Hitting bookshelves this week are a picture book about a freed slave running a secret school, a middle grade novel about wishes gone awry, and a realistic YA novel set in a glitzy, soulless version of Los Angeles.

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando. Bloomsbury, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-61963-803-7. In a twisting, harrowing story set over a few weeks, Altebrando (My Life in Dioramas) brings readers to a small town where six kindergartners disappeared without a trace and left an entire community grieving. The book earned a starred review from PW.

The Saddest Toilet in the World by Sam Apple, illus. by Sam Ricks. S&S/Aladdin, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-5122-2. “I simply can’t go on like this.... It’s just too hurtful.” That’s a toilet talking, and he’s upset because Danny, who should be making the next big leap in toilet training, refuses to sit on him.

The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-38282-3. In this YA novel, Maddie is eager to spend the summer before college with her best friends, until her wealthy grandmother delivers a bombshell. Gram, who is dying of pancreatic cancer, bids Maddie and family to take an eight-week cruise on The Wishwell, a “death-with-dignity” ship catering to its passengers’ last desires.

When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin. Dial, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-8037-3816-4. After growing up in foster care, 12-year-old Ben Coffin is just happy to have a home and a loving mother; living in Coney Island is icing on the cake. Ben adores the beach, the boardwalk, and the local librarian, Mrs. Lorentz. When he meets her daughter, Halley, there is an instant connection, fueled in part by Flip, a dog Ben rescues from the street. The book earned a starred review from PW.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. HarperTeen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-239174-2. Three authors offer up a YA rewrite of the story of Lady Jane Grey and King Edward VI, following history to the point of tragedy, then tossing fact aside to allow love and good to triumph.

Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke. First Second, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-62672-081-7. Hatke’s hero is both homely and easy to love. Goblin is a stumpy figure with a toothy underbite and distinctive dietary preferences: “He gnawed on an old boot for breakfast, and he thought about the day ahead.” But it’s not an ordinary day; during a visit with his best friend Skeleton, marauding adventurers sweep through Goblin’s subterranean dungeon and take everything, including Skeleton. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Field Guide to the Grumpasaurus by Edward Hemingway. Clarion, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-544-54665-3. Mimicking the look and tone of a researcher’s notebook, Hemingway (Bad Apple’s Perfect Day) keeps a wary eye on “the world’s most fearsome creature,” the grumpsaurus, “most often seen sulking around the room after a great tragedy or mishap.”

Steamboat School by Deborah Hopkinson, illus. by Ron Husband. Disney/Jump at the Sun, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4231-2196-1. Hopkinson (Courage & Defiance) and longtime Disney animator Husband offer a fictional recounting of a St. Louis minister’s courageous and clever response to a 1847 Missouri law that prohibited the education of African-Americans, in which a former slave who worked tirelessly to buy his freedom (as well as that of his parents, wife, and children), John Berry Meachum ran a secret school for black children in his church basement.

Clara: The (Mostly) True Story of the Rhinoceros Who Dazzled Kings, Inspired Artists, and Won the Hearts of Everyone... While She Ate Her Way Up and Down a Continent by Emily Arnold McCully. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-553-52246-4. A picture book inspired by the true story of a rhinoceros who toured the world alongside her human companion Captain Van der Meer. The book earned a starred review from PW.

The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner. Bloomsbury, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-61963-376-6. Twelve-year-old Charlie – a devoted friend, loving sister, enthusiastic Irish dancer, and budding ice fisher – has read enough stories to know not to be greedy when making wishes, so she is extra careful when a wish-granting fish turns up at the end of her ice-fishing pole. She isn’t always careful, however, to be specific with the wording of her wishes, leading to muddles for her friends and family in this middle grade novel.

American Girls by Alison Umminger. Flatiron, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-07500-0. Tired of being the “leftover” of her parents’ divorce and eager to disappear after a prank goes too far, 15-year-old Anna uses her stepmother’s credit card to buy a ticket to Los Angeles, where her sister Delia, a struggling actress, lives.

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