The only thing that could outshine an eclipse are the exciting titles for young readers releasing this month, including a high-seas adventure from a Caldecott Medalist, a tale of intergenerational friendship, a YA mystery about a missing mother’s return, and more.
Picture Books
Sophie Blackall. Random House/Schwartz, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-593-42939-6. Ages 4–8. A child helps an adult sail away in this high-seas adventure from two-time Caldecott Medalist Blackall. The book received a starred review from PW.
A Crown of Stories: The Life and Language of Beloved Writer Toni Morrison
Carole Boston Weatherford, illus. by Khalif Tahir Johnson. Quill Tree, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-06-291103-2. Ages 4–8. This tribute to Morrison traces her life from her family’s move north as part of the Great Migration, to notable school experiences, to her career as an editor and writer. The book received a starred review from PW.
Nelly Buchet, illus. by Andrea Zuill. Random House Studio, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0593-64312-9. Ages 4–8. Previous collaborators Buchet and Zuill reteam for this love letter to instantly recognizable canine behavior. The book received a starred review from PW.
Emma and Susan Straub, illus. by Jessica Love. Gaga, the glamorous grandmother of the book’s young narrator, defies convention throughout this familial portrait by mother-daughter team Susan and Emma Straub. Rocky Pond, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-52946-1. Ages 4–8.
Ana Ot, illus. by Hayden Goodman. Atheneum, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66591-305-8. Ages 4–8. As community members gather to celebrate the annual festival for honoring ancestors, a child gains the opportunity to commemorate their grandfather. The book received a starred review from PW.
Hello Day: A Child’s-Eye View of the World
Charlie Mylie. Abrams, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4197-6813-2. Ages 3–5. A child heartily greets everything they encounter in this picture book centering a child’s noticing. The book received a starred review from PW.
Felicita Sala. Abrams, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-4197-6688-6. Ages 4–8. A vivid bedtime story prompts an imaginative child to ask a series of what-if questions. See Sala’s essay for PW on meeting young readers at their level.
Lauren Castillo. Candlewick, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2481-8. Ages 3–7. A child who enjoys their independence makes the perfect companion for a new pup. See our q&a with Castillo. The book received a starred review from PW.
Doreen Cronin, illus. by Brian Cronin. Rocky Pond, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5936-9820-4. Ages 2–5. When Baby Sloth tumbles to the ground, his mother quickly assures that she’s coming to the rescue even if her arrival is likely to take a while. The book received a starred review from PW.
Joëlle Retener, illus. by DeAnn Wiley. Barefoot, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 979-8-88859-074-4. Ages 3–9. Marley, a Black transgender child who has sensory sensitivities, attends Pride and utilizes their coping mechanism skills to join in the festivities. The book received a starred review from PW.
Polly Horvath, illus. by Boris Kulikov. Holiday House/Ferguson, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8234-4987-3. Ages 4–6. This dry comedy stars a child who doesn’t smile no matter what his parents do. See our q&a with Horvath.
Nicholas Day, illus. by Chris Raschka. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5409-9. Ages 4–8. Day and Raschka shine a light on this experimental composer and one of his most notable pieces, 4’33”. See our In Conversation with Day and Raschka.
Phillipa Soo and Maris Pasquale Doran, illus. by Qin Leng. Random House Studio, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-56469-1. Ages 4–8. Piper Chen is excited when her music teacher offers her a concert solo, but must learn to overcome her nerves with the help of her Nǎi Nai. See our q&a with Soo and Doran. The book received a starred review from PW.
Terrible Horses: A Story of Sibling Conflict and Companionship
Raymond Antrobus, illus. by Ken Wilson-Max. Candlewick, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3548-7. Ages 3–7. A child with brown skin who wears hearing aids narrates this acutely felt story about sibling conflict. The book received a starred review from PW.
Brendan Wenzel. Chronicle, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-79720-277-8. Ages 3–5. Caldecott Honoree Wenzel continues to explore perspective in this companion to They All Saw a Cat and Inside Cat—a story about a feline, Bell, and a hound, Bone, who are headed homeward. The book received a starred review from PW.
We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America
Joanna Ho, illus. by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya. Orchard, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-3388-4665-2. Ages 4–8. Bold, pop art–style graphics and lyrical phrasing distinguish this picture book “inspired by specific figures, events, and movements in Asia and across the Asian diaspora,” per an end note. The book received a starred review from PW.
Kate Hosford, illus. by Sarah Gonzales. Chronicle, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-79721-437-5. Ages 3–5. Over the course of a day spent outdoors, a caregiver and child connect. The book received a starred review from PW.
Middle Grade
The Bard and the Book: How the First Folio Saved the Plays of William Shakespeare from Oblivion
Ann Bausum, illus. by Marta Sevilla. Peachtree, $19.99 (112p) ISBN 978-1-6826-3495-0. Ages 10 and up. Bausum breaks down the lucky confluence of events that led to the preservation of plays by William Shakespeare. The book received a starred review from PW.
V.P. Anderson, illus. by Tatiana Hill. Labyrinth Road, $21.99 (192p) ISBN 978-0-593-48569-9; $13.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-48571-2. Ages 8–12. Thirteen-year-old figure skater Mina Murray uncovers an alternate route to athletic fame when a roving gang of young roller derby vampires called Blood City Vamps kidnap her to join their team as a last-minute jammer. The book received a starred review from PW.
