Young readers can keep the summer fun coming this month with exciting new releases, including a picture book lesson about apologies, a haunting picture book about the search for a fitting godfather, a YA thriller set in the Paris catacombs, and more.
Picture Books and Early Readers
Almost Underwear: How a Piece of Cloth Traveled from Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars
Jonathan Roth. Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-3165-2554-1. Ages 5–9. The unassuming roll of unbleached muslin for sale in 1903 at a store in Dayton, Ohio, might have been turned into ladies’ underwear. But the Wright brothers saw something more in it: a fabric ideal for covering the wings of the world’s first airplane. After sitting in storage and being displayed in a museum, a swatch of this cloth again and again soars into history. The book received a starred review from PW.
Before the Ships: The Birth of Black Excellence
Maisha Oso, illus. by Candice Bradley. Orchard, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-338-84997-4. Ages 4–8. In an insightful picture book, Oso offers an empowering portrait of African peoples before the slave ships. It’s an affirming history that connects readers to ancestors while underlining how “Black lives have always mattered.” The book received a starred review from PW.
Freya Blackwood. Random House Studio, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-70766-1. Ages 4–8. After school, a child takes two bowls out to a cramped patch of trees next door to their home, where they greet a friend: a stand of interwoven trees that make up the figure of an elephant. The book received a starred review from PW.
Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos
Nathalie Alonso, illus. by Rudy Gutierrez. Calkins Creek, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-6359-2811-2. In this stirring biography of Puerto Rican baseball player Clemente (1934–1972), Alonso celebrates the athlete’s contributions to baseball and human rights. Ages 7–10.
Clack, Clack! Smack! A Cherokee Stickball Story
Traci Sorell, illus. by Joseph Erb. Charlesbridge, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-62354-193-4. Ages 4–7. Haunted by missing the final shot in a previous game of stickball, Cherokee player Vann works together with their team to win a game. In English and Tsalagi, the game progresses as the coach encourages the team to “work together—gadugi—an important Cherokee value.” The book received a starred review from PW.
Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston. Candlewick, $18.99 (56p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3550-0. Ages 3–7. Prior collaborators Jeffers and Winston craft a quick-moving tale about a dictionary, “never quite sure of herself” among other books’ clear arcs. The book received a starred review from PW.
Evidence! How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Cholera
Deborah Hopkinson, illus. by Nik Henderson. Knopf, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5934-2681-4. Ages 4–8. Hopkinson and Henderson immerse readers in a close city neighborhood where deadly cholera has broken out and follow Dr. John Snow as he investigates the cause. The book received a starred review from PW.
Mo Yan, adapted by Guan Xiaoxiao, trans. from the Chinese by Ying-Hwa Hu, illus. by Zhu Chengliang. Simon & Schuster, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66593-062-8. Ages 4–8. At seven years old, a child goes for the first time to collect satintail grass with their grandfather, Yeye, in this picture book debut from Nobel laureate Mo Yan, adapted from a short story of the same name. The book received a starred review from PW.
Sally Nicholls, illus. by Júlia Sardà. Viking, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-593-69210-3. Ages 4–8. Nicholls pens a haunting story about a poor fisherman searching for an honest man to serve as godfather of his newborn son. The book received a starred review from PW.
Kyle Lukoff, illus. by Julie Kwon. Dial, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-46291-1. Ages 3–7. In this witty epistolary classroom drama, a student struggles to apologize to a classmate about a knocked-over block castle. The book received a starred review from PW.
Kyo Maclear, illus. by Gracey Zhang. Random House Studio, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-70608-4. Ages 4–8. Zhang and Maclear capture the casual grace of Japan’s demae—cycling food deliverers—who, from the 1930s to the 1970s, balanced stacked trays loaded with “ceramic soup bowls and wooden soba boxes” on one shoulder while piloting their bicycle with the other hand. See our roundup of more bike-themed books for young readers. The book received a starred review from PW.
One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story
Ruth Spiro, illus. by Victoria Tentler-Krylov. Dial, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-3991-8631-8. Ages 4–8. After a playground in a busy metropolitan neighborhood has fallen into disrepair, a child mobilizes their community to fix it. The book received a starred review from PW.
Travis Jonker, illus. by Matthew Cordell. Viking, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-35057-7. Ages 3–7. Jonker introduces a man, a boy, and a mouse who live together on a ship with hopes of being captain one day.
Ani DiFranco, illus. by Rachelle Baker. Rise x Penguin Workshop, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-5933-8377-3. Though a child is reluctant to head out to the polls on a rainy November day, their mother encourages them to come along to see voting in action, in this picture book from musician and activist DiFranco. Ages 3–6.
