Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a picture book about protest, the story of two vampires, an old dog’s new tricks, and a new YA series opener.
Sometimes People March by Tessa Allen. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-299118-8. In her author-illustrator debut, Allen presents an accessible introduction to political protest. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
I’m a Zcary Vampire by José Carlos Andrés, illus. by Gómez. NubeOcho, $16.95; ISBN 978-84-17673-85-7. Two Transylvanian friends support each other in advance of their looming vampire test.
This Old Dog by Martha Brockenbrough, illus. by Gabriel Alborozo. Levine Querido, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-646-14010-7. In this picture book about an elderly dog, the protagonist’s owners’ lives have changed but the best is yet to come as the dog and his family’s new addition become friends.
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-368-05240-5. Luxurious trappings and a boldly drawn cast complement the soapy plot of this strong Knives Out–esque series opener from Barnes (Little White Lies). The novel earned a starred review from PW.
Wild Symphony by Dan Brown, illus. by Susan Batori. Rodale Kids, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-12384-3. Bestselling adult author Brown shares a menagerie of lighthearted animal poems, each composed of four sets of couplets, as Maestro Mouse introduces readers to musical animal friends, who gather at the end for a “big surprise.”
Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-4623-0. In this nonfiction picture book, concepts of comparative size are elucidated alongside rich illustrations. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Flamer by Mike Curato. Holt/Godwin, $25.99; ISBN 978-1-2507-5614-5. In this emotionally charged YA graphic novel, Filipino teen Aidan contends with bullying, gender, and body issues.
Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew. Walker US, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1503-8. In her debut novel, Cuthew flips a horror story about toxic masculinity and internet-enabled misogyny into a tale of empowerment.
Grow: Secrets of Our DNA by Nicola Davies, illus. by Emily Sutton. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1272-3. Davies and Sutton reunite to offer another finely crafted exploration of a fundamental science concept: this time, how and why things grow. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse. Random House Graphic, $20.99; ISBN 978-0-593-11927-3. This warm middle grade graphic novel about found family and healing stands on its own while setting the stage for further adventures.
The Barnabus Project by Terry, Eric, and Devin Fan. Tundra, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-7352-6326-0. The Perfect Pet store’s friendly window display offers adorable fuzzy animals, “Genetically Engineered!” But in a laboratory deep underneath it, the Failed Projects are imprisoned: small, fuzzy cast-offs with names like Quirt and Moshi. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman. Little, Brown, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-316-53953-1. Blending elements of conservation and magic, Grossman (The Magicians, for adults) crafts a timeless-feeling, Travers-tinged adventure in his middle grade debut.
Not Your #LoveStory by Sonia Hartl. Page Street Kids, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-64567-054-4. In this YA novel, a very contemporary love story develops when a YouTuber’s real life meet-cute starts trending.
Hamish Takes the Train by Daisy Hirst. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1659-2. Hamish the bear and Noreen the goose live an idyllic life on a pretty hillside, but the trains that speed by heading to the city intrigue Hamish, and with Noreen’s blessing, he follows the tracks until the green countryside gives way to streets populated entirely by humans. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Pine Island Home by Polly Horvath. Holiday House/Ferguson, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-4785-5. Fans of Newbery Honoree Horvath’s (Everything on a Waffle) slightly quirky characters and unique situations will not be disappointed by this suspenseful story of four orphaned sisters sent to live with their peculiar aunt.
The Inkberg Enigma by Jonathan King. Gecko, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-7765-7266-3. The murky waters of fishing town Aurora attract a wide variety of marine wildlife unlike anything seen before in this middle grade graphic novel.
The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg. Scholastic Press, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-338-32503-4. Konigsberg (The Music of What Happens), a suicide survivor aiming for “a complete discussion of suicide,” per an author’s note, tells this story of 17-year-olds crossing paths on the George Washington Bridge, where both are considering jumping. The book earned a starred review from PW.
None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0316-4978-31. Marney (Circus of Arts) has created a gripping cat-and-mouse story in this Silence of the Lambs–like thriller, which employs a teen behavioral psychologist’s trauma and resilience against a dangerous puzzle.
Where We Are by Alison McGhee. Atheneum/Dlouhy, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-4612-0. When 17-year-old Micah’s family pulls him out of school to decamp for their small Minneapolis religious cult’s underground compound, he can’t do much but leave a note and hope his girlfriend, Sesame, finds him.
The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason, illus. by Byron Eggenschwiler. Tundra, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7352-6447-2. It’s not easy to do ghostly things when you’re made of heavy patchwork fabric layers instead of a light-as-air sheet as the protagonist of this picture book explains.
Dinomighty!, Volume 1 by Doug Paleo, illus. by Aaron Blecha. Etch, $13.99; ISBN 978-0-358-33156-8. Sixteen vignette-style chapters outline the adventures of the Dinomighties in this energetic middle grade graphic novel.
I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott, illus. by Sydney Smith. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-4559-2. In this autobiographical story by Canadian poet Scott, a boy who stutters is given a new way to think about his speech. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Resist!: Peaceful Acts That Changed Our World by Diane Stanley. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-4487-8. Stanley condenses history into bite-size pieces in this illustrated collection of one-page biographies of influential activists accompanied by textural colored pencil and watercolor portraits.
Tune It Out by Jamie Sumner. Atheneum, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-5700-3. A talented singer, 12-year-old Louise sleeps in a truck with her single mother and doesn’t attend school, only interacting with others when her mom pressures her to sing at cafes and county fairs, in hopes of making it big. The middle grade novel earned a starred review from PW.
The Candy Mafia by Lavie Tidhar, illus. by Daniel Duncan. Peachtree, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-68263-197-3. Brought in by the new mayor and relentlessly enforced for the last three years, candy prohibition has spawned a black market in 12-year-old detective Nelle Faulkner’s town, in this humorous middle grade novel.
Robobaby by David Wiesner. Clarion, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-544-98731-9. The plot of Caldecott Medalist Wiesner’s latest gives his artistic gifts a new challenge: rendering machines as living beings. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Welcome to Bobville: City of Bobs by Jonah Winter, illus. by Bob Staake. Random House/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-12272-3. The citizens of Bobville are the epitome of conformity: all named Bob, they also look and act the same in this stylized picture book.
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson. Penguin/Paulsen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-399-54543-6. National Book Award winner Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming) provides a heart-wrenching story in her latest middle grade novel, which offers an account of the multitudes of losses experienced by those who suffer from chronic traumatic encephalopathy and its effects on their families. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Fable by Adrienne Young. Wednesday, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-25436-8. Four years after her father, an infamous merchant captain, abandoned her on a lawless island, auburn-haired Fable, now 18, is ready to escape her unwanted exile in this YA series launch.
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-299648-0. Zoboi (Pride) and Salaam (one of the Exonerated Five) together craft a powerful indictment of institutional racism and mass incarceration through the imagined experience of Amal, a Black, Muslim 16-year-old facing imprisonment. The book earned a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of August, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