Deva Fagan. Atheneum, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-6659-3019-2. Ages 10 and up. As a low-ranking participant in her city’s Great Game, 12-year-old Pia enters the annual noctis tournament, an ever-changing game of wits and strategy with life-and-death stakes and a fabulous prize. The book received a starred review from PW.
Alicia D. Williams, illus. by Danica Novgorodoff. S&S/Dlouhy, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-4814-6583-0. Ages 10 and up. Black eighth grade skateboarder Isaiah grapples with the death of his best friend Darius and tries to break the world record for the longest wheelie in Darius’s honor.
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Dial, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-73522-856-6. Ages 9–12. In this story set in 1942 Nazi-occupied France, 12-year-old Miriam Schreiber, a German Jew, discovers a secret operation that is secretly helping to smuggle Jews across the border. See our q&a with the author.
Patricia MacLachlan. McElderry, $16.99 (144p) ISBN 978-1-53449-994-2. Ages 8–12. The late Newbery Medalist blends themes of baseball and painting with loving family and friends in this story—her final novel—about the daughter of a minor-league pitcher and a painter seeking courage and her own path to pursuing her dreams.
Lois Lowry. Clarion, $18.99 (208p) ISBN 978-0-06329-950-4. Ages 8–12. Two Sophies, widowed 88-year-old Polish-born Sophie Gershowitz, and 11-year-old Sophie Winslow, form an intergenerational friendship upon finding each other as next-door neighbors in a small New Hampshire town.
Aida Salazar. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-338-77565-5. Ages 10 and up. Tween Elio Solis is left dealing with tumultuous feelings of anger, despair, and grief after his first breakup and he grapples with confusing messaging he receives about how to be a man. The book received a starred review from PW.
Young Adult
The Black Girl Survives in This One
Edited by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell. Flatiron, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-25087-165-7. Ages 12 and up. Debut creator Evans and Fennell aim to ensure that Black girls survive their gruesome respective situations via a lineup of 15 Black writers—including Zakiya Dahlia Harris, Justina Ireland, Brittney Morris, and more. See our story highlighting Black final girls in recent YA literature. The book received a starred review from PW.
Draw Down the Moon (Moonstruck #1)
P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. Wednesday, $20 (336p) ISBN 978-1-250865-16-8. Ages 12 and up. Upon discovering that she is Moonstruck, Wren Nightingale gains entrance to a school for magical youth, and must investigate a prophecy that threatens everything she knows about magic, the world, and her place within it. See our In Conversation between the mother-daughter collaborators.
Jenna Voris. Viking, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-5936-2337-4; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-62339-8. Ages 12 and up. Bisexual teen reporter Darren uncovers the unsung love story of a closeted woman from her small town’s past. The book received a starred review from PW.
Theo Parish. HarperAlley, $26.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-06-331959-2; $18.99 paper ISBN 978-0-06-331958-5. Ages 14 and up. From navigating gender expectations regarding their hair and clothing choices to everyday social interactions with family and classmates, debut creator Parish presents a graphic novel memoir of their experience growing up as a nonbinary transgender person. The book received a starred review from PW.
Mariko Turk. Little, Brown, $18.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-3167-0344-4. Ages 12 and up. Japanese American Natalie Nakada returns to the Harlow Hotel, the center of her summer internship application and the site of childhood memories of her late best friend Imogen. While there, unexplained glimpses of Imogen haunt Natalie as she questions her belief in ghosts. The book received a starred review from PW.
Ernesto Saade. Graphic Universe, $17.99 paper (216p) ISBN 979-8-7656-2336-7. Ages 14 and up. Salvadoran cartoonist Saade chronicles “just another story” of contemporary migration that centers his cousin, Carlos. The book received a starred review from PW.
Meredith Adamo. Bloomsbury, $19.99 (448p) ISBN 978-1-5476-1400-4. Ages 14 and up. After stolen private photos of her are leaked to her classmates, Jo-Lynn investigates the disappearance of her former best friend, which leads to a revelation of her own about a night she doesn’t want to remember. The book received a starred review from PW.
Bianca Xunise. Viking, $24.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-593-46450-2; $17.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-46452-6. Ages 14 and up. Just as Baby Hares’s lead singer Ariel Grace Jones is beginning to question the viability of their band’s success, a local punk luminary steps in to provide a final glimmer of hope. The book received a starred review from PW.
The Reappearance of Rachel Price
Holly Jackson. Delacorte, $20.99 (448p) ISBN 978-0-5933-7420-7. Ages 14 and up. In the middle of filming a documentary about her missing mother, Bel Price must face even more questions when the assumed dead star of the show makes a return. The book received a starred review from PW.
Judy I. Lin. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $20.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-250-87161-9. Ages 13 and up. Xue, an apprentice qin player with few options to survive, has her contract bought out by Duke Meng Jinglang to help Jinglang unlock hidden memories of his deceased mentor. The book received a starred review from PW.
Racquel Marie. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-250-89138-9. Former best friends Bea and Santi reunite for their final year of high school and grapple with the loss of their friend Bryce, who died by suicide. See our q&a with Marie. Ages 14 and up.
Ann Zhao. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-250-88500-5. Ages 14 and up. Wellesley College freshman Sophie Chi and classmate Joanna Ephron run rival advice columns online, but bond in real life through their shared identity as aro-ace teens. See our q&a with Zhao. The book received a starred review from PW.
Kelly Andrew. Scholastic Press, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-33888-507-1. Ages 13 and up. Wyatt Westlock discovers that her childhood best friend Peter has been locked in her family’s basement for years and must choose between helping him or betraying her family. The book received a starred review from PW.