Randall de Sève, illus. by Kate Gardiner. Random House Studio, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5936-4549-9. Ages 4–8. A young bear literally looks up to its mother in this reassuring picture book about learning to take risks. The book received a starred review from PW.
Britta Teckentrup. Crocodile, $18.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-62371-683-7. Ages up to 5. After Little Bear flees for his life from a forest fire, he must bravely search for a new place to call home. The book received a starred review from PW.
Ashley Fairbanks, illus. by Bridget George. Crown, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-59-365144-5. Ages 4–8. With a title that echoes a song long protested as erasing Indigenous history, this work—part of the Race to the Truth series—aptly communicates the issue of land acknowledgments. The book received a starred review from PW.
X. Fang. Tundra, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-7748-8202-3. Ages 4–8. When their flying saucer crash-lands near Mr. and Mrs. Li’s rural home at midnight, a trio of aliens tries their darndest to convince the couple that “we are DEFINITELY human.” The book received a starred review from PW.
Steven Weinberg. Roaring Brook, $19.99 (144p) ISBN 978-1-2508-3341-9. Ages 6–10. Using an effusive cartoon version of himself as a guide, Weinberg joins forces with dog Waldo to lead readers along a delightfully meandering journey that gives new meaning to “color commentary.” The book received a starred review from PW.
Katherine Rundell, illus. by Sara Ogilvie. Simon & Schuster, $19.99 (64p) ISBN 978-1-4814-9163-1. Ages 5–9. Mink, a headstrong city-dwelling child, encounters a baby zebra named Gabriel and the two work together to find the mustachioed villain who has captured Gabriel’s parents. The book received a starred review from PW.
Middle Grade
Emma Hunsinger. Greenwillow, $25.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-06-315815-3. Ages 8 and up. Thirteen-year-old Tara Gimmel is promoted straight to high school and is faced with a new, terrifying reality she doesn’t feel prepared for. See our q&a with Hunsinger. The book received a starred review from PW.
Frances Hardinge, illus. by Emily Gravett. Amulet, $19.99 (120p) ISBN 978-1-4197-7433-1. Ages 10–14. Fourteen-year-old Milo sails a ship of souls to the realm of the dead in this elegiac fantasy from Hardinge. The book received a starred review from PW.
Carnival Chaos (Moko Magic #1)
Tracey Baptiste. Freedom Fire, $17.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-368-07437-7. Ages 8–12. Cousins Misty, Aiden, and Brooke come together to save the Caribbean Day Parade from dark forces in this series opener from Baptiste. The book received a starred review from PW.
Gayle Forman. Aladdin, $17.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-665943-27-7. Ages 10 and up. Twelve-year-old Alex avoids juvenile detention by spending the summer working at Shady Glen Retirement Home, where he meets and bonds with 107-year-old Josey Kravitz, a Polish Holocaust survivor. See our inside look at the making of the novel. The book received a starred review from PW.
Deborah Ellis. Groundwood, $18.99 (248p) ISBN 978-1-77306-857-2. Ages 10–13. Tween Kate lives with her Gran while awaiting her mother who has left her, and struggles with managing her anger and destructive behavior. See our q&a with Ellis. The book received a starred review from PW.
Sherri L. Smith, illus. by Christine Norrie. Graphix, $24.99 (144p) ISBN 978-1-338-02943-7; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-1-338-02942-0. Ages 10–14. A Japanese American 13-year-old questions her identity and loyalties when the two countries go to war in this emotional and riveting story of perseverance. The book received a starred review from PW.
Karen Strong. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (240p) ISBN 978-1-6659-0450-6. Ages 8–12. A Black tween with a supernatural gift determines to banish a terrifying specter from her new town in this American South–set horror novel. The book received a starred review from PW.
Hena Khan, illus. by Safiya Zerrougui. Knopf, $21.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-5934-3048-4. Ages 8–12. High school freshman Aliya Javaid joins the basketball team at her new Islamic school. But when the media take notice of their uniforms instead of their skills, the team endeavors to take control of the narrative. The book received a starred review from PW.
Young Adult
Jen Wang. First Second, $25.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-250-75405-9; $17.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-75406-6. Nonbinary teen Ash seeks out a hidden cabin their grandfather built so they can make a life for themselves but discovers that a life alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Ages 14 and up. The book received a starred review from PW.
Mary E. Roach. Disney-Hyperion, $18.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-36809-840-3. Ages 12 and up. Gay 16-year-old Lucille Preston and her mother become embroiled with tycoon family Anselms when they uncover a dead member of the family. The book received a starred review from PW.
