With schools in session and spooky season fast approaching, we asked children’s booksellers and buyers about autumn trends in their stores. Respondents gave us their predictions for the hottest fall titles and looked ahead to the waning months of 2024, including how the November election might affect business.
Numerous booksellers put Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures, illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie (Knopf), at the top of their lists. “I was enchanted from page one,” said Jen Steele, children’s book buyer and manager at Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee, whose other surefire pick was Ransom Riggs’s Sunderworld, Vol. 1 (Dutton). Julie Shimada, children’s book buyer at Maria’s Bookshop in Durango, Colo., had loved Rundell’s first middle grade novel, Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms: “When I was sent Impossible Creatures I thought, ‘Meh, I don’t really read fantasy,’ but then I stayed up all night to finish it.”
Tegan Tigani, children’s book buyer at the Queen Anne Book Co. in Seattle, recommends Impossible Creatures too, adding, “Our adult readers also fell in love with Travis Baldree’s Legends and Lattes, and we’re seeing that magic, whimsy, and heart shine in books for younger audiences, especially read-togethers that luxuriate in fantastical flair.”
In that category, Holly Weinkauf, owner of the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, Minn., noted Kate DiCamillo’s forthcoming The Hotel Balzaar (Candlewick, Oct.), saying, “I love the mysterious, magical feel of the Norendy Tales series.”
For an “edge-of-your-seat page turner with fantastical world building,” Diane Capriola of Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Ga., points to Kwame Mbalia’s Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek (Freedom Fire, Oct.). Jamie Kovacs, lead children’s bookseller at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, N.C., praised Mbalia’s book as “warm, comforting, and full of adventurous spirit,” and Rae Ann Parker, director of books and events for young readers at Parnassus Books in Nashville, said, “Our children’s bookselling team is excited” about Mbalia’s tale of a Black 12-year-old at a magic school.
Shimada and Capriola both saluted a picture book that’s long on fantasy, Christopher Denise’s Knight Owl and Early Bird (Little, Brown/Ottaviano, Oct.)—a follow-up to his Caldecott Honor title Knight Owl. “I was thrilled to see a sequel, because Knight Owl is so darn cute,” Shimada said. “Thank goodness it’s coming out before the holidays.”
Ellen Klein, owner of Hooray for Books in Alexandria, Va., believes readers will clamor for Dean Hale and Shannon Hale’s latest, The Princess in Black and the Kitty Catastrophe, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Candlewick), along with comedian Kate McKinnon’s Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science, illustrated by Alfredo Cáceres (Little, Brown, Oct.).
When it comes to imaginative stories, Tigani believes “the warm reception of sweetly spooky books” like Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandin (Orchard) and Prunella by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Claire Keane (Simon & Schuster), set off a search for “cozy, heart-touching fantasy.” Her shelves will feature The Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz (Knopf, Oct.), The Cafe at the Edge of the Wood by Mikey Please (HarperCollins, Oct.), The House with a Dragon in It by Nick Lake, illustrated by Emily Gravett (Simon & Schuster, Oct.), and The Graveyard Gift by Piper CJ (Random House, Oct.). She also gave a plug to Timelight (Flashpoint, Oct.), a middle grade debut about time travel and magical adventure by longtime Queen Anne customer Faith Conlon, because “the main characters live right in our neighborhood.”
Steven Banbury’s buzzy middle grade book The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night (Little, Brown) taps into that haunted vibe. Weinkauf at the Red Balloon called Banbury’s debut “a slightly spooky story of found family and all things Halloween.” Laura Gahrahmat, owner of Hicklebee’s in San Jose, Calif., said Banbury’s lead character “escapes from an orphanage and gets adopted by the Pumpkin King in the underworld. I was captivated right away.”
“As someone who adores middle grade graphic novels,” said Maryan Liban, education and community relations manager at Cover to Cover Books in Columbus, Ohio, “Taxi Ghost by Sophie Escabasse (Random House Graphic, Sept.) seems to have the perfect mix of spookiness, drama, and activism that will inspire those who are trying to find their voice.”
At Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, N.Y., co-owner and buyer Suzanna Hermans—another fan of Rundell and Banbury—said Oblong’s staff likes Spooky Lakes by Geo Rutherford (Abrams, Oct.) and an international selection, John the Skeleton by Triinu Lau, illustrated by Marja-Liisa Plats, and translated from the Estonian by Adam Cullen (Restless Books, Oct.).
