Hitting shelves next week are a picture book retelling of a Mesoamerican legend, a middle grade followup to a series inspired by Chinese folklore, and the conclusion to a YA series following former slaves fighting for freedom.
Ashes by Laurie Halse Anderson. Atheneum/Dlouhy, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-4169-6146-8. Picking up in June 1781, three years after Forge (2010), this conclusion to Anderson’s Seeds of America trilogy finds former slaves Isobel and Curzon finally locating Isobel’s younger sister, Ruth, on a South Carolina plantation. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Gertie’s Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley, illus. by Jillian Tamaki. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-374-30261-0. Like the title character in Kate DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale, the indefatigable Gertie Foy is determined to prove to an absent parent that leaving was a big mistake.
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton. Tundra, $7.99 trade paper; ISBN 978-1-101-91871-5. Clanton (Something Extraordinary) introduces an imaginative and self-confident narwhal in a bubbly trio of comics.
Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz. Harlequin Teen, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-373-21238-5. When a high school teen receives the National Scholar Award, a highly competitive scholarship that covers college tuition, her dream of attending Stanford is within reach. To her surprise, her parents don’t share her excitement and reveal a long-kept secret: her family is in the United States illegally.
Rebel Genius by Michael Dante DiMartino. Roaring Brook, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-62672-336-8. In an adventurous children’s book debut, DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender, draws inspiration from Renaissance Italy for an epic tale of art and magic, first in a planned series, in which talented children seek to keep a legendary artifact from falling into the wrong hands.
The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia. Imprint, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-07919-0. In this YA novel, Frankie Devereux is plagued by PTSD after witnessing the fatal beating of her lacrosse captain boyfriend, but the details of Noah’s death are foggy.
Welcome to Wonderland #1: Home Sweet Motel by Chris Grabenstein, illus. by Brooke Allen. Random House, $13.99; ISBN 978-0-553-53602-7. Wisecracking 12-year-old P.T. Wilkie loves the Wonderland Motel in Florida, where he lives with his business-minded mother and fun-loving, fast-talking grandfather, who originally opened the motel.
Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes. Wordsong, $16.95; ISBN 978-1-62979-740-3. Writing in five-line tanka poems, Grimes (Words with Wings) weaves a moving story about a boy who isn’t the jock his father dreamed he would be. The book earned a starred review from PW.
When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-12592-5. In this companion to Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky, inspired by Chinese folklore, shy Pinmei, granddaughter of the revered Storyteller, sets out to rescue her grandmother from the evil emperor who has seized her. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Liszts by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Júlia Sardà. Tundra, $16.9; ISBN 978-1-77049-496-1. In this gothic-flavored family tale, the members of the Liszt family mostly keep to themselves, making lists of their interests.
Tek: The Modern Cave Boy by Patrick McDonnell. Little, Brown, $15.99; ISBN 978-0-316-33805-9. McDonnell (Thank You and Goodnight) plays fast and loose with the historical record in this playful cautionary tale about the perils of technology obsession. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven. Knopf, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-385-75592-4. Two very different teenagers contend with their own personal problems, and forge a romantic relationship. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Mermaid’s Purse by Patricia Polacco. Putnam, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-399-16692-1. Through lyrical writing and expressive images, Polacco (The Blessing Cup) returns to recurring themes from her books: the importance of family, community, and reading.
Before Morning by Joyce Sidman, illus. by Beth Krommes. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-547-97917-5. In a book-length poem, Newbery Honor recipient Sidman (Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night) expresses a heartfelt wish for a blizzard so big that it brings everything to a halt; Caldecott Medalist Krommes (The House in the Night) imagines a child for whom a snow day matters more than most. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland. Putnam, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-399-54656-3. In this YA novel, high school senior Henry Page falls in love for the first time with complicated new girl Grace Town, and learns about love and grief along the way.
Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-544-31959-2. In an illustrated biography, two-time Caldecott Honor recipient Sweet (The Right Word) unspools the life of author E.B. White (1899–1985) in scrapbook-style pages. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Also an Octopus by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illus. by Benji Davies. Candlewick, $16.95; ISBN 978-0-7636-7084-9. Debut author Tokuda-Hall offers a capricious crash course in the elements and boundless possibilities of story.
The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes by Duncan Tonatiuh. Abrams, $16.95; ISBN 978-1-4197-2130-4. Tonatiuh (Funny Bones) retells a Mesoamerican legend about a pair of volcanoes that can be seen from Mexico City. The book earned a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of October, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
