February marks the season of love and readers are sure to find new books out this month to adore, including queer YA love stories, an Anne of Green Gables retelling, historical picture books, and more.
Picture Books
Claudio Aguilera, trans. from the Spanish by Lawrence Schimel, illus. by Gabriela Lyon. Eerdmans, $18.99 (56p) ISBN 978-0-80-285600-5. Ages 5–9. Long before the sun rises, a Chilean child starts walking nine kilometers to school, mindful en route of the activity around them. The book received a starred review from PW.
The Fire of Stars: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of
Kirsten W. Larson, illus. by Katherine Roy. Chronicle, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-4521-7287-3. Ages Ages 5–8.
English astronomer Cecilia Payne (1900–1979) shines in this homage, which unfolds as a dual narrative that maps Payne’s life to a star’s phases of formation. While her family’s move to London initially feels lonely, Payne takes refuge in her school’s dusty lab, and eventually lands a scholarship to Cambridge, where she learns about a new field: astrophysics. The book received a starred review from PW.
Lalena Fisher. HarperCollins, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-0632-1052-3. Ages 4–8. Fisher, an infographics contributor to the New York Times, makes her solo debut with a friendship story chronicled through charts, graphs, and maps. The book received a starred review from PW.
Anita Lobel. S&S/Wiseman, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5344-6594-7. Ages 4–8. A child narrates a family outing in the city from morning till night. Paneled illustrations offer a wealth of visual information: architectural details, folk-art-like figures—even an overflowing city waste-basket is beautiful in the eyes of Caldecott Honoree Lobel. The book received a starred review from PW.
Brian Pinkney. Greenwillow, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-315982-2. Ages 4–8. Friends Otter and Beaver learn to work through their differences as they find materials in the ocean that can act as a toy or necessary tool.
Marla Frazee. Beach Lane, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-66591-248-8. Ages up to 8. This brief, stirring benediction—based on a “call-and-response version of a Jewish baby-naming blessing,” Frazee notes on the book’s dedication page—starts with new life. The book received a starred review from PW.
Sometimes It’s Nice to Be Alone
Amy Hest, illus. by Philip C. Stead. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8234-4947-7. Ages 4–8. A child toggles between the charms of solitude and the joys of companionship while at the beach. Hest’s playful word use adds charm, and Stead’s animal friends, who often look a little wistful, tap into a primal desire to frolic in perfect safety and abandon, engaging one’s private imagination.
Stillwater and Koo Save the World
Jon J Muth. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-338-81231-2. Ages 4–8. Zen panda Stillwater and nephew Koo, characters from Muth’s previous works, spend a day together, working in small steps to help their community when Koo feels an urge to “do something important.” The book received a starred review from PW.
Nicole Melleby, illus. by Alexandra Colombo. Algonquin, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-64375-095-8. Ages 4–8. Sunny and her family’s new pet cat Oswaldo get off to a rough start on the companion front until Sunny develops empathy for Oswaldo’s past.
We Go Way Back: A Book About Life on Earth and How It All Began
Idan Ben-Barak, illus. by Philip Bunting. Roaring Brook, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-250-85079-9. Ages 4–8. Ben-Barak explains what is known about how life began, exploring new discoveries across time. The book received a starred review from PW.
Katey Howes, illus. by Dinara Mirtalipova. Chronicle, $17.99 (44p) ISBN 978-1-4521-7806-6. Ages 5–8. A patient elder and child bond through weaving, which is contextualized through the many civilizations that have used the tradition as well. The book received a starred review from PW.
Middle Grade
Kelly Yang. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-5344-8833-5. Ages 8–12. When Lina Gao finally makes the move to reunite with her parents in America, her expectations of her new life differ drastically from reality.
Dan Santat. First Second, $22.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-62672-415-0. Ages 10 and up. Caldecott Medalist Santat follows a teen’s arc from invisible to invincible through his first big moments during a class trip to Europe. The book received a starred review from PW.
Heather Fawcett. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-0631-4262-6. In this Anne of Green Gables retelling, 12-year-old witch Grace attempts to gain an apprenticeship with local witch Miss Puddlestone by performing a host of difficult spells. See our roundup of other recent Anne of Green Gables retellings. The book received a starred review from PW.
Kate O’Shaughnessy. Knopf, $17.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-9848-9387-1. Ages 8-12. Waiting for a foster placement in New York City, Mo Gallagher finds connection when she discovers a book of family recipes and starts a food website. The book received a starred review from PW.
Chrystal D. Giles. Random House, $16.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-593-17521-7. Ages 10 and up. After being expelled from school, 12-year-old Lawrence takes up chess while at a community center, which helps him navigate feelings about his father’s incarceration. The book received a starred review from PW.