Love Is Still in the Air
“In YA it’s either romance or thrillers that are trending,” said Steele of Boswell Book Co. “Thrillmance? Is that a thing yet?” While we’re waiting for that coinage, romance and YA romantasy remain strong, and Steele thinks her customers will love Sabaa Tahir’s Heir (Putnam, Oct.). For Kovacs, North Carolina author Meredith Adamo’s debut Not Like Other Girls (Bloomsbury) ticks all those boxes, mixing “high-stakes thriller and mystery elements, and don’t forget romance—just what our readers are currently enjoying.”
Readers seeking LGBTQ romance won’t be disappointed either. Miracle Lucketti, bookseller at Ballast Books in Bremerton, Wash., expressed “a good feeling” about Prince of the Palisades by Julian Winters, a royal meet-cute story. And at Flyleaf, bookseller Emma Holland is looking forward to Lex Croucher’s Not for the Faint of Heart (Wednesday Books, Nov.), “a queer, woodsy adventure following a band of witty outlaws” on a quest.
Capriola of Little Shop of Stories eagerly anticipates Twenty-Four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds (Atheneum/Dlouhy, Oct.). “Just when I thought we had seen everything from Reynolds, he writes a novel about first love with vulnerability and humor in equal measure, told from a young man’s perspective,” Capriola said. She also cast a vote for Jodi Meadows’s Bye Forever, I Guess (Holiday House, Oct.), “a charming choice for upper middle grade readers not quite so ready for YA.” Bye Forever also got a thumbs up from Kovacs at Chapel Hill’s Flyleaf. “Awkward pre-teen romance is back, baby!” Kovacs said.
Autumn Mysteries Afoot
Mysteries appear to be the flavor of the season, with options for all ages. Weinkauf of the Red Balloon and Klein of Hooray for Books both named The Sherlock Society by James Ponti (Aladdin). “Mysteries are doing well for us,” Weinkauf said, and Ponti’s comes with “a good dose of humor.” Klein expects customers to like Stuart Gibbs’s Spy School Goes Wild (Simon & Schuster) as well.
At Parnassus, “We have seen an increase in YA readers asking for mystery novels,” specifically murder mysteries, said Parker. She directs readers to Death at Morning House (HarperTeen) by Maureen Johnson, a dual-timeline novel with two unsolved murders, and established sellers including Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson’s Agathas duology and Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series (all Delacorte). “A heist novel—with vampires—that is beloved among our staff and readers” is A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal (FSG), from last spring, Parker added. And Cover to Cover’s Liban insists that 49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards (Sourcebooks Fire) is “the perfect thriller read for YA readers that will leave you at the edge of your seat. This plot opens great dialogue about trauma and healing.”
Steele recommended a codebreaking tale, The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin (Viking, Oct.), “a historical novel that makes me want to go and do more research about what I read—I loved every moment.” She also approved the “fast-paced mystery” in A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga (HarperCollins), and so did Capriola, who described Cherry Hall as a “smart art mystery involving two clever kids—think Chasing Vermeer—a ghost, and a very observant turtle.”
Getting Real
It’s not all fantasy and whodunits, though. At Flyleaf, Kovacs noted that while “horror is definitely still on the rise, there has been a recent uptick in interest for kids’ realistic fiction as opposed to fantasy.” Flyleaf bookseller Jordan April picked Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White (Peachtree Teen), describing it as “a vicious, roaring, and incisive tale of power, capitalism, coal mines, and gender in Appalachia.”
At Red Balloon, Weinkauf also spotlights realistic fare, including her local author Kao Kalia Yang’s debut middle grade novel, The Diamond Explorer (Dutton, Sept.) about a Hmong American boy in Minnesota; Kalela Williams’s YA debut Tangleroot (Feiwel and Friends, Oct.), “a coming-of-age story that addresses racism past and present”; and Josh Galarza’s YA The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky (Henry Holt), newly longlisted for the National Book Award, which depicts a protagonist’s struggles with grief and disordered eating “in a wise and cleverly funny voice.”
