This month’s notable titles include a middle grade novel about a creature struggling with her powers, a graphic novel following a two-spirited Ojibwe tween, a YA book about a deadly internship, and more.
Picture Books and Chapter Books
Alfie Explores A to Z: A Seek-and-Find Adventure
Jeff Drew. Random House, $21.99 (80p) ISBN 978-0-593-81311-9. Ages 4–8. Bespectacled bookworm Alfie invites readers on a surreal seek-and-find adventure to uncover his bestie, bow-wearing dust bunny Betty, in Drew’s absorbing debut. See our q&a with Drew. The book received a starred review from PW.
Kelly J. Baptist, illus. by Jenin Mohammed. Abrams, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4197-6907-8. Ages 4–8. After their dance moves result in a “CRASH,” two siblings worry they’ll be caught staying up late to listen to Daddy’s band practice in the basement. The book received a starred review from PW.
Eoin Colfer, illus. by Steve McCarthy. Candlewick, $17.99 (64p) ISBN 978-1-5362-4066-5. Ages 5–9. Everybody in Ireland knows that banshees are supernatural harbingers of doom,” tasked with informing a human about when they will die, begins this moving title. But following a mishap at the moment of meeting, Beanie—a sharp-nosed, green-skinned young “bansheenie” with long black hair—is unable to bond properly with human Rose. The book received a starred review from PW.
Renée Watson, illus. by Sherry Shine. Amistad, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-06-321999-1. Ages 4–8. Together, the creators commemorate the life of actor Cicely Tyson (1924–2021), from her New York City childhood to her lengthy career in contemporary cinema. The book received a starred review from PW.
Claudette Colvin: I Want Freedom Now!
Claudette Colvin and Phillip Hoose, illus. by Bea Jackson. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-374-38973-4. Ages 4–8. Previous collaborators and National Book Award winners Colvin and Hoose reteam to relate the actions of a young Claudette Colvin in reaction to segregation in Montgomery, Ala. Crisp text based in lived experience recounts how the protagonist “always asked big questions.” The book received a starred review from PW.
Jehan Madhani, illus. by Rashin Kheiriyeh. Candlewick, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2811-3. Ages 3–7. Eli’s eight uncles live together in one house, and every summer Eli spends a day with them in this gleeful excursion. The book received a starred review from PW.
Greatest Host of All Time (V. Malar #1)
Suma Subramaniam, illus. by Archana Sreenivasan. Candlewick, $17.99 (128p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2911-0; $6.99 paper ISBN 978-1-5362-4027-6. Ages 7–10. Ten-year-old Malar is excited that her Seattle relatives are visiting her family’s farm during Pongal, the harvest festival, but struggles to understand and communicate with her cousins who express open disdain for farm life.
Love Is Hard Work: The Art and Heart of Corita Kent
Dan Paley, illus. by Victoria Tentler-Krylov. Candlewick, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2032-2. Ages 4–8. This picture book biography highlights the life of Kent, a devout Catholic known for her work in a Los Angeles order as Sister Mary Corita, making and teaching art. The book received a starred review from PW.
Giovanna Zoboli, trans. from the Italian by Denise Muir, illus. by Mariachiara Di Giorgio. Candlewick Studio, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3339-1. Ages 3–7. Mr. Lepron, a rabbit who crafts a delicious soup, becomes overwhelmed when he begins a business, and customers question if his recipe has changed. The book received a starred review from PW.
The One & Only Googoosh: Iran’s Beloved Superstar
Azadeh Westergaard. Viking, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-11463-6. Ages 4–8. Under the stage name Googoosh, Faegheh Atashin became an Iranian cultural icon as a singer, and revamped her career following political unrest. The book received a starred review from PW.
William Joyce. Atheneum/Dlouhy, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-6659-6133-2. Ages 4–8. When the world falls victim to a grumpy figure’s influence, a quintet of preternaturally adorable pups, each wearing a hug-fueled rocket pack, arrive to save the day. See our q&a with Joyce. The book received a starred review from PW.
A Sea of Gold: A Ukrainian Family’s Story Through the Generations
Patricia Polacco. S&S/Wiseman, $19.99 (84p) ISBN 978-1-6659-3842-6. Ages 4–8. In this extended picture book telling, three generations of Ukrainian women—Alina, Yana, and Oksana—flourish raising sunflowers, the radiant petals symbolizing plenitude and hope “as far as they could see and their hearts could reach.”
Robert Macfarlane and Johnny Flynn, illus. by Emily Sutton. Magic Cat, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-917044-25-7. Ages 1–5. Contemplating the presence of ancient cycles, Macfarlane and musician Flynn supply the incantatory lyrics of their song-turned-picture book. See our story on Macfarlane’s forthcoming children’s books.
