisha live at Songbird Inn, voted America’s Most Romantic Inn, and navigate romantic relationships attuned to the four seasons.
Freestyle by Gale Galligan. Scholastic/Graphix, $12.99, paper; ISBN 978-1-338-04580-2. Eighth grader Cory struggles to maintain his new friendship with his tutor and his commitment to his dance crew while preparing for the changes that come with the end of middle school. The graphic novel earned a starred review from PW.
Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega, illus. by Rose Bousamra. First Second, $21.99; ISBN 978-1-250-25963-9. Following a disastrous blowout that garnered unwelcome comments at her cousin’s quince, middle Marlene begins a journey to understanding and appreciating her natural hair. The graphic novel earned a starred review from PW.
The Glass Witch by Lindsay Puckett. Scholastic Press, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-338-80342-6. When young witch Adelaide moves to Cranberry Hollow to live with her grandmother, she accidentally triggers a family curse, turning her bones to glass and alerting a witch-hunting family of her presence.
Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater. Scholastic Press, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-338-18839-4. In the conclusion to the Dreamer Trilogy, the Lynch family grapples with the weight of holding such power and will have to come together or else face the fall of the world.
Hazel Hill Is Gonna Win This One by Maggie Horne. HarperCollins, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-358-66470-3. Hazel Hill’s preparations for a speech debate lead her to a revelation about her closest friend and on a path for justice for a new ally. The middle grade book earned a starred review from PW.
Hither & Nigh by Ellen Potter. McElderry, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-1038-5. Stuck in an afterschool program dedicated to teaching magic, Nell Batista finds traces of her missing brother in the alternate realm, the Nigh, and traverses between the two realms to find him.
I Can’t Draw by Stephen W. Martin, illus. by Brian Biggs. McElderry, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-9341-4. When Max questions his ability to draw, he takes pointers from a skilled and helpful classmate.
I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman. Scholastic Press, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-338-83093-4. Jimmy, star of popular boyband the Ark, and Angel, a fan attending one of the Ark’s concerts, meet in a twist of fate and help each other navigate struggles with identity, religion, and online fandom.
If You Were a City by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Sanna Francesca. Chronicle, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-452-15519-7. A series of rhymed queries beckons readers to consider the characteristics of an inviting, livable city.
I’ll Be Your Polar Bear by Justin Roberts, illus. by Chuck Groenink. Putnam, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-525-51639-2. A father and son polar bear duo share playful behavior on their way home, with the father bear always ensuring the safety and wellbeing of his cub.
The Littlest Elephant by Kate Read Peachtree, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-68263-494-3. Ellie, an excited elephant who has just learned to swim, learns the virtue of kindness and respect when her rush to the water interrupts other animals at play.
Maybe an Artist by Liz Montague. Random House Studio, $17.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-30782-3. Montague traces her inspiration to draw by examining the motivations she discovered in her childhood, leading up to her publication as one of the first Black female cartoonists to be featured in the New Yorker. The graphic novel earned a starred review from PW.
My Name Is Malala by Malala Yousafzai, illus. by Mariam Quraishi. Little, Brown, $8.99; ISBN 978-0-316-34027-4. Yousafzai’s first picture book shows readers that figures who seem larger than life share commonalities with everyone.
My Nest of Silence by Matt Faulkner. Atheneum, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-534-47762-9. [Japanese American Mari grieves for her brother when he enlists in the U.S. army in WWII while her family struggles under Manzanar’s increasingly squalid conditions. The graphic novel earned a starred review from PW.
Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra. Wednesday, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-82368-7. Katyani, guard to the Queen, must protect the Prince following an assassination attempt, and discovers that loyalties to the royals are not as they seem.
Nothing Sung and Nothing Spoken by Nita Tyndall. HarperTeen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-308744-6. Charlotte Kraus befriends members of the underground swing movement in Berlin, leading to a journey of friendship and self-discovery amid WWII.
Prunella and the Cursed Skull Ring by Matthew Loux. First Second, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-16261-8. After Prunella finds a cursed ring while working in her garden, it morphs her into a living skeleton, resulting in exile from her monster-hating town.
Road of the Lost by Nafiza Azad. McElderry, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-8499-3. Croi discovers that her true magical abilities have been trapped under layers of magic and she must venture into the Otherworld to strip away the layered enchantments and unearth her memories.
Sardines by Sashi Kaufman. Quill Tree, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-299561-2. A group of children bond during an afterschool program and work together to help the others attain their goals.
Secrets of Stone and Sea by Allison K. Hymas. Roaring Brook, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-2507-9947-0. After awakening a vicious sea monster, twins Kai and Peter Syracuse enlist the help of their family and friends to banish the monster back to its maritime prison.
The Talk by Alicia D. Williams, illus. by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu. Atheneum/Dlouhy, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-9529-6. As playful Black boy Jay starts to grow up, Jay’s relatives offer tips for how he might survive in an anti-Black world. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Tell Me No Lies by Andrea Contos. Scholastic Press, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-3387-2620-6. Distant sisters Sophie and Nora must work together when Sophie’s boyfriend disappears, and Nora becomes the prime suspect.
Tell the Truth, Pangolin by Melinda Beatty, illus. by Paola Escobar. Random House/Schwartz, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-18013-6. When Pangolin accidentally breaks the queen’s swing, he faces the problem of how to communicate the damage.
Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mac Barnett, illus. by Jon Klassen. Orchard, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-338-67384-5. Barnett and Klassen put a new spin on the classic fairy tale of sibling goats fooling a troll to go after their larger, tastier brother. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
The Truth About Mrs. Claus by Meena Harris, illus. by Keisha Morris. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-23227-2. Amalia the Elf struggles with holiday preparations and receives help from the one and only Mrs. Claus.
Twelve Dinging Doorbells by Tameka Fryer Brown, illus. by Ebony Glenn. Kokila, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-9848-1517-0. In this revamp of the classic holiday carol “12 Days of Christmas,” a Black family gathering is connoted with doorbell dings, marking the arrival of more relative and tasty dishes. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Walter Had a Best Friend by Deborah Underwood, illus. by Sergio Ruzzier. Beach Lane, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-7700-1. Walter faces the difficult feelings of losing a friend for the first time. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
We Are the Scribes by Randi Pink. Feiwel and Friends, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-82031-0. Ruth Fitz is spurred to action amid present-day political unrest when she’s visited by the ghost of an enslaved woman from the 1900s.
What Are You? by Christian Trimmer, illus. by Mike Curato. Roaring Brook, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-78602-9. Pug navigates the assumptions and stereotypes placed on him by new friends because of his breed.
The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew. Scholastic Press, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-338-80947-3. Lane Meyers’ attendance at an exclusive school for students of the occult is met with the deaths of several classmates and the discovery of a conspiracy to bend the boundaries of the supernatural.
Whose Footprints Are These by Gerda Muller. Floris, $17.95; ISBN 978-1-78250-810-6. Readers follow along on a boy’s nighttime adventure by tracing his footsteps through the snow. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
The Woman Who Turned Children into Birds by David Almond, illus. by Laura Carlin. Candlewick Studio, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1996-8. An old woman proclaims the ability to transform children into birds, and one child’s belief in her capabilities makes bright new additions to the town.
The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks. Quill Tree, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06321-160-5. Eleven-year-old Fred grapples with her feelings when refugees arrive in her community and her family extends a helping hand.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of October, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