Cover to Cover’s Liban adamantly calls for representation of varied religious and cultural backgrounds and books that honor diverse identities, including Meg Medina’s latest, No More Señora Mimí, illustrated by Brittany Cicchese (Candlewick). She commends A Map for Falasteen: A Palestinian Child’s Search for Home by Maysa Odeh, illustrated by Aliaa Betawi (Holt, Oct.), which she describes as “an affirming story for anyone who has ever felt ‘othered’ in the classroom or made to feel ashamed of their homeland.”
In addition, Liban noted another NBA longlisted title, Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi (Putnam), a novel in verse that “effortlessly navigates complex conversations like xenophobia, standing up for what you believe in, and surviving seventh grade." And Xavier’s Voice by Ashley Franklin, illustrated by Tatiana Gardel (Innovation Press, Oct.), is about a child’s efforts to make friends “while working through his fears. I love that this book about a shy, anxious, Black Muslim boy exists!,” Liban said.
At Hicklebee’s, Gahrahmat recommends Jay Jay Patton and Kiara Valdez’s Dear Dad, illustrated by Markia Jenai (Scholastic Graphix), a graphic memoir about a girl whose parent is in prison. For younger readers, she suggests the slice-of-life picture book How We Share Cake by Kim Hyo-eun, translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith (Scribble, Oct.), “about a family of five and how they go through their lives negotiating things on their domestic lists.”
Capriola selected Jandy Nelson’s latest, When the World Tips Over (Dial), along with several picture books, including Drawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri, illustrated by Matt Rockefeller (HarperAlley, Oct.). “I had my staff lined up at my computer to read the digital F&G of this palindrome picture book, and everyone walked away with tears in their eyes,” she said. “It’s hard to find the words for this stunning and heartfelt book about a boy grieving for his mother and ultimately finding hope in the connection they shared.” She also suggests Best in Show by David Elliott, with artwork by 18 major illustrators/dog lovers (Clarion), and How to Pee Your Pants: The Right Way by Rachel Michelle Wilson (Feiwel and Friends, Oct.), “a book that will definitely be on repeat at Little Shop storytimes.”
Animal tales and stories of the outdoors are popular too. “We are looking forward to handselling the paperback release of A Horse Named Sky (Greenwillow) by Rosanne Parry,” said Suzanne Selfors of Liberty Bay Books in Poulsbo, Wash. Parry’s Voice of the Wilderness novels “sell super well,” and Parry will be featured at Liberty Bay’s first-ever Poulsbo Kids Book Festival this November. Selfors also handsells a realistic picture book by another Pacific Northwest creator, Faith Pray’s The Day We Got Lost (Little, Brown), “a lovely story about how a simple walk in the woods brings a family together.”
For animal books that are fun if not quite factual, Weinkauf pointed to The Man Who Didn't Like Animals by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Clarion); Have You Seen My Acorn? by DK Ryland (Flamingo); and Clive Penguin by Huw Lewis-Jones, illustrated by Ben Sanders (Union Square Kids).
Kovacs thinks readers will enjoy The Strangest Fish by Katherine Arden, illustrated by Zahra Marwan (Astra Young Readers), “an adorable story about the love between a girl and her totally legit, not-at-all-fake goldfish." And Steele still reaches for a January book, Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb, illustrated by Erin Kraan (Random House Studio). “Buffalo Fluffalo has been the surprise hit of the year” and her staffers’ favorite book to handsell, she said.
All Eyes on November 5
November’s general election is weighing on booksellers’ minds as they gear up for fall. Tom Lowry, owner of Lowry’s Books in Three Rivers and Sturgis, Mich., is stocking more political books, especially children’s books “on what the election is and why it’s important.” At his store and at book fairs, he’ll prominently display books including the 2024 edition of What Is a Presidential Election? by Douglas Yacka (Penguin Workshop) and Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts by Syl Sobel (Sourcebooks eXplore).
At Oblong, Hermans worries about how “election results might affect consumer spending. We’ve had a steady year, and I’m hoping that holds through the holidays.” At the Red Balloon, Weinkauf feels like “people are holding their breath,” and “that could impact our holiday business” plus the mental and physical health of bookstore staffers.
Similarly, Capriola said, “My biggest concern is how the upcoming elections may impact the store in the lead-up to election day as well as after. With both a very robust fall events calendar and the important holiday shopping season quickly approaching, there is some concern that our customers will be distracted by the news, and that will keep them home.”
She proclaims indie bookstores an excellent “antidote and alternative to doom scrolling this season,” with an abundance of information (and distraction) for every reader.
