Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a graphic novel debut about roller-skating vampires, a YA romance between mariachi performers, a middle grade novel in verse about grief, and more.
Blood City Rollers by V.P. Anderson, illus. by Tatiana Hill. Labyrinth Road, $21.99; ISBN 978-0-593-48569-9; $13.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-48571-2. Thirteen-year-old figure skater Mina is heartbroken when an injury takes her off the ice but uncovers an alternate route to athletic fame when a roving gang of young roller derby vampires called Blood City Vamps kidnap her to join their team as a last-minute jammer. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa. Wednesday, $20; ISBN 978-1-25087-575-4. Rafie, the star vocalist in his school’s mariachi band, struggles when he switches schools and must acclimate to a new band.
Deep Water by Jamie Sumner. Atheneum, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-3506-7. Twelve-year-old Tully Birch attempts to set a record as the youngest swimmer to complete the Godfather swim, a 12.1-mile trek across Lake Tahoe, in hopes of bringing her mother back.
Dog vs. Strawberry by Nelly Buchet, illus. by Andrea Zuill. Random House Studio, $18.99; ISBN 978-0593-64312-9. Dog has been given a plump red strawberry treat by her human, and soon gets into a destructive race around the house attempting to follow it. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Gaga Mistake Day by Emma and Susan Straub, illus. by Jessica Love. Rocky Pond, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-52946-1. When her grandmother visits each week, a child catalogues the ways that Gaga turns things upside down.
A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan. Atheneum, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-3019-2. As low-ranking participants in the Great Game, 12-year-old Pia and her grandfather are barely getting by, and when he falls ill, Pia must risk everything to raise the money needed to rescue him. The middle grade novel received a starred review from PW.
I Am Both: A Vietnamese Refugee Story by Kerisa Greene. Feiwel and Friends, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-2508-6502-1. Greene, per an author’s note, bases this tale of a Vietnamese family escaping from Saigon on her family’s experiences in 1975.
If You Run Out of Words by Felicita Sala. Abrams, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-6688-6. When a child makes an inquiry before bedtime, their father creates an elaborate story to answer their questions.
Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio. Lamb, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-5933-0271-2. Twelve-year-old Isabel moves from the Philippines to San Francisco and finds comfort caring for her school garden.
The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Dial, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-73522-856-6. Tween Miriam Schreiber, a German Jew in 1942 Nazi-occupied France, is rescued by a Catholic family and gets involved in a risky operation smuggling Jewish people across the border.
Not Just the Driver! by Sara Holly Ackerman, illus. by Robert Neubecker. Beach Lane, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-3637-8. By spotlighting a behind-the-scenes workforce, Ackerman and Neubecker expand their audiences’ apertures in terms of both awareness and appreciation of the people behind various vehicles.
Roar-Choo! by Charlotte Cheng, illus. by Dan Santat. Rocky Pond, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-53175-4. When Dragon’s momentous roars become dangerous sneezes it turns to another creature for help.
Three Summers by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan. FSG, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-374-39081-5. Collaborators Sabic-El-Rayess and Sullivan tackle universal topics surrounding first crushes and bullying for three young women during a summer in Bosnia that would lead to war and genocide.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of April, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
