Hitting shelves next week are a picture book in which a boy confronts his grandfather’s illness, a graphic novel about a cast of characters in the same town, and a YA novel set in a future in which everyone in Manhattan lives in a single high rise.
Inspector Flytrap by Tom Angleberger, illus. by Cece Bell. Amulet/Abrams, $14.95; ISBN 978-1-4197-0948-7. In this illustrated chapter book, the husband-and-wife team of Angleberger and Bell highlight the outrageous investigations of a Venus flytrap detective – think Inspector Clouseau as carnivorous plant. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Return by Aaron Becker. Candlewick, $15.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-7730-5. Concluding the trio of wordless tales that began with 2013’s Journey, Caldecott Honor artist Becker builds on his architectural fantasy world. The book earned a starred review from PW.
A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-374-38270-4. Brody (the Unremembered trilogy) brings fresh twists to a familiar Groundhog Day–esque premise, in which a teen gets five chances at reliving a disastrous Monday, in this fantastical romance about the power to change one’s destiny.
A Boy Named Queen by Sara Cassidy. Groundwood, $14.95; ISBN 978-1-55498-905-8. In this novel from Cassidy (Not for Sale), the first days of fifth grade prove eye-opening and confidence-building for heroine Evelyn, whose home life is on the strict and staid side, as she navigates a friendship with a free spirit.
Lucy by Randy Cecil. Candlewick, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-6808-2. Set over four acts, the story – which could either be considered a very long picture book or a large-format chapter book – follows the lives of three city inhabitants, including Lucy, a small stray dog who is always on the lookout for food. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Smart About Sharks by Owen Davey. Flying Eye, $19.95; ISBN 978-1-909263-91-8. In a stylized guide to sharks featuring cheekily titled spreads (“All Fins Considered”; “Eat, Prey, Hunt”), Davey explores various aspects of sharks including their anatomy, behavior, reproduction, and the myths surrounding them.
Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library by Julie Gassman, illus. by Andy Elkerton. Capstone Young Readers, $14.95; ISBN 978-1-62370-651-7. In this picture book, an unwieldy fire-breathing dragon may not fit in in a library, so his owner decides to bring books to him to share.
The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito, illus. by Julia Kuo. Little, Brown, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-316-20337-1. A boy in Tokyo tries to listen for silence in his city, finding it in the space between sounds.
The Cranky Ballerina by Elise Gravel. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-235124-1. In this picture book, Ada doesn’t like ballet class, and decides to try her hand at karate instead.
Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger. Simon Pulse, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-4960-1. A weekend at a remote cabin turns deadly for the teenagers in Hartinger’s (The Elephant of Surprise) YA psychological thriller, which is rife with sexual tension.
Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia. Hyperion, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4847-2387-6. High school senior Reshma will do anything to ensure her spot as valedictorian, including suing her school for changing its grading policy just before her senior year. She signs with a literary agent, claiming to be at work on a YA novel in order to add appeal to her college applications.
Still a Work in Progress by Jo Knowles. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-7217-1. In this YA novel, Knowles (See You at Harry’s) explores the pain of having a sibling with an eating disorder, including the exhaustion caused by constant worry.
What a Beautiful Morning by Arthur A. Levine, illus. by Katie Kath. Running Press Kids, $16.95; ISBN 978-0-7624-5906-3. This summer, Grandpa’s memory is failing him, and he doesn’t always recognize Noah. Grandma tells a devastated Noah that “we have to appreciate what he still has, not focus on what he’s lost,” and Noah comes to terms with his new relationship with Grandpa, including learning that singing can still connect them to each other.
Groovy Joe: Ice Cream & Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Scholastic/Orchard, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-545-88378-8. First-time collaborators Litwin (Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes) and Lichtenheld (Friendshape) inject raucous rhymes and humor into their lesson about sharing: it’s the sugar that helps the medicine go down.
The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee. HarperTeen, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-241859-3. In her debut novel, the start of a trilogy, McGee creates a 22nd-century world set in a single 1000-floor mega-tower that houses all of Manhattan. Centering on the genetically flawless Avery Fuller, 16, who lives on the top floor and has everything a wealthy girl could want or need, McGee shifts smoothly among the intersecting stories of a handful of teens.
Seven and a Half Tons of Steel by Janet Nolan, illus. by Thomas Gonzalez. Peachtree, $17.95; ISBN 978-1-56145-912-4. After the twin towers fell on September 11, one of the beams recovered from the site was melted in a foundry and used to form the bow of a Navy warship, the USS New York, an event documented in this picture book.
Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles by Mara Rockliff, illus. by Hadley Hooper. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-7893-7. With car travel in its infancy, suffragists Nell Richardson and Alice Burke – accompanied by a black kitten, a typewriter, and a sewing machine – set off on an around-the-country automobile tour to draw attention to the women’s suffrage movement.
Let Your Voice Be Heard: The Life and Times of Pete Seeger by Anita Silvey. Clarion, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-547-33012-9. In her portrait of the folksinger and activist, Silvey (Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall) presents his passionate commitment to music and social justice.
How Do Dinosaurs Go to Sleep? by Jane Yolen, illus. by Mark Teague. Scholastic/Blue Sky, $6.99; ISBN 978-0-545-94120-4. In this picture book, an unusual group of dinosaurs demonstrate how one should and shouldn’t behave at bedtime.
