How does one celebrate the beginning of spring? With new books, of course. While enjoying pockets of sunshine, readers can enjoy a picture book full of promises, a middle grade tale featuring a chaotic family, a YA fantasy reuniting magical warriors for an epic battle, and more.
Picture Books
Cece Bell. Walker US, $19.99 (64p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2624-9. Ages 4–8. Newbery Honoree Bell creates an entire high-fidelity world with an abecedarian that features album cover art and one song’s worth of liner-note lyrics from 26 invented animal recording artists. See our q&a with Bell. The book received a starred review from PW.
Amy Hest, illus. by Renata Liwska. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5341-2. Ages 4–8. When a nighttime routine for Bunny is broken, he takes it upon himself to ensure that bedtime goes as usual. The book received a starred review from PW.
Sy Montgomery, illus. by Tiffany Bozic. S&S/Wiseman, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-66591-849-7. Ages 4–8. Two baby Allen’s hummingbirds, alone in a coin-size nest, thrive with human assistance in an informational rescue story that hints at fledglings’ fortitude. The book received a starred review from PW.
Marianne Dubuc. Princeton Architectural Press, $18.99 (60p) ISBN 978-1-79722-729-0. Ages 3–6. Four friends who find an egg in the forest initially squabble over who gets to take it home, but learn the virtue of sharing. The book received a starred review from PW.
Aaron Becker. Candlewick, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2768-0. Ages 5–9. This wordless picture follows a robot zookeeper who must rescue the animals when sea levels rise and threaten their survival. See our q&a with Becker. The book received a starred review from PW.
A Rose, a Bridge, and a Wild Black Horse
Charlotte Zolotow, illus. by Julie Morstad. Cameron, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-951836-74-0. Ages 5–7. A girl makes a string of extravagant promises to her mother in this newly illustrated work from late author Zolotow.
Rachel Carson, illus. by Nikki McClure. Candlewick Studio, $19.99 (56p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2870-0. Ages 5–8. This picture book adapts biologist, conservationist, and Silent Spring author Carson’s script from an educational TV program. The book received a starred review from PW.
Nadine Robert, illus. by Valerio Vidali. Milky Way, $20.99 (64p) ISBN 978-1-990252-32-7. Ages 4–8. When a robin’s egg falls down from its nest, an unexpected hero works tirelessly to return it to its perch. The book received a starred review from PW.
Middle Grade
Emily Barth Isler. Carolrhoda, $19.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-7284-8777-9. Ages 8–12. Golden, a talented tween with synesthesia, probes her Jewish family’s history when she magically meets a younger version of her mother. See our q&a with Isler on authentic representations of neurodiversity. The book received a starred review from PW.
Kate DiCamillo. Candlewick, $18.99 (240p) ISBN 978-1-536231-05-2. Ages 8–12. The summer before fifth grade, 10-year-old Emma Phineas Wilkey deals with unfamiliar emotional terrain brought on by her family’s antics.
The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry
Anna Rose Johnson. Holiday House, $18.99 (192p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5363-4. Ages 8–12. After her guardian dies, Selena Lucy Landry is taken in by the Martins, a large Ojibwe family. In hopes of gaining the acceptance of the Martin children, Lucy sets out in search of long-lost treasure. The book received a starred review from PW.
Calyssa Erb. Annick, $19.99 (240p) ISBN 978-1-77321-851-9. Ages 8–12. Autistic 11-year-old musical theater enthusiast Maya Robertson attends theater summer camp and is disappointed when she’s assigned assistant director instead of actor, and aims to show her peers that she is meant to be onstage. The book received a starred review from PW.
Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem (The Blue Stars #1)
Kekla Magoon and Cynthia Leitich Smith, illus. by Molly Murakami. Candlewick, $22.99 (176p) ISBN 978-1-5362-0499-5. Ages 8–12. Estranged cousins Riley and Maya come together after uncovering a sinister plot with their vice principal at the reins. Read about Magoon’s busy year in our profile. The book received a starred review from PW.
John Schu. Candlewick, $18.99 (528p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2909-7. Ages 10–14. In 1996, tween Jake is diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and admitted to an inpatient treatment facility where he explores his relationship with food. See Schu’s essay for PW on the personal experiences that inspired his novel in verse. The book received a starred review from PW.
The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines
Mo Netz. Clarion, $18.99 (208p) ISBN 978-0-0632-6653-7. Ages 8–12. Disabled 11-year-old Jerry Blum and her mother settle at the Slumbering Giant Motel where Jerry grows suspicious of her mother’s new job. When her mother vanishes, Jerry ventures into the woods where creatures are rumored to live. The book received a starred review from PW.
Allie Millington. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-250326-93-5. Ages 8–12. Olivetti—a polite and observant dark green typewriter—and Ernest, the introverted 12-year-old son to Olivetti’s owner, Beatrice, both grow worried when Beatrice suddenly disappears. See Millington’s essay for PW on the old-fashioned charm of typewriters.
Grant Snider. Chronicle, $18.99 (96p) ISBN 978-1-79721-965-3. Ages 8–12. The friendship between two children offers opportunity for self-reflection and curiosity via poetry. The book received a starred review from PW.
