The season of love is in full swing and with it comes a selection of exciting sequels and companion novels for young readers to enjoy. Readers can take their pick from a picture book about a disgruntled crane, a middle grade novel about a spy in search of his parents, a middle grade book about a pup learning to become a leader, and more.
Picture Book and Graphic Novels
Bubblecat Just Won’t Say It by Sean Charmatz (Penguin Workshop, Feb. 4 $5.99; ISBN 978-0-593-22382-6). BubbleCat must learn to say no to his friends when their requests for help get in the way of him completing a gift for a loved one in the second book of the BubbleCat series.
Squash, The Cat Stuck in The Middle (Random House Studio, Feb. 4 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-56656-5). The second in the Squash the Cat series finds the titular feline navigating jealousy when their best friend Maggie gets a new toy.
ABC’s of Kindness at Easter by Patricia Hegarty, illus. by Summer Macon (Rodale Kids, Feb. 4 $8.99; ISBN 978-0-593-81131-3). The latest addition to the Books of Kindness series is an ABC board book that celebrates finding kindness in the world.
Bitsy Bat, Team Star by Kaz Windness (Simon & Schuster/Wiseman, Feb. 4 $19.99; ISBN 978-1-665-94755-8). In the sequel to Bitsy Bat, School Star, Bitsy is determined to beat a new student in a flying race but must choose between winning and helping their best friend.
Cranky Makes a Friend by Phuc Tran, illus. by Pete Oswald (HarperCollins, Feb. 4 $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-325630-9). In the second installment of the Cranky and Friends series, the titular disgruntled crane struggles to adjust when a new crane joins the crew.
Happy Father’s Day from the Crayons and Happy Mother’s Day from the Crayons by Drew Daywalt, illus. by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel, Feb. 4, $9.99; ISBN 978-0-593-62461-6 and ISBN 978-0-593-62458-6). The crayons of the Day the Crayons Quit series celebrate their love for their parents in these simultaneous holiday releases.
Happy Together by Chloe Douglass (APA/Magination, Feb. 4 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-4338-4515-4). Fox discovers that fame isn’t all it’s made out to be when he meets his favorite band in the third installment of A Harmony of Friends series.
Hope in a Jar by Deborah Marcero (Putnam, Feb. 4 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-69669-9). Llewellyn and his friends struggle to stay hopeful when a storm destroys their dream jars in the companion to In a Jar and Out of a Jar.
How to Be a Doctor and Other Life-Saving Jobs by Punam Krishan, illus. by Sol Linero (Nosy Crow, Feb. 11 $17.99; ISBN 979-8-88777-114-4). Readers learn about the many different jobs in the healthcare system in the third How to Be a... book, written by practicing doctor and TV presenter Krishan.
It’s Not Easy Being a Leprechaun by Marilyn Sadler, illus. by Stephanie Laberis (Random House, Feb. 4 $10.99; ISBN 978-0-593-81033-0). The third book of the It’s Not Easy Being series follows leprechaun Connor O’Connor who learns to love who he is after transforming into other magical creatures.
Rocket Beams, Lunar Dreams by Chiara Colombi, illus. by Scott Magoon (Viking, Feb. 4 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-52606-4). In the sequel to Rocket Ship, Solo Trip Rocket journeys into space with spacecraft Lander and discovers that she can be more useful by being helpful, not envious.
Shabbat Shalom by Suzy Ultman (RISE x Penguin Workshop, Feb. 11 $9.99; ISBN 978-0-593-75193-0). The second board book in Ultman’s Jewish-themed series highlights the tradition of Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, and how different families celebrate the day.
Wild Ghost Chase by John Patrick Green and Christopher Hastings, illus. by Pat Lewis (First Second, Feb. 18 $12.99; ISBN 978-1-250-85240-3). When a ghost takes over a friend’s form, Mango and Brash must get help from old friends to save him in the third installment in the InvestiGators: Agents of S.U.I.T. series.
Novels
Away by Megan E. Freeman (Aladdin, Feb. 11 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-665-95972-8). In the companion novel to Alone, a group of children in a Colorado evacuation camp investigate the truth behind their sudden departure.
Bat and the Business of Ferrets by Elana K. Arnold (Clarion, Feb. 11 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-338513-9). The fourth book in the Bat series follows Bat’s journey to fourth grade and his acclimation to a classroom that doesn’t have a pet.
Bird of a Thousand Stories by Kiyash Monsef (Simon & Schuster, Feb. 4 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-665-92853-3). Marjan’s double life as a carer for mythical creatures and her search for the Bird of a Thousand Stories comes to a head when her friendships begin to fracture in the companion to Once There Was.
A Burning in the Bones by Scott Reintgen (McElderry, Feb. 4 $21.99; ISBN 978-1-665-93049-9). Ren and Theo’s ascension to power comes on the heels of a dangerous plague and a slew of suspicious murders in the conclusion of the Waxways series.
Dead Happy by Josh Silver (Delacorte, Feb. 4 $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-81206-8). The conclusion to the HappyHead duology follows Seb as he and Elaine must survive another series of testing in order to find their friend and escape the HappyHead facility.
Home Sweet Home by Tae Keller (Holt, Feb. 11 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-81434-0). Mihi, Reese, and Savannah must return to the fairy tale world to stop a forgetting disease from spreading in the fourth book of the Mihi Ever After series.
London Calling by James Ponti (Aladdin, Feb. 4 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-665-93250-9). Cairo, the newest member of the team, takes the reins for a rescue mission for his sister in the sixth installment of the City Spies series.
Max in the Land of Lies by Adam Gidwitz (Dutton, Feb. 25 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-11211-3). Max’s status as a British spy comes under threat when his personal mission to find his mother threatens his operation in the second book of the Operation Kinderspion series.
Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli (Wednesday, Feb. 18 $20; ISBN 978-1-250-86692-9). Witch Rune and witch hunter Gideon must move past a heartbreaking betrayal and work together against a ruthless enemy in The Crimson Moth duology closer.
This Ends in Embers by Kamilah Cole (Little, Brown, Feb. 4 $19.99; ISBN 978-0-316-53495-6). Sisters Faron and Elara find themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum of power in the conclusion of the Divine Traitors series.
A Wolf Called Fire by Rosanne Parry (Greenwillow, Feb. 4 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-341513-3). Based on a real Yellowstone wolf, the smallest pup of the pack must learn to become a leader when his pack is dismantled by an enemy in the companion to A Wolf Called Wander.
