Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a satirical YA workplace-apocalypse horror story, a multiversal middle grade epic, a middle grade sequel digging up a town’s history, and more.
Aisle Nine by Ian X. Cho. HarperCollins, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-320680-9. When Jasper starts having nightmarish visions of an upcoming apocalypse, the normally disengaged teen finds himself leading the charge to stop doomsday.
Amazing Grapes by Jules Feiffer. HarperCollins/di Capua, $29.99; ISBN 978-0-06-296383-3; $21.99 paper ISBN 978-0-0629-6382-6. Siblings Shirley, Pearlie, and Curlie’s world is turned upside down when Pearlie and Curlie are whisked away by a two-headed swan to a lost dimension, leaving Shirley and Mommy to search for them. The graphic novel, a first for the 95-year-old Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist and author, received a starred review from PW.
Black Star by Kwame Alexander. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-44259-6. In the sequel to The Door of No Return, Charley Cuffey dreams of becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball. When she challenges a bully to a game, she unravels the history of race in her town.
A Constellation of Minor Bears by Jen Ferguson. Heartdrum, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06333-422-9. Following an accident that alters his future, Hank doesn’t attend the celebratory trip hiking the Pacific Crest Trail that he, his sister Molly, and their mutual best friend Traylor had planned, leading to an implosion in the friend group.
Everything Glittered by Robin Talley. Little, Brown, $18.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-316-56531-8. Gertie and her friends are stunned by the death of their mentor and leader of the Washington Female Seminary, Mrs. Rose, and seek to clear her name by launching their own investigation.
Flamboyants by George M. Johnson, illus by Charly Palmer. FSG, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-374-39124-9. This collection from the author of All Boys Aren’t Blue shines a light on various Black and queer icons of the Harlem Renaissance.
The Flicker by H.E. Edgmon. Feiwel and Friends, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-250-87397-2; $9.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-87396-5. Millie and her family have been hiding underground from the aftermath of a deadly natural disaster. She treks through a blistered Appalachia in search of her Indigenous roots and to offer her little brother a safer life. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s by Hanna Alkaf. Salaam Reads, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-9458-9. The students of St. Bernadette’s, a 112-year-old all-girls school, inexplicably begin to let out terrified, unrelenting screams in this electrifyingly dark thriller set in Kuala Lumpur. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
The Idea in You by Questlove, illus. by Sean Qualls. Abrams, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-419-73826-5. An affirming tone invites readers to explore an idea until it materializes into something more in this picture book by the Grammy Award–winning musician.
Monster Movie! by Chuck Wendig. Little, Brown, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-316-57259-0. When 12-year-old Ethan arrives late to a party, he’s just in time to watch a television transform into a cyclopean creature and must confront his own fears if he hopes to rescue his friends and save the world from an unstoppable menace.
The Most Boring Book Ever by Brandon Sanderson, illus. by Kazu Kibuishi. Roaring Brook, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-2508-4366-1. A child is meant to sit in a chair but uses his imagination to make the endeavor a wild adventure.
Ms. Rachel and the Special Surprise: Encouraging Speech and Learning Through Play and Music by Ms. Rachel, illus. by Monique Dong. Random House, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-81125-2. From YouTuber and social media personality Ms. Rachel comes a picture book debut following her journey to find a missing box. See our announcement of the multi-book deal here.
Pick the Lock by A.S. King. Dutton, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-35397-4. Jane Vandermaker-Cook determines she must escape the rule of her dictatorial father Vernon and covertly attempts to escape her heavily surveilled maze of a house.
Rise of the Spider by Michael P. Spradlin. McElderry, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-4720-6. Rolf senses something sinister about the Hitler Youth group that has moved into his town, and when he is the witness of an attack on a Jewish business owner, he questions what he and his community can do to prevent more violence.
Signed Sealed Dead by Cynthia Murphy. Delacorte, $12.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-80966-2. Paige and her family move into a new house where Paige discovers a diary written by a girl who disappeared in the ’90s, sending her on an investigation.
Stacey Speaks Up by Stacey Abrams, illus. by Kitt Thomas. HarperCollins, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-327187-6. In the third installment of the picture book series from the former Georgia State Representative, young Stacey learns that not every child at her school can afford lunch and enlists the help of her community to ensure that everyone can eat.
They Call Me Teach: Lessons in Freedom by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illus. by James E. Ransome. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-763-68155-5. Nicknamed Teach by the community in which he resides, the enslaved protagonist of this historically steeped picture book secretly learned to read and shared his knowledge. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig. Delacorte, $20.99; ISBN 978-0-593-48258-2. Hazel Trépas is the 13th child of her family, promised to the gods. When the god she’s selected by blesses her with ability to cure sicknesses and places her in the royal court to infiltrate their ranks, Hazel must decide if she will allow her destiny to be chosen for her.
Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains by Anita Yasuda, illus. by Yuko Shimizu. Clarion, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-324241-8. This picture book biography traces the life and achievements of Tabei (1939–2016), the first woman to summit Everest. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Whalesong: The True Story of the Musician Who Talked to Orcas by Zachariah OHora. Tundra, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-77488-394-5. Ohora introduces two kids and their flute-playing father, Paul Horn, who bond with a pair of orcas at a Vancouver sea park. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson. Dial, $21.99; ISBN 978-0-5254-2909-8. In this multigenerational epic sprinkled with magic, Printz Medalist Nelson tackles grief, love, and the ways in which history commingles with the present. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of September, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