Freeman Ng. Atheneum, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-6659-4859-3. Ages 14 and up. A teenage immigrant faces the ramifications of the Chinese Exclusion Act in this vivid verse novel inspired by the anonymous poems of Chinese detainees found at Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco. The book received a starred review from PW.
Wen-Yi Lee. Zando/Flynn, $19.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-63893-058-7. Ages 14 and up. Bisexual art student Isadora Chang returns to the old mining town of Slater where the disappearance of an old classmate leads to revelations about the death of her two childhood best friends. The book received a starred review from PW.
Maureen Johnson. HarperTeen, $19.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-325595-1. Ages 14 and up. Gay teen Marlowe starts working at infamous mansion Morning House. When the historian in charge disappears soon after Marlowe’s arrival, she senses deadly secrets afoot and fears she may be the next victim. See our q&a with Johnson. The book received a starred review from PW.
Randy Ribay. Kokila, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-593-46141-9. Ages 12 and up. Ribay examines masculinity and familial trauma via four generations of Filipino teens’ alternating perspectives in this emotionally resonant tale. See our feature on children’s books portraying immigrant experiences. The book received a starred review from PW.
Jennifer Dugan, illus. by Kit Seaton. Putnam, $24.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-5935-2984-3; $17.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-52985-0. Upon hearing rumor of a group of hunters with the ability to make werewolves human, teen wolf Tessa risks her life, and the safety of her family and friends, to learn more. Ages 12 and up.
Bessie Flores Zaldívar. Dial, $19.99 (432p) ISBN 978-0-59369-612-5. Ages 14 and up. In this powerful debut, Zaldívar recreates the tumultuous world of 2017 Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and the societal climate’s effects on 18-year-old Libi Morazán and her family. The book received a starred review from PW.
Love Requires Chocolate (Love in Translation #1)
Ravynn K. Stringfield. Joy Revolution, $12.99 paper (288p) ISBN 978-0-593-57154-5. Ages 12 and up. Debut author Stringfield cooks up a decadent romance between an ambitious Black American drama student and the pragmatic son of a Parisian chocolatier. The book received a starred review from PW.
Caitlin Schneiderhan. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $20.99 (432p) ISBN 978-1-250-90718-9. Young con artist Rosa enlists the help of Michelangelo to rob a corrupt pope in Schneiderhan’s riveting debut heist tale from Stranger Things writer Schneiderhan. Ages 13 and up. See our q&a.
Wendy Wunder. Wednesday, $20 (336p) ISBN 978-1-250-77020-2. Ages 13 and up. Maya has the ability to read minds, and while she’s at Whispering Pines Psychiatric Hospital, she considers how her power gives insight into others but not herself. The book received a starred review from PW.
Ondjaki, trans. from the Portuguese by Lyn Miller-Lachmann, illus. by António Jorge Gonçalves. Unruly, $16.95 (126p) ISBN 978-1-59270-410-1. Ages 12 and up. Two teenage paramours navigate a metropolitan blackout’s full duration in this arresting graphic novel by Angola author Ondjaki, illustrated by Portuguese creator Gonçalves. The book received a starred review from PW.
Jade Adia. Disney-Hyperion, $18.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-3680-9011-7. Ages 12 and up. Doomsday prepper and self-proclaimed weird kid Niarah is forced to join a hiking group to earn her PE credits where she encounters Mac, who she begins to develop feelings for. The book received a starred review from PW.
Ellen Hopkins. Penguin/Paulsen, $20.99 (448p) ISBN 978-0-5934-6324-6. Ages 14 and up. Seventeen-year-old twins Lake and Storm are separated from each other in the foster care system and struggle to find their way back to one another.
Hayley Dennings. Sourcebooks Fire, $18.99 (480p) ISBN 978-1-7282-9786-6. Ages 14 and up. Two Black girls’ destinies are intertwined in this bewitching novel in which once-human vampires called reapers are taking over 1926 Harlem. See our q&a with Dennings. The book received a starred review from PW.
Diana Urban. Putnam, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-593625-08-8. Ages 14 and up. Urban follows four teens who find themselves fighting for their lives in the catacombs of Paris while on a class trip abroad. See Urban’s essay on “Why YA Readers Love Murder.” The book received a starred review from PW.
Laura Taylor Namey. Atheneum, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-6659-1536-6. Ages 12 and up. Clary Delgado is shocked to discover that she has a half-sister and distracts herself with a quest to obtain historic recognition for La Rosa Blanca and Avalos Bicycle Works, the last two Cuban-owned businesses her L.A. neighborhood. The book received a starred review from PW.