Sara Farizan. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-338-82707-1. Ages 8-12. When Lila discovers grant-wishing entity Felise through a hidden box, she struggles to return the box after Felise’s abilities manifest changes in her life.
The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels
Beth Lincoln, illus. by Claire Powell. Dutton, $17.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-593-53323-9. Ages 8-12. Thirteen-year-old Shenanigan and her mother return to their family estate for a family reunion that quickly turns deadly, forcing Shenanigan to uncover secrets about her own relatives. The book received a starred review from PW.
Mike Thayer. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-250-77102-5. Ages 8-12. A meteoric collision gives 12-year-old Tiffany the ability to take on others’ talents. The book received a starred review from PW.
The Windeby Puzzle: History and Story
Lois Lowry, illus. by Jonathan Stroh. Clarion, $16.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-358672-50-0. Ages 10 and up. Alternating via five sections between conversational history and evocative storytelling, Newbery Medalist Lowry creates a contemplative narrative around an Iron Age bog body found in northern Germany. See our q&a with Lowry.
Young Adult
Erika Turner. Feiwel and Friends, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-2508-3484-3. Ages 14 and up. Black 17-year-old track star Aaliyah Marshall is forced to navigate love and high school drama after being outed as queer by a church elder. The book received a starred review from PW.
Edward Underhill. Wednesday, $18.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-250-83520-8. Ages 12 and up. Trans teen pianist Miles Jacobson grapples with coming out and a blossoming new romance while preparing for an elite piano competition with a rival. The book received a starred review from PW.
Nic Stone. Crown, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-593-30770-0. Ages 14 and up. While conducting his court-mandated community service hours at a soup kitchen, Andy befriends classmate Shelbi and through the course of their friendship they navigate Andy’s grief and struggles with alcohol.
Moses Ose Utomi. Atheneum, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-66591-813-8. Ages 12 and up. In a fantasy world with a West Africa–inspired setting, 16-year-old Dirt must return to participating in an ancient martial arts competition to protect her found family. The book received a starred review from PW.
Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim
Patricia Park. Crown, $18.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-59356-337-3. Ages 12 and up. When high school senior Alejandra Kim finds herself at the center of a school scandal, she contends with complicated relationships with her friends and peers, potentially putting her future at risk. See our q&a with Park.
Natasha Preston. Delacorte, $12.99 paper (336p) ISBN 978-0-5934-8149-3. Ages 12 and up. True crime vlogger Paisley and five influencers accept an invitation to an isolated amusement park and fight for their lives as their peers start turning up dead.
Lakita Wilson. Viking, $18.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-59-35256-16. Ages 12 and up. After a sudden breakup with her boyfriend leaves her single right before graduation, Leila turns to her school’s matchmaker system with hopes for a new chance at love. The book received a starred review from PW.
Kate J. Armstrong. Penguin/Paulsen, $19.99 (480p) ISBN 978-0-593-46327-7. Ages 12 and up. Mathilde and her fellow Nightbirds have magical abilities but are kept away from society and under restrictions by a madam. When Mathilde discovers there are potentially more Nightbirds out there, she’s forced to confront the life that she’d been taught was made to protect her. The book received a starred review from PW.
Yvonne Woon. HarperCollins/Tegen, $19.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-06-300869-4. Ages 13 and up. Hana Yang Lerner is used to hiding the secrets of her prep school peers, but when it’s her own family’s secret on the line, she takes a fall from grace, and her latest investigation into a scandal reveals deeper roots than she imagined. The book received a starred review from PW.
Trang Thanh Tran. Bloomsbury, $18.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-5476-1081-5. Ages 13 and up. Jade Nguyen agrees to stay with her Ba in Vietnam in exchange for college tuition money, but discovers that the home Ba is renovating has a devious mind of its own.
Ann Liang. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-3388-2711-8. Ages 12 and up. When her untrue essay about her relationship goes viral, Eliza fakes a relationship with famous classmate Caz to save her reputation. See our q&a with Liang. The book received a starred review from PW.
Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues
H.S. Valley. Hardie Grant, $12.99 paper (320p) ISBN 978-1-76050-875-3. Ages 14 and up.
When Tim is forced to work with Elliot on a magical school project, the two develop unexpected feelings for one another. The book received a starred review from PW.
Gabe Cole Novoa. Random House, $18.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-59337-801-4. Ages 12 and up. Tim and Elliot, senior classmates at a magical high school, agree to work together on a class project to get back at their exes. The book received a starred review from PW.
