Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a YA book featuring a daughter facing her mother’s secrets, a picture book about a comic book hero come to life, a fantasy sequel featuring a heroine embracing her weapon, a YA island thriller, and more.
Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert. Flatiron, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-82636-7. A series of increasingly strange occurrences forces 17-year-old Ivy Park to face the secrets she’s always ignored, even when they all lead back to her own mother. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
The Adventures of Robo-Kid by Diane deGroat. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-82-344976-7. Worried about swim class, Henry turns to comic book hero Robo-kid for motivation, and when Robo-Kid comes to life and needs Henry’s help, Henry learns how brave he can really be.
Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard. HarperTeen, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-287266-1. In the sequel to Realm Breaker, Corayne must rally her own army and embrace her true powers to defeat a rising enemy.
Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow. McElderry, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-9743-6. Murder is the norm on Luca’s idyllic island and when more women continue to disappear, Luca is determined to get to the bottom of it, even if it means revealing their town’s darkest secrets.
Valentina Salazar Is Not a Monster Hunter by Zoraida Córdova. Scholastic Press, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-338-71271-1. After a rare monster kills their beloved father, and Valentina discovers the location of the monster’s egg, she and her elder siblings undertake a a dangerous road trip to retrieve it. The middle grade book earned a starred review from PW.
Baby Teeth by Meg Grehan. Little Island, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-9150-7101-9. Drinking blood soothes the voices in vampire Immy’s head, but she must find a new way to cope when her bloodlust threatens her relationship with a crush. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
The Black Girls Left Standing by Juliana Goodman. Feiwel and Friends, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-25-079281-5. Following the death of her sister at the lands of the police, Beau investigates the whereabouts of the only witness in order to gain justice.
Nightmares of Weirdwood by Christian McKay Heidickler and William Shivering, illus. by Anna Earley. Holt, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-250-30292-2. In the trilogy finale to the Thieves of Weirdwood series, best friends Arthur and Wally fight on opposite sides of an epic war that could alter the boundaries between real and imaginary for good.
High Score by Destiny Howell. Scholastic Press, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-338-74671-6. Despite his promise to get out of the scheming business, after upsetting the lottery kingpin at his new school, DJ and his new friends have two weeks to acquire 100,000 tickets, or the entire crew is under threat of being social outcasts. The middle grade book earned a starred review from PW.
Little Bear by Nicola Killen. S&S/Wiseman, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-665-91172-6. Ollie’s got the first day jitters before the start of school year, but a little bear and his animal friends soothe her fears.
The Fort by Gordon Korman. Scholastic Press, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-338-62914-9. When a hurricane ruins most of their town, a band of boys find an underground bunker and as the world becomes more dangerous, must protect their new home and each other.
Sometime in Summer by Katrina Leno. Little, Brown/Poppy, $10.99; ISBN 978-0-316-19451-8. After her parents’ divorce and a friend break-up leave 14-year-old Anna feeling unfortunate, a seaside summer with new friends proves to be a transformative experience.
The Fog Catcher's Daughter by Marianne McShane, illus. by Alan Marks. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1130-6. A girl sets out on a daring journey to find her father after he leaves behind his lucky charm on his yearly voyage.
Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective by Elizabeth Olsen and Robbie Arnett, illus. by Marissa Valdez. Viking, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-35144-4. Hattie Harmony has always been there to help soothe her friends’ fears, especially on a day like the first day of school, but when Hattie’s own anxieties bubble to the surface she must learn to overcome her own fears.
You Are a Champion by Marcus Rashford and Carl Anka. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-85916-7. Professional soccer player Marcus Rashford motivates readers to be the best they can be through stories of his own triumph and advice from psychological experts.
My Name Is Jason. Mine Too.: Our Story. Our Way. by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin. Atheneum/Dlouhy, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-7822-0. Author Reynolds and renowned artist Griffin recount their years living together in New York City in a diary-style book. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
The Surprise by Zadie Smith and Nick Laird, illus. by Magenta Fox. Viking, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-52597-5. A guinea pig’s arrival to a family comes as a surprise and she learns to accept herself with her new family.
One Boy Watching by Grant Snider. Chronicle, $17.99 (60p) ISBN 978-1-79721-088-9. A long school bus trip through farmland provides comfort to one of its riders. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
A Secret Princess by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz. Putnam, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-9848-1204-9. In this retelling of A Secret Garden and A Little Princess, a trio of best friends at boarding school struggle to fix their friendship after a personal tragedy unravels a secret.
This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede. Wednesday, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-79405-5. As the Finestra on the island of Saverio, Alesso must get her powers under control to help save her kingdom from an apocalyptic prophecy, but must turn to an outsider for help.
Clementine Book One by Tillie Walden. Image, $14.99 paper (256p) ISBN 978-1-5343-2128-1. Set in the comic universe of The Walking Dead, Clementine’s lone venture across Pennsylvania is interrupted by another group, and must decide whether to join this new pack or continue on her path solo.
The Night Before Second Grade by Natasha Wing, illus. by Amy Wummer. Grosset & Dunlap, $4.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-38274-5. An excited student anticipates the start of the new school year.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of June, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
