Summer might mean vacation, but your favorite series aren’t taking any time off. Catch up with the latest sequels and series installments, including a graphic novel about a deeply needed recharge, a middle grade mystery about an abandoned farm, a YA fantasy sequel about the dangers of befriending supernatural beings, and more.
Picture Books and Graphic Novels
Baby Stegosaurus by Julie Abery, illus. by Gavin Scott (Amicus Ink, Aug. 8 $9.99 board book; ISBN 978-1-68152-892-2). The latest in the Baby Dinosaurs series follows Baby Stegosaurus after a volcano eruption leaves them stranded from their herd.
Baby T. Rex by Julie Abery, illus. by Gavin Scott (Amicus Ink, Aug. 8 $9.99 board book; ISBN 978-1-68152-890-8). In another addition to the Baby Dinosaurs series, Baby T. rex tries to rescue their unhatched sibling when the egg gets stuck in a hole.
Barb and the Battle for Bailiwick by Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson (Simon & Schuster, Aug. 22 $13.99; ISBN 978-1-665-91445-1). Barb is stunned when her mother comes to rescue her from captivity, and the duo race to stop Witch Head from dispatching an evil army in the third book in the Barb the Last Berzerker series.
Dinos Love Pajamas by Pterry Redwing, illus. by Christine Sheldon (Cottage Door, Aug. 1 $7.99 board book; ISBN: 978-1-64638-890-5). A group of colorful baby dinosaurs prepare for bedtime with their nightly routines in the latest from the Dinos Love series.
Fitz and Cleo Put a Party on It by Jonathan Stutzman, illus. by Heather Fox (Holt, Aug. 1 $12.99; ISBN 978-1-250-83089-0. In the third installment of the Fitz and Cleo series, the ghostly duo attempts to throw a party and finds that the most important item on their to-do list is to have fun.
Hair Love ABCs by Matthew A. Cherry, illus. by Vashti Harrison (Kokila, Aug. 29 $8.99 board book; ISBN 978-0-593-69564-7). Inspired by Hair Love, this picture book helps readers learn the alphabet through a celebration of natural hair.
Have You Heard of Dolly Parton? (Silver Dolphin, Aug. 8 $10.99 board book; ISBN 978-1-667-20452-9). The latest in the Have You Heard Of series introduces young readers to this country music star and philanthropist.
I Cannot Draw a Bicycle by Charise Mericle Harper (Union Square Kids, Aug. 1 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-45494-595-6). The struggle to create art continues as a horse learns new ways to conceptualize a bicycle in the companion to I Cannot Draw a Horse.
The Kid with Big, Big Ideas by Britney Winn Lee, illus. by Jacob Souva (Beaming Books, Aug. 29 $17.99; 978-1-5064-8709-0). The third book in The Big, Big Series follows a nonbinary child as they try to get adults to take their creative musings on life more seriously.
Little Mole Gives Thanks by Glenys Nellist, illus. by Sally Garland (Beaming Books, Aug. 22 $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5064-8252-1). Little Mole feels let down when his friends skip his special dinner party in the fourth Little Mole book.
Llama Llama’s Little Lie by Anna Dewdney, illus. by JT Morrow (Viking, Aug. 15 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-35248-9). Little Llama learns a lesson about honesty after breaking Mama Llama’s picture frame in this new addition to the Llama Llama series.
Low Power by Michael Rex (Viking, Aug. 15 $13.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-20638-6). The second book in the Your Pal Fred graphic novel series follows an exhausted Fred’s journey to recharge at the SunTop, only to find a new battle to fight once he arrives.
Move It or Lose It! by Lincoln Peirce (Andrews McMeel, Aug. 29 $12.99; ISBN: 978-1-52488-129-0). In the 29th book in the Big Nate graphic novel series, Nate attempts to avoid bullies, fix the fallout from a bad date, and help his friend overcome a spell of hypnosis that’s turned him into a bully.
New Baby, Here I Come! by D.J. Steinberg, illus. by John Joven (Grosset & Dunlap, Aug. 22 $6.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-38723-8). The latest in the Here I Come! series anticipates the arrival of a new baby and shows how to welcome a new addition to the family.
Night of the Ninjas by Mary Pope Osborne, adapted by Jenny Laird, illus. by Kelly Matthews and Nichole Matthews (Random House, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-593-48879-9; $9.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-48878-2). When whisked to Japan from their magical hangout, Jack and Annie must learn the ways of ninjas in the fifth graphic novel adaptation of the Magic Tree House series.
Puzzle House by Peter Wartman, illus. by Felia Hanakata (Graphix, Aug. 1 $12.99 paper; ISBN 978-133-879437-3). Siblings Claudia and Soren work together to find the gift left behind by their mentor inside a house full of riddles in the third Dragon Prince graphic novel.
When Moon Became the Moon by Rob Hodgson (Rise x Penguin Workshop, Aug. 29 $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-52362-9). The Moon narrates her origins and explains her lunar phases to young readers in this companion to When Cloud Became a Cloud.