Dave Roman. First Second, $22.99 (208p) ISBN 978-1-250-83027-2. Ages 8–12. Brian Reyes finds his world turned upside down when, one day, a mysterious bump on his head morphs into a sparkling, singing unicorn horn. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
The Wild River and The Great Dam: The Construction of Hoover Dam and the Vanishing Colorado River
Simon Boughton. Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $19.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-316-38074-4. Ages 9–14. Boughton chronicles the construction of the Hoover Dam—whose “purpose was to stop the floods and droughts that plagued the southwestern United States”—and how it would become the largest feat of engineering ever seen in America. See our q&a with publishing veteran Boughton on his children’s debut. The book received a starred review from PW.
Young Adult
Olivia A. Cole. Labyrinth Road, $19.99 (464p) ISBN 978-0-593-64466-9. Ages 14 and up. Queer 17-year-old Ariel Burns begins to fear her own mind when intrusive thoughts about harming others intensify during a pivotal summer. The book received a starred review from PW.
Joseph Coelho, illus. by Kate Milner. Candlewick, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3641-5. Ages 12 and up. Previous collaborators Coelho and Milner offer a nuanced look at masculinity via a teenager’s search for his father paralleled with the Greek myth of Theseus. The book received a starred review from PW.
Maya Van Wagenen. Dutton, $18.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-525-42682-0. Ages 12 and up. Van Wagenen draws on her experiences managing interstitial cystitis—a chronic bladder condition—in this middle grade novel centering tween Dolores, who navigates tension at school following a bladder-related incident at school. The book received a starred review from PW.
The Encanto’s Daughter (The Encanto’s Daughter #1)
Melissa de la Cruz. Putnam, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-593-53308-6. Ages 12 and up. Teenage MJ Rodriguez knows that she must conceal from other humans her identity as a half human, half Encanto being from a magical world. When her father, the Encanto King, dies, MJ returns to the world of the Encantos, but she has much to learn of the beguiling fairies’ ways. See our q&a with de la Cruz on her Filipino-inspired fantasy.
K. Ancrum. HarperTeen, $19.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-06328-578-1. Ages 13 and up. Seventeen-year-old art thief Icarus Gallagher must choose between loyalty to his family or to a new friend when he uncovers a secret that could take down his rivals. The book received a starred review from PW.
Ashley Schumacher. Wednesday, $20 (320p) ISBN 978-1-2508-8604-0. Ages 13 and up. Childhood best friends Sam and Nova reunite in high school, calling into question all of their carefully laid plans for the future, and the promises they made as children. The book received a starred review from PW.
Parisa Akhbari. Dial, $19.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-593-53049-8. Ages 14 and up. Iranian American Mitra Esfahani struggles with changes in her relationships as she and her best friend shift from something platonic to romantic, and her drug-dependent mother makes a reappearance. See our q&a with Akhbari.
Traci Chee. HarperCollins, $19.99 (432p) ISBN 978-0-06326-9354. Ages 14 and up. To help protect her community from raiders, a youth from the small farming village of Camas sets out in search of kindlings, magical soldiers who were conscripted as children into a centuries-long war between opposing nations. The book received a starred review from PW.
Vanessa Le. Roaring Brook, $19.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-250-88152-6. Ages 12 and up. After being outed as a feared bloodcarver, Nhika is bought by the scions of a wealthy industrialist family who seek her bloodcarving to heal the comatose last witness to their patriarch’s suspicious death. See our q&a with Le on how she combined her heritage and medical background to craft her debut. The book received a starred review from PW.
Christen Randall. Atheneum, $19.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-6659-3981-2. Ages 14 and up. After being kicked out of her boyfriend’s gaming campaign, Hollis Beckwith finds a girl-friendly, queer-inclusive crowd that helps her find her confidence. The book received a starred review from PW.
Ream Shukairy. Little, Brown, $18.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-316564-59-5. Ages 12 and up. A group of Muslim teenagers suspected of a terrorist attack face pressure from the press, the police, and their own families to turn against one another. See our interview with Shukairy. The book received a starred review from PW.
Chelsea Ichaso. Sourcebooks Fire, $11.99 paper (384p) ISBN 978-1-728251-09-7. Ages 14 and up. Unable to accept her best friend’s disappearance, Paige begins her own inquiry and delves into a world of shadowy townies and even more sinister dealings among the area’s upper crust populace. The book received a starred review from PW.
Mindy McGinnis. HarperCollins/Tegen, $19.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-0632-3041-5. Ages 14 and up. Neely Hawtrey grapples with the loss of her family and her three secret monsters when a terrible crime occurs, destroying her carefully constructed reality. The book received a starred review from PW.
Rosamund Hodge. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-06-286913-5. Ages 13 and up. Seveteen-year-old Lia Kurinava is intent on killing Ruven and freeing the royal family from the curse of eternal sleep that’s been cast on them. The book received a starred review from PW.
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. Feiwel and Friends, $19.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-250-80084-8. Ages 14 and up. Recently orphaned Sade Hussein begins attending Alfred Nobel Academy, and when her new roommate disappears, Sade launches an investigation that leads to revelations about a culture of patriarchal violence terrorizing female students at the academy. The book received a starred review from PW.
