Hitting shelves this week is a nonfiction work from a bestselling author, a middle-grade novel about a heavy subject with a magical twist, a debut middle grade in which a girl mourns her best friend, a dystopian YA in which humanity must fight back against an AI, a historical YA fantasy in which a girl can sense gold during the gold rush, an absurdist YA novel that deals with teens’ struggles, a collection of undead short stories, a Christmas picture book from a popular TV personality, and a book that alternates publishing parody with high fantasy.

Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson. Candlewick, $24.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-6818-1. The latest from National Book Award and Printz winner Anderson is a nonfiction work melding biography and history, following the stranger-than-fiction story of Shostokovich’s symphony, which crossed oceans to help inspire people to endure through the harrowing siege of Leningrad.

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-250-04323-8. A fifth-grader, whose family endures homelessness and hunger, is unnerved when his helpful though troublesome imaginary friend returns. The book earned a starred review from PW.

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin. Little, Brown, $17; ISBN 978-0-316-38086-7. This middle grade novel follows Suzy, a 12-year-old whose obsession with science offers her an escape from the grief she’s processing over her deceased best friend. Benjamin previously co-authored Positive with Paige Rawls. PW gave the book a starred review.

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow. S&S/McElderry, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-4271-8. This dystopian adventure tells the story of a world taken over by an artificial intelligence, which keeps the world’s human rulers in line by demanding a child from every territory as hostage. One hostage, Greta, is inspired to rebellion by a new member of her Precepture. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson. Greenwillow, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-224291-4. A new trilogy from the author of the Girl of Fire and Thorns series follows 15-year-old Leah, who has a sixth sense for gold, through the Gold Rush, as she is imprisoned by a villain bent on harnessing her power. The book netted a PW starred review.

I Crawl Through It by A.S. King. Little, Brown, $18; ISBN 978-0-316-33409-9. The Printz Honor author returns with an absurdist novel in which two teens escape standardized testing and confront contemporary social ills with a heavy dose of magical realism. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Bits & Pieces by Jonathan Maberry. Simon & Schuster, $11.99 paper; ISBN 978-1-4814-4419-4, $19.99 hardcover; 978-1-4814-4418-7. The fifth book under Maberry’s Rot and Ruin series offers a collection of short stories that provide backstory to the author’s zombie apocalypse.

Miracle on 133rd Street by Sonia Manzano, illus. by Marjorie Priceman. S&S/Atheneum, $17.99 ISBN 978-0-689-87887-9. The Sesame Street star has written a picture book about a family Christmas in NYC, in which a family comes together over a roast that won’t fit in the oven, so they take it to the local pizzeria to cook it there. The book netted a starred review from PW.

The Murdstone Trilogy by Mal Peet. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-8184-5. This parody of modern publishing, in which an author tries his hand at high fantasy in an attempt at creating something more saleable, was published in the U.K. shortly before the author’s death. The book earned a starred review from PW.

For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of September, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.