Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a middle grade adventure featuring a harrowing visit from the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, a picture book that bans its own characters from the story, a YA companion novel in which a girl faces big decisions about her future, and more.
Alex Wise vs. the End of the World by Terry J. Benton-Walker. Labyrinth Road, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-56429-5. While on a family vacation, Alex Wise must rescue his sister after she’s taken by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak by Laura Taylor Namey. Atheneum , $19.99 ISBN 978-1-66591-533-5. In the companion to A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, Flora struggles with the grief of losing her mother. Rather than fall in line with her family’s expectations, she escapes to Miami, where she navigates conflicting feelings about her future and potential relationships.
Can’t Live Without You by Abby Hanlon. Dial, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-593-61598-0. When Dory loses her mother while grocery shopping, she imagines how far her mom could have wandered in the sixth book in the Dory Fantasmagory series.
The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan. Disney Hyperion, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-3680-9817-5. The half-god Percy Jackson returns as he faces a new quest, to get into college, in the first new book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series since 2009.
The Changing Man by Tomi Oyemakinde. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-250-86813-8. Ife struggles to acclimate to life at her new boarding school amid rumors of the Changing Man, a mysterious figure who kidnaps children and vanishes. When Ife learns that the school lore may offer insight into the disappearance of her best friend, she launches an investigation that uproots a long history of missing students.
Dragon’s First Taco by Adam Rubin, illus. by Daniel Salmieri. Dial, $8.99; ISBN 978-0-5935-3317-8. This board book companion to Dragons Love Tacos follows a dragon’s attempt to create its own delicious taco.
Don’t Worry, Wuddles by Lita Judge. Atheneum, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-1676-9. A duckling learns a valuable lesson when it continuously borrows a sheep’s wool without asking.
Every Dreaming Creature by Brendan Wenzel. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-51253-4. Caldecott Honoree Wenzel imagines a young dreamer inhabiting the body and consciousness of a succession of animals. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
A Few Beautiful Minutes: Experiencing a Solar Eclipse by Kate Allen Fox, illus. by Khoa Le. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-41692-4. On the night of a solar eclipse, children and animals grow increasingly excited about the moment the moon “steal[s] the sun’s glory/ ...for a few beautiful minutes.” The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong. S&S/McElderry, $21.99; ISBN 978-1-665-90561-9. The sequel to Foul Lady Fortune finds spy Rosalind with her cover blown and her only ally, Orion, kidnapped. To rescue him, Rosalind plans to escape the city to find Orion by heading on a national tour, but she faces danger when she’s left to fend for herself.
The Haunting by Natasha Preston. Delacorte, $12.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-48151-6. Penny’s relationship with her boyfriend Nash came crashing to a halt when Nash’s father was arrested for the murder of four teens. But when another teen is brutally murdered, Penny questions if Nash’s family was to blame in the first place.
I Can Open It for You by Shinsuke Yoshitake, trans. from the Japanese by Lisa Wilcut. Chronicle, $15.99; ISBN 978-1-79721-994-3. After a narrator receives help from their mother to unwrap a piece of chocolate, they muse on all the things they’ll be able to open once they’re older. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
The Light Within You by Namita Moolani Mehra, illus. by Kamala Nair. Two Lions, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5420-3912-3. Diya, whose family has recently immigrated to an unspecified country, is welcomed back to India to celebrate Diwali by her beloved Nani. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
The Little Kid with the Big Green Hand by Matthew Gray Gubler. Abrams/Amulet, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-7122-4. In actor Gubler’s graphic novel, Lenore, born with a big green hand, struggles to accept her physical attributes and learns important lessons about self-perception.
Mall Goth by Kate Leth. Simon & Schuster, $22.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-7695-0; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-5344-7694-3. In 2003, openly bisexual goth girl Liv Holme navigates a move to a new city, her embarrassing job at the mall, and shifting tides in her friendships.
Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life by Emma Steinkellner. Labyrinth Road, $21.99; ISBN 978-0-593-57066-1; $13.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-57069-2. Seventh-grader Nell had hoped to be assigned to an artist for her apprenticeship, but instead is paired with the Town Lorekeeper, who may have more insight into her town history than she anticipates.
Ploof by Ben Clanton and Andy Chou Musser. Tundra, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-77488-192-7. The creators of this board book give readers a chance to practice empathic responses through engagement with an emotive cloud named Ploof.
A Pretty Implausible Premise by Karen Rivers. Algonquin, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-61620-816-5. Southern California high school senior and competitive swimmer Hattie befriends decorated figure skater and Canadian transplant Presley. Through their friendship, the pair begin to bond over their recently lost loved ones and work towards a path of healing. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Salsa Magic by Letisha Marrero. Levine Querido, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-64614-260-6. Maya is the only one in her family who is intrigued by her estranged aunt’s arrival at the family restaurant, especially when her aunt announces that Maya has been chosen by a goddess to be the next bruja of the family. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
The Siren, the Song, and the Spy by Maggie Tokuda-Hall. Candlewick, $19.99 ISBN 978-1-5362-1805-3. In the companion to The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea, Genevieve questions if she can trust a pair of siblings, pirate-spy Alfie’s loyalty is called into question, and a looming war between the Sea and the Empire threatens to destroy everything.
This Book Is Banned Raj Haldar, illus. by Julia Patton. Sourcebooks Explore, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-7282-7656-4. After an altercation between a hippo and giraffe gets them both removed from the story, an increasingly self-censoring narrator attempts various replacement subjects in this meta picture book.
Something, Someday by Amanda Gorman, illus. by Christian Robinson. Viking, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-20325-5. National Youth Poet Laureate Gorman and Caldecott Honoree Robinson collaborate on a picture book highlighting a child’s commitment to help their neighborhood flourish by planting seeds they hope will grow into something beautiful. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Sometimes I Cry by Jess Townes, illus. by Daniel Miyares. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-374-30825-4. A child notes the varying emotions that can be brought up through the act of crying.
Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis. Penguin/Paulsen, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-62536-1. When her mother is kidnapped and held for ransom, Ross has no choice but to enter the Thieves’ Gambit, a potentially fatal tournament in which the world’s top teen thieves complete a series of heists.
What If One Day... by Bruce Handy, illus. by Ashleigh Corrin. Enchanted Lion, $19.95; ISBN 978-1-59270-383-8. In this prose poem picture book, Handy and Corrin approach gratitude in an unexpected way: by considering the space that beloved entities might leave behind. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-66941-2. In the third book in the Wild Robot series, when water threatens to flood the island where Roz and the animals reside, Roz attempts to save the island from being destroyed.
Wrecker by Carl Hiaasen. Knopf, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-37628-7. Fifteen-year-old Valdez offered a few boaters help when he noticed them out at sea, but now that he has returned home, the boaters and their suspicious activity have followed him back.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of September, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
