Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a YA novel taking place in a dream, a picture book about villains proving their evilness, a YA romance starring two teens who come together to fulfill an ailing grandfather’s last wish, a sequel about a mythic artifact unleashing a dangerous creature, and more.
A Little Like Waking by Adam Rex. Roaring Brook, $20.99; ISBN 978-1-2506-2191-7. After Zelda crashes into Langston in a biking accident, she realizes that her entire life, including her town and everyone in it, is a dream. With Langston’s help, Zelda endeavors to travel to the edge of the vision, discover the identity of the dreamer, and hopefully return to waking life.
The Baddies by Julia Donaldson, illus. by Axel Scheffler. Scholastic Press, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-3390-0906-3. A group of creatures, each proclaiming to be the evilest of them all, are tasked with stealing a hanky from a girl. As they each attempt to showcase how mean they can be, they are stumped by the child’s good nature and kindness.
The Boy You Always Wanted by Michelle Quach. HarperCollins/Tegen, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-303842-4. Francine hopes to fulfill her grandfather’s dying wish to see a male heir continue family traditions by asking her family friend and former crush Ollie to fake being her grandfather’s honorary heir.
Fury of the Dragon Goddess by Sarwat Chadda. Disney/Rick Riordan Presents, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-3680-8182-5. In the sequel to City of the Plague God, Sik uses an ancient tablet to bring his brother back from the dead but must help save the world when the tablet falls into the wrong hands.
Giants Are Very Brave People by Florence Parry Heide, illus. by Merrill Rainey. Holiday House, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-5041-1. Blue-skinned Bigelow discovers that in comparison to new friend Mrs. Pimberly, he is a giant, and learns to work through his nervousness by putting on a brave face. This previously published story by late author and poet Heide has been updated with new illustrations from Rainey.
The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter. Clarion, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-324792-5. To save her family’s dragon sanctuary, Cassidy plans to win the cash prize at the Great Texas Dragon Race, a weeklong affair that pits participating riders and their dragons against a host of complex challenges and natural hazards. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
I’ll Tell You No Lies by Amanda McCrina. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-374-39099-0. In this YA novel set in 1955 during the Cold War, 18-year-old Shelby Blaine, daughter of an intelligence officer, meets Ukrainian pilot and Soviet defector Maksym. When Maksym is accused of being a spy, he turns to Shelby for help proving his innocence.
I Will Read to You by Gideon Sterer, illus. by Charles Santoso. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-59261-1. Before bedtime, a child offers to take over reading aloud his bedtime story to share a tale with haunting creatures.
Mexikid by Pedro Martín. Dial, $24.99; ISBN 978-0-593-46228-7; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-46229-4. Martín’s debut intergenerational graphic novel memoir, adapted from a webcomic, chronicles his 1970s childhood growing up as the seventh of nine siblings in a bustling Mexican American household. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
Mine! by Candace Fleming, illus. by Eric Rohmann. Random House/Schwartz, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-18166-9. In this rhyming fable by married team Fleming and Rohmann, several animals spot a shiny red apple hanging from a tree and—seemingly unbeknownst to others—stake their claim.
The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall. Viking, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-5934-0514-7. Jumping across a river called the Narrow is a tradition at Eden White’s new boarding school, one that almost killed reclusive student Delphine. When Eden is paid to act as a live-in aid to Delphine, she begins to fall for her while uncovering what happened to Delphine’s former companion.
One More Jar of Jam by Michelle Sumovich, illus. by Gracey Zhang. Dial, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-11267-0. A child who loves picking the fruit of her grandmother’s mulberry tree is devastated when the tree is destroyed by a storm, in Sumovich’s picture book debut.
Ready, Set, Run!: The Amazing New York City Marathon by Leslie Kimmelman, illus. by Jessie Hartland. Random House Studio, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-5934-3365-2. Young readers can follow the events of the world-famous New York City Marathon, from preparations the day before to the success of making it across the finish line. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
The Revelry by Katherine Webber. Scholastic Press, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-338-82852-8. Sixteen-year-old best friends Bitsy and Amy sneak their way into the Revelry, Ember Grove high school’s exclusive and secret seniors party in the woods. When the two wake up with matching scars and no memories the next day, Bitsy investigates what happened to them.
Sixteen Souls by Rosie Talbot. Scholastic Press, $12.99 paper; ISBN 978-1-339-01821-8. Closeted 16-year-old Charlie Frith can communicate with ghosts and he investigates alongside Sam Harrow, a living transgender teenage seer, who claims that local ghosts have been disappearing.
Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton, illus. by As´ka. Graphix, $24.99; ISBN 978-1-338-81880-2; $15.99 paper ISBN 978-1-338-81879-6. Bisexual 14-year-old Australian Maisie is disappointed when her favorite celebrity pulls out of a fan convention. But Maisie ends up spending the day with nonbinary Ollie, who offers to make the rest of her convention experience one to remember. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
Stuff Kids Should Know: The Mind-Blowing Histories of Everything from Mr. Potato Head to Demolition Derbies (And More) by Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark. Holt, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-250-62244-0. Clark and Bryant bring the format of their podcast Stuff You Should Know to young readers in this nonfiction illustrated guide.
True True by Don P. Hooper. Penguin/Paulsen, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-46210-2. Brooklynite Gil struggles to acclimate to his new Manhattan prep school Augustin after a racist incident leads to confrontations with the school’s administration. As he works with fellow Black students to receive justice, he risks ruining his other relationships as life in Manhattan takes up more and more of his time. The YA debut received a starred review from PW.
We Still Belong by Christine Day. Heartdrum, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-306456-0. Twelve-year-old Wesley Wilder navigates fitting in at her new school after her poem about Indigenous Day draws negative attention from a teacher, and pushback about becoming an official member of her family’s Upper Skagit Indian Tribe. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Window Fishing by DK Dyson, illus. by Rudy Gutierrez. Knopf, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-42901-3. This picture book from married collaborators Dyson and Gutierrez follows Rudeday, a young artist who begins sending art to an anonymous neighbor via a string and window and finds new appreciation and inspiration from his community. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet by Jake Maia Arlow. Dial, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-5931-1296-0. After seventh-grader Al is diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, she joins an inflammatory bowel disease support group, and struggles with keeping up with her old friends and developing feelings for a new girl. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of August, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
