Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a middle grade novel about the interconnected stories of three tweens in Maryland, a YA tale of survival of six shipwrecked teens, a picture book about a mother-daughter disagreement, and more.
Anatomy of Lost Things by Shawn K. Stout. Peachtree, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-68263-587-2. The lives of Tildy, Leon, and Nell, three preteens in a small Maryland town with emotional connections to treasured items, intersect in this novel about loss.
Bad Graces by Kyrie McCauley. HarperCollins/Tegen, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-324309-5. A ship carrying teen rebel Violet and fellow interns drifts off course and lands on a mysterious island. Free from societal pressures and able to explore their true selves, the teens confront their respective traumas and discover the island’s deepest secrets—such as the monster that lurks in the woods.
Bao’s Doll by Bo Lu. Abrams, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-6921-4. When Bao and her mother disagree on how to celebrate Bao’s birthday, a moment of mischief allows the two to bond over the mother’s Taiwanese childhood and the daughter’s needs.
A Big Day for Bike by Emily Jenkins, illus. by G. Brian Karas. Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-34017-5. With a smile on her front basket, Bike zooms through her first day on the job in this introduction to city bike-sharing systems.
Brandon and the Baby by Brian Pinkney. Greenwillow, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-315984-6. New big brother Brandon struggles to acclimate to changes in the house with his new baby brother.
Countdown to Yesterday by Shirley Marr. Simon & Schuster, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-66594-851-7. Struggling with the impending divorce of his parents, James is intrigued when new friend Yan says she invented a time machine and determines to help her get it to work.
Dead Girls Talking by Megan Cooley Peterson. Holiday House, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-823-45701-4. Bettina has always struggled with the fact that her father is a notorious killer, but a string of copycat murders might prove his innocence, and Bettina enlists the help of a new ally to investigate.
The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Graudin. Quill Tree, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-322941-9. After powerful Wizard West dies, it’s up to the members of his estate staff, including the groundskeeper’s 12-year-old daughter, Faye Gardner, to pretend all is well while helping West conduct a contest to select his successor.
Help Wanted: One Rooster by Julie Falatko, illus. by Andrea Stegmaier. Viking, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-451-47683-8. When the farm’s rooster begins ignoring his responsibilities, the farm’s cow sets out to conduct interviews to find his replacement.
Juneberry Blue by Candice Ransom. Peachtree, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-68263-669-5. After learning that the local spirits need her help with a locked tower and a mysterious stranger, Andie and friend Tanner unravel secrets and realize that anything worth doing needs effort and faith.
The Last Apple Tree by Claudia Mills. Holiday House/Ferguson, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-82345-710-6. Mills centers characters navigating personal changes against a backdrop of tree conservation in this emotionally authentic novel.
Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen. Viking, $20.99; ISBN 978-0-593-62275-9. Following her father’s murder, Ying gains a spot in the guild’s apprenticeship trial, where her father found success long ago. Throughout the ordeal, Ying contends with guild masters who held contempt for her father, mechanical beasts on the prowl, and the killer, still at large, who seeks her father’s journal.
Once Upon a Friend by Dan Gemeinhart, illus. by ShinYeon Moon. Holt, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-2508-9226-3. Middle grade author Gemeinhart makes his picture book debut with a story of connection that springs up between a child reader and the creaturely protagonist of the child’s favorite series.
Rachel Friedman Breaks the Rules by Sarah Kapit, illus. by Genevieve Kote. Holt, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-88093-2; $7.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-88092-5. Gymnastics aficionado Rachel agrees to follow the rules for a week in exchange for tickets to meet her favorite gymnast, in this chapter book series opener.
Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer. Levine Querido, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-64-614381-8. Ojibwe teen Ezra Cloud becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a bully’s family and to escape police suspicion, he moves to Nigigoonsiminikaaning, where he works the winter trapline with his grandfather.
With Love, Miss Americanah by Jane Igharo. Feiwel and Friends, $20.99; ISBN 978-1-250-87337-8. Nigerian teen Enore struggles to acclimate to life in America while grappling with the recent loss of her father.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of June, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
