Hitting shelves next week are a picture book about “the smartest dog in the world,” a middle grade novel in which a boy confronts his grandfather’s dementia, and a guide to life by a high-profile YouTuber.

Crossing Ebenezer Creek by Tonya Bolden. Bloomsbury, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-59990-319-4. After Union soldiers loot her family’s plantation in 1864, the protagonist of this YA novel joins General Sherman’s army as it marches through Georgia. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Walden Pond, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-264362-9. In this middle grade novel, Prez Mellows lives with his increasingly forgetful grandfather until an incident that results in Granddad being sent away to be “sorted out.”

Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau. HarperTeen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-245384-6. Following the death of the king and his heir, 17-year-old twins Carys and Andreus must compete in a series of trials to determine which of them will ascend to the throne of Eden in this dystopian novel.

Firefighter Duckies! by Frank W. Dormer. Atheneum, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-6090-3. In this picture book, which earned a starred review from PW, a trio of ducks in enormous red hats are ready to save the day, no matter how ridiculous the challenge.

Follow Me Back by A.V. Geiger. Sourcebooks Fire, $10.99; ISBN 978-1-4926-4523-8. Battling agoraphobia triggered by an event she refuses to discuss, Tessa Hart defers her freshman year of college and spends her days locked away; social media is her primary connection to the outside world. On Twitter, Tessa finds sanctuary in online fandom.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo. FSG/Ferguson, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-374-30404-1. Desi Lee, 17, is a smart, ambitious, and athletic Korean-American girl headed toward becoming valedictorian, then to Stanford to study premed. Desi excels at pretty much everything she puts her mind to—except landing a boyfriend. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Be True to Me by Adele Griffin. Algonquin Young Readers, $18.95; ISBN 978-1-61620-675-8. It’s 1976 in Sunken Haven, a gated beach community on Fire Island and 16-year-old Jean is ready to pursue a summer romance.

Ryan Higa’s How to Write Good by Ryan Higa. Little, Brown, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-316-46407-9. More than 19 million subscribers to Higa’s YouTube channel will be eager to get their hands on his debut book, which combines memoir with life advice and humor.

Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson. Scholastic Press, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-338-06869-6. Larson (the Defy trilogy) weaves fantasy with the Swan Lake ballet in this first book of a duology. The novel earned a starred review from PW.

Barkus by Patricia MacLachlan, illus. by Marc Boutavant. Chronicle, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-4521-1182-7. Barkus is the “smartest dog in the whole world,” according to globetrotting Uncle Everton, who gives Barkus to his niece Nicky. But smarts alone don’t explain Barkus’s charisma in this story that bridges picture book and chapter book terrain.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. Simon Pulse, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-7868-7. In this debut YA novel, Menon introduces two intellectually gifted teens from traditional Indian families who meet at a summer tech conference in San Francisco. The twist: Dimple and Rishi’s parents have arranged their marriage.

No Good Deed by Goldy Moldavsky. Point, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-545-86751-1. Moldavsky (Kill the Boy Band) delivers an over-the-top farce set at a summer camp for teenage activists.

On the Spot: Countless Funny Stories by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Lea Redmond, illus. by Sanne te Loo. Random, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-101-93230-8. This interactive book encourages readers to fill in the blanks to complete the story.

My Book of Beautiful Oops! A Scribble It, Smear It, Fold It, Tear It Journal for Young Artists by Barney Saltzberg. Workman, $15.95; ISBN 978-0-7611-8950-3. Saltzberg expands on the author’s Oops oeuvre with an activity book aimed at inspiring budding creatives.

Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts. Disney-Hyperion, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-4847-6765-8. First in a planned series, Shvarts’s action-packed debut champions diversity, counsels perseverance, and highlights the human cost of war.

Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder. Walden Pond, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-244341-0. Jinny is the oldest of nine orphans living on an idyllic island. New children are delivered to the island by a mysterious boat, and whenever one arrives, the eldest on the island takes the arrival’s place aboard the vessel to leave the only home he or she has ever known, with no knowledge of what the future holds. This middle grade novel earned a starred review from PW.

When It’s Real by Erin Watt. Harlequin Teen, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-373-21252-1. A teen reluctantly agrees to pose as the girlfriend to a Justin Bieber–like pop star in order to rehab his bad-boy image.

Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide for New Arrivals by Mo Willems. Hyperion, $15.99; ISBN 978-1-4847-6746-7. Willems (the Elephant & Piggie series) rolls out the red carpet for a new baby, writing in a voice that’s part preflight safety demonstration, part waiter’s spiel, and part customer service hotline.

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