Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a picture book highlighting the surprising travels of a humble piece of cloth, a foodie YA romance set in Vietnam, a new installment in a tween mysteries series, and more.
Almost Underwear: How a Piece of Cloth Traveled from Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars by Jonathan Roth. Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-3165-2554-1. After sitting in storage and being displayed in a museum, a swatch of unbleached muslin—anthropomorphized with dot eyes and a small, expressive mouth—again and again soars into history as other aviation pioneers carry it as a kind of talisman. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen. Holt, $24.99; ISBN 978-1-250-91082-0; $12.99 paper ISBN 978–1-25091-083-7. After a chance encounter brings American college student Vivi and secret food blogger Lan together, the two embark on numerous adventures, falling for each other in the process.
A Gallery of Rogues by Beth Lincoln, illus. by Claire Powell. Dutton, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-53326-0. In this sequel to The Swifts, Shenanigan Swift takes her snooping skills to Paris to track down a cherished family painting that was stolen by a group of art thieves.
Glass: A Cinderella Tale by Kathryn Lasky. HarperCollins, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-329402-8. Bess Wickham, who discovers the dark secret behind her family’s glass creations, and newly orphaned Estrella, who is sent to live with her distant cousins the Wickhams, who swiftly corral her into indentured servitude, are drawn together by the Wickhams’ cruelty and dark magic.
Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn K. Stringfield. Joy Revolution, $12.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-57154-5. Stringfield cooks up a decadent romance between an ambitious Black American drama student and the pragmatic son of a Parisian chocolatier. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
The Night Train by Lorelei Savaryn. Viking, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-5935-2418-3. Savaryn plumbs the depths of familial relationships and the lengths to which people will go to live their truth in this tender ghost story.
Pearl by Sherri L. Smith, illus. by Christine Norrie. Graphix, $24.99; ISBN 978-1-338-02943-7; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-1-338-02942-0. A Japanese American 13-year-old questions her identity and loyalties when the two countries go to war in this emotional, riveting story of perseverance. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
Prince of the Palisades by Julian Winters. Viking, $12.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-62442-5. Jadon, prince of Îles de la Rêverie, is sent to live in Los Angeles following a public scandal. Despite swearing off romance, Jadon immediately falls for pink-haired film enthusiast Reiss, a student at his prestigious new school.
My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. HarperTeen, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-293010-1. In the latest addition to The Lady Janies series, Mary the mermaid is brought ashore by a group of pirates and determines to take over the ship as Pirate Queen.
The Secret Dead Club by Karen Strong. Simon & Schuster, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-0450-6. A Black tween with a supernatural gift sets out to banish a terrifying specter from her new town in this American South–set horror novel. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
The Shape of Things: How Mapmakers Picture Our World by Dean Robbins, illus. by Matt Tavares. Knopf, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-47925-4. This picture book offers an account of how landscape-related knowledge came to be represented visually and at scale.
The Ship in the Window by Travis Jonker, illus. by Matthew Cordell. Viking, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-35057-7. A trio comprised of a man, a boy, and a mouse set sail on a boat where the mouse soon learns to be captain.
A Star Shines Through by Anna Desnitskaya. Eerdmans, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8028-5631-9. Desnitskaya traces the life of a young refugee who leaves Russia immediately after the start of the war with Ukraine, and questions if it’s possible for another place to feel like home.
What Is Color?: The Global and Sometimes Gross Story of Pigments, Paint, and the Wondrous World of Art by Steven Weinberg. Roaring Brook, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-2508-3341-9. Weinberg joins forces with dog Waldo to lead readers along a delightfully meandering journey that gives new meaning to “color commentary.” The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Wisteria by Adalyn Grace. Little, Brown, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-316-56938-5. In the conclusion to the Belladonna trilogy, Blythe questions how her past is connected to the man she’s bound herself to.
The Zebra’s Great Escape by Katherine Rundell, illus. by Sara Ogilvie. Simon & Schuster, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-9163-1. Headstrong city-dwelling child Mink encounters baby zebra Gabriel in a park after staying up past bedtime, which leads to a search for the mustachioed villain who has captured Gabriel’s parents. The picture 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.