Worst Love Spell Ever! by Wanda Coven, illus. by Anna Abramskaya (Simon Spotlight, Aug. 29 $14.99; ISBN 978-1-665-93720-7). Witch-in-training Heidi cooks up a love spell for her popular crush in the second graphic novel in the Middle School and Other Disasters series.
Novels
Abby in Neverland by Sarah Mlynowski (Scholastic Press, Aug. 1 $15.99; 978-133-877560-0). When Peter Pan selects Jonah and his friends as his new Lost Boys, Alice heads to Neverland to find Jonah in the third Whatever After Special Edition.
The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Little, Brown, Aug. 29 $19.99; ISBN 978-0-316-48077-2). In the fourth book of the Inheritance Games series, brothers Grayson and Jameson Hawthorne embark on their own missions to save their family’s reputation and infiltrate an elite gambling club.
Charlie Numbers and the UFO Bash by Ben Mezrich, Tonya Mezrich (Simon & Schuster, Aug. 8 $17.99 ISBN 978-1-5344-4106-4). Charlie reconsiders his skepticism about aliens while investigating the disappearance of a classmate in the fourth book in the Charlie Numbers Adventures.
Christopher Columbus and the Taino People by Kate Messner and José Barreiro, illus. by Falynn Koch (Random House, Aug. 8 $8.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-56426-4). The eighth addition to the History Smashers series dispels the myths surrounding Columbus’s journey to the Americas and highlights the Taíno people and their societies.
The Cure by Terrance Crawford, illus. by Dan Widdowson (Scholastic, Aug. 1 $7.99 paper; ISBN 978-133-884813-7). In the second illustrated Piggy novel, based on the video game, a group of survivors search for a cure as a herd of Infected seek them out.
F.A.R.T. Attack!: Kids Strike Back by Peter Bakalian (Aladdin, Aug. 8 $13.99 ISBN 978-1-5344-5183-4). Furious Popcorn discovers one of his own friends has fallen victim to the adults’ brainwashing and tries to save her in the second book in The F.A.R.T. Diaries.
Foxglove by Adalyn Grace (Little, Brown, Aug. 22 $19.99; ISBN 978-0-316-16250-0). In the sequel to Belladonna, Signa befriends Fate in order to rescue her wrongfully accused ally, even if being around Fate triggers newfound powers.
Fox Has a Problem by Corey R. Tabor (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, Aug. 1 $5.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-06-327792-2). Caldecott Honor author Tabor highlights a fox working together with other forest animals when they learn of each other’s troubles in the latest book starring Fox, the character featured in Geisel Award winners Fox at Night and Fox the Tiger.
Fury of the Dragon Goddess by Sarwat Chadda (Disney/Rick Riordan Presents, Aug. 1 $17.99; ISBN 978-1-3680-8182-5). Sik uses an ancient tablet to rescue his brother from the dead but faces bigger problems when the tablet falls into the wrong hands in the second adventure in the Sik and the Dragon Goddess Series.
More Tales to Keep You Up at Night by Dan Poblocki, illus. by Marie Bergeron (Penguin Workshop, Aug. 15 $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-38750-4). In the follow-up to Tales to Keep You Up at Night, Gilbert discovers tapes that might be the key to helping save his cousin, if he can avoid the supernatural man haunting all the stories.
The Raven Throne by Stephanie Burgis (Bloomsbury, Aug. 8 $17.99 ISBN 978-1-5476-1032-7). When their sister takes the throne and is attacked soon after, Gilbert and Rosalind go to great lengths to find the protector of the queen, the Raven, in the second book in the Raven Heir series.
Reign by Katherine McGee (Random House, Aug. 29 $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-42974-7). In the conclusion to the American Royals series, Prince Jefferson may overtake the throne while Queen Beatrice is in a coma and Samantha has vanished.
S.O.S. by Tom Phillips (Pixel+Ink, Aug 1 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-64595-108-7). John and Toadius must work through their differences when two rivals make an appearance aboard their ship in the second installment of the Curious League of Detectives and Thieves series.
Stuntboy, In-Between Time by Jason Reynolds, illus. by Raúl the Third (Atheneum/Dlouhy, Aug. 29 $14.99; 978-1-534-41822-6). In the sequel to Stuntboy, in the Meantime, Stuntboy discovers a new oasis away from his separated parents, but some Grown Up People threaten to have him removed.
Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig (Feiwel and Friends, Aug. 22 $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-82848-4). The seventh installment in the Remixed Classics series reimagines Romeo and Juliet as Romeo and Valentine, two lovers who must keep their relationship from their warring families a secret.
Terror in Shadow Canyon by Matt McMann (Putnam, Aug. 22 $7.99; ISBN 978-0-593-53077-1). After Tegan and his friends veer off their path, they find themselves trapped in a forest with a creature that has an appetite for humans, in the third Monsterious book.
Truly, Madly, Sheeply by Heather Vogel Frederick (Simon & Schuster, Aug. 22 $17.99 ISBN 978-1-5344-9968-3). In the series conclusion of A Pumpkin Falls Mystery series, Truly relies on her Private Eyes to get to the bottom of things when jack-o-lantern robberies and other spooky happenings scare Truly’s family from buying an abandoned farm.