Middle Grade
Olivia A. Cole. Little, Brown, $16.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-316-44942-7. Ages 8–12. Tween Henry follows her father’ directions to This Place, an alternate world filled with lost people, creatures, and objects—and quickly learns that there’s no guaranteed way home. The book received a starred review from PW.
Anoush Elman and Edward van de Vendel, trans. from the Dutch by Nancy Forest-Flier, illus. by Annet Schaap. Levine Querido, $15.99 (160p) ISBN 978-1-64614-458-7. Ages 8–10. This tender novel, narrated in a simple, affecting voice by nine-year-old Roya, illuminates the disorienting effects of the refugee experience on a child. The book received a starred review from PW.
Gia Gordon. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $17.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-374-39205-5. Ages 8–12. A family tree school assignment becomes overwhelming for tween foster child Ash, who starts finding solace in her superhero alter ego. The book received a starred review from PW.
Meika Hashimoto. Scholastic Press, $17.99 (208p) ISBN 978-1-339-01117-2. Ages 8–12. Former friends Marlo and Amos must work together to survive after getting lost in this gritty, briskly paced adventure by Hashimoto. The book received a starred review from PW.
Tina Cho, illus. by Deb JJ Lee. HarperAlley, $24.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-06-301108-3; $15.99 paper ISBN 978-0-0630-1107-6. Ages 8–12. In 2013, to survive deprivation and starvation in North Korea, two tweens scavenge to support their families and risk even greater hardships seeking freedom. The book received a starred review from PW.
Chelsea L. Woods, illus. by Dan Mottram. Macmillan/Godwin, $19.99 (176p) ISBN 978-1-250-83398-3. Ages 8–12. Debut author Woods delves into the life and times of much-maligned parasites in this frolicking scientific foray. The book received a starred review from PW.
Cameron Mukwa. Graphix, $24.99 (192p) ISBN 978-1-338-84326-2; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-1-33-884325-5. Ages 8–12. Two-spirited Ojibwe tween Anang wants to wear a ribbon skirt to the reservation’s upcoming powwow, but they’re concerned about what the kids from their middle school will think. See our q&as with Mukwa and other creators of picture books for Native American History Month. The book received a starred review from PW.
Claire Swinarski. Quill Tree, $18.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-063321-73-1. Ages 8–12. When former friends Eowyn and Jules are reunited at theater camp and cast as leads in Wicked, Eowyn hopes that working together will help mend their relationship, but the rift only deepens. The book received a starred review from PW.
The Wolf-Girl, the Greeks, and the Gods: A Tale of the Persian Wars
Tom Holland, illus. by Jason Cockcroft. Candlewick Studio, $19.99 (208p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3416-9. Ages 9–12. Holland mixes reality and mythology to tell of the Persian Wars through the eyes of Gorgo, the eventual queen of Sparta who grew up in a world teeming with violence and magic, where gods actively influenced the course of events and the tides of war. The book received a starred review from PW.
Young Adult
Mason Stokes. Calkins Creek, $18.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-6626-8088-5. Ages 14 and up. Stokes reimagines the murder of Matthew Shepard in this speculative historical novel, set in 1990s Wyoming. The book received a starred review from PW.
Emma Ríos. Image, $24.99 (304p) ISBN 979-8-3688-0926-7. Ages 14 and up. After a tsunami devastates civilization, a group of teens developing creature–like mutations must work together to survive against a changed world. The book received a starred review from PW.
Marisha Pessl. Delacorte, $19.99 (416p) ISBN 978-0-5937-0655-8. Ages 12 and up. Seven teens are accepted to a mysterious internship program and taken to an island where they find their job to be much different—and far more deadly—than advertised. The book received a starred review from PW.
Nino Cipri. Holt, $19.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-2507-9140-5. Ages 14 and up. When teenage Riley Walcott is murdered, she’s shocked when she’s brought back to life by a young witch named Madelyn to investigate the truth behind the legends in their small town. The book received a starred review from PW.
Charlene Thomas. Dutton, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-593-61886-8. Ages 14 and up. A 17-year-old learns a devastating secret regarding her insular hometown in this Ray Bradbury–esque paranormal fantasy from Thomas. The book received a starred review from PW.
Corey Egbert. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $25.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-374-30842-1; $17.99 paper ISBN 978-0-3743-0839-1. Ages 12 and up. In this searing graphic novel memoir, Egbert details his crisis of faith in Mormonism and in his mother following a damning allegation about his father. The book received a starred review from PW.
