Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a YA novel set during a pandemic of euphoria, a middle grade novel about a girl grappling with grief, a picture book about the hierarchy of school lines, and more.
All Better Now by Neal Shusterman. S&S, $21.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-3275-8. This epic biological thriller finds three teens grappling for world-changing power during a post-Covid-19 pandemic of an evolved coronavirus that is an airborne “disease of mindless euphoria.” The YA book received a starred review in PW.
All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson. Bloomsbury, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-0589-7. Sage is left reeling after her best friend is killed in a hit-and-run accident and navigates feelings of guilt and grief with the help of her family and a support group.
Caboose by Travis Jonker, illus. by Ruth Chan. Abrams, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-6-5032. Narrator Hippo loves being first in line among all the anthropomorphized animal students at school, and when Hippo is relegated to class line “caboose,” Hippo cultivates back-of-line expertise that goes too far. The picture book received a starred review in PW.
Duckie & Snaps: We Cannot Be Friends by Ame Dyckman, illus. by Tim Miller. Orchard, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-3388-3787-2. In this series kickoff, Duckie and alligator Snaps hope to form a friendship until they learn alligators are supposed to eat ducks.
Home Is a Wish by Julia Kuo. Roaring Brook, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-2508-8132-8. A child’s relocation to a new home offers an opportunity to observe both the melancholy as well as the optimism of change. The picture book received a starred review in PW.
How to Love the Whole World: A Story about Artist Agnes Martin by Henry Martin, illus. by Shelley Hampe. Abrams, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-949480-53-5. This picture book biography captures the spirit of the art of Agnes Martin in this softly told exploration of her work and life. The picture book received a starred review in PW.
I.R.L. by Jenny Goebel. Scholastic Press, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-5461-2500-6. After a semester of remote learning, Lucy arrives at her school to discover a burned-down building and a cemetery bearing the names of her classmates. Is Lucy the victim of some elaborate prank, or are there supernatural forces at play?
Jella Lepman and Her Library of Dreams: The Woman Who Rescued a Generation of Children and Founded the World's Largest Children's Library by Katherine Paterson, illus. by Sally Deng. Chronicle, $21.99; ISBN 978-1-4521-8262-9. This picture book highlights the life of the work of writer and translator Jella Lepman, who spearheaded a post-WWII effort to reeducate German youth, “mostly along the lines of an idealized American society.”
The Keeper of Stories by Caroline Kusin Pritchard, illus. by Selina Alko. Simon & Schuster, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-1-4970. This picture book recounts the 1966 fire at New York City’s Jewish Theological Seminary Library, which played an essential role in Jewish culture. The picture book received a starred review PW.
Me and Other Bunnies by Mo Willems. Union Square, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4549-5149-0. Via anthropomorphized rabbits who represent the words me, you, we, them, and us, Willems movingly explores themes of individuality and belonging. The picture book received a starred review in PW.
My Presentation Today Is About the Anaconda by Bibi Dumon Tak, trans. from the Dutch by Nancy Forest-Flier, illus. by Annemarie van Haeringen. Levine Querido, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-6461-4510-2. The dread (or excitement) of a class presentation isn’t exclusive to young humans, as evidenced in this humorous all-dialogue collection by previous collaborators Tak and van Haeringen, who give voice to an animal cast 20 strong, each offering an oral address on a species of their choice. The middle grade book received a starred review in PW.
The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith. HarperCollins, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-337252-8. Teen Ivy enters a competition to become the prince’s new bride and must use her wits and form unlikely alliances if she hopes to survive this dangerous game. The YA book received a starred review in PW.
Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray. FSG, $24.99; ISBN 978-0-374-38894-2. Three generations of teens find themselves while fighting for change in this inspiring historical mystery from Bray.
A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff. Dial, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-61898-1. A transgender teen and a golem aim to dismantle a supernaturally evil conversion therapy program in this satisfying horror-tinged novel. The middle grade book received a starred review in PW.
These Vengeful Wishes by Vanessa Montalban. Zando, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-63893-028-0. Ceci and her mother move back to their hometown where the legend of La Cegua, a female spirit with the face of a horse skull, lives on. When Ceci discovers a strange well in her basement and a mysterious voice promises the well will grant her wishes, Ceci learns that each wish comes with a price.
Your Forest by Jon Klassen. Candlewick, $8.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-3083-3. Publishing alongside Your Farm and Your Island, two others in the Your Places series, Caldecott Medalist Klassen offers an exploration of intimate space in his first original solo board books.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of February, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
