Among titles hitting bookshelves this week are a picture book featuring a ride through books, an anticipated middle grade novel from an award-winning author, and a YA novel of historical fiction in which a teen trades it all for a hardscrabble life.
The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead. Razorbill, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-59514-841-4. A 17-year-old countess trades Elizabethan luxury for frontier life in this fantasy novel from the author of the Vampire Academy series.
The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry. Viking, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-451-46992-2. In this historical YA novel, the aftereffects of a Crusade have led to an inquisition meant to rid the Christian world of heretics. Dolssa, however, feels called to heal the sick, and her miracles eventually bring danger to her small town. The book earned a starred review in PW.
The Unwanteds: Island of Dragons by Lisa McMann. S&S/Aladdin, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4424-9337-7. McMann’s action-adventure middle grade series continues with this latest installment.
My House by Bryon Barton. Greenwillow, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-233703-0. Barton’s bright art enlivens this picture book, in which a ginger cat introduces readers to his house.
Can You Keep a Secret? by R.L. Stine. St. Martin’s Press, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-05894-2. The bestselling horror author for children returns with this new novel in his YA Fear Street series.
Tell Me a Tattoo Story by Alison McGhee, illus. by Eliza Wheeler. Chronicle, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-4521-1937-3. In this picture book, a preschooler is fascinated by his father’s elaborate tattoos and the personal history behind them.
Are We There Yet? By Dan Santat. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-19999-5. Last year’s Caldecott winner returns with this time-traveling road trip picture book. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Go to Sleep, Monster! by Kevin Cornell. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-234915-6. In this picture book, Cornell poses an question for readers: what if the monster under your bed is equally spooked by something under him? The book earned a starred review from PW.
If Not for You by Bob Dylan, illus. by David Walker. S&S/Atheneum, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4516-4881-2. This picture book about fathers and sons pairs Dylan’s lyrics with a dog and puppy pair.
Golden Boys by Sonya Hartnett. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-7949-1. The latest YA novel from Australian author Hartnett follows teens moving to a new, affluent neighborhood, where plenty of secrets lurk. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Have a Look, Says Book by Richard Jackson, illus. by Kevin Hawkes. S&S/Atheneum/Dlouhy, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-2105-8. Longtime children’s book editor Jackson offers up this picture book in which a giant book and a larger-than-life armchair invite a father and daughter to read with them. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Julius Zebra: Rumble with the Romans! by Gary Northfield. Candlewick, $15.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-7853-1. In this cracked “careful what you wish for” tale, first in the Julius Zebra series, a dim-witted talking zebra inadvertently trades an unhappy existence in the African plains to train in the art of gladiatorial combat.
Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-8117-3. This middle grade novel is told from the perspective of Raymie Clarke, whose father has just run off with a dental hygienist. Raymie, however, has a plan to bring him back: she will win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire contest, get her picture in the paper, and her father will come home. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Mischief Season by John Bemelmans Marciano, illus. by Sophie Blackall. Viking, $13.99; ISBN 978-0-451-47181-9. The launch of a new early chapter book series, the Witches of Benevento, follows a group of friends through a medieval Italianate village.
Death Is Stupid by Anastasia Higginbotham. Feminist Press, $16.95; ISBN 978-1-55861-925-8. Following Divorce Is the Worst, this second installment in the Ordinary Terrible Things picture book series acknowledges that despite the aphoristic things adults might say to soften the impact of death, it won’t necessarily help. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Knock! Knock! by Kaori Takahashi. Tara, $16.95; ISBN 978-93-83145-32-4. Having arrived home, a girl can’t find her stuffed bear, so she starts checking in with her upstairs neighbors. By lifting postcard-size panels vertically and horizontally, readers expand the book dramatically, scaling the girl’s apartment building alongside her.
Ollie’s Odyssey by William Joyce. S&S/Atheneum/Dlouhy, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4424-7355-3. Joyce (the Guardians of Childhood series) delivers a remix of classic movie and storybook themes: imprisoned toys, talking junkyard friends, and a doll lost a generation ago, in this middle grade novel.
Grandad’s Island by Benji Davies. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-9005-2. In this picture book allegory, Syd imagines that the “better place” his grandfather now lives is a lush tropical island.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of April, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
