Hitting shelves next week are the picture book memoir of a bestselling author, a middle grade adventure about a young spy-in-training, and a YA novel that tackles themes of mental health.
Serafina and the Splintered Heart by Robert Beatty. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-4847-7504-2. In the third volume in the Serafina series, the middle-grade protagonist must find her way out of a mysterious underworld and harness her newly discovered powers in order to save the day.
Under the Silver Moon: Lullabies, Night Songs & Poems Illus. by Pamela Dalton. Handprint, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4521-1673-0. This picture book collects well-known lullabies and poems and pairs them with Dalton’s papercut illustrations.
Super Manny Stands Up! by Kelly DiPucchio, illus. by Stephanie Graegin. Atheneum, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-5960-0. In this picture book, a small raccoon with a big imagination has a wardrobe of superhero capes to match his pretend-play scenarios.
The Reluctant Queen: Book Two of the Queens of Renthia by Sarah Beth Durst. Harper Voyager, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-241335-2. In Durst’s second Queens of Renthia YA fantasy novel (after Queen of Blood), the world of Renthia remains a dangerous place where the spirits of the elements want to kill humans, and only powerful queens can control them. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Babymouse: Tales From the Locker: Lights, Camera, Middle School! by Jennifer L. Holm, illus. by Matthew Holm. Random, $13.99; ISBN 978-0-399-55438-4. The star of the Holm siblings’ Babymouse books enters middle school in this illustrated novel, first in the Babymouse Tales from the Locker series.
Imagine That! by Yasmeen Ismail. Bloomsbury, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-68119-362-5. A young bear named Lila has an adventurous spirit and a fertile imagination; Ismail (Christmas for Greta and Gracie) gives readers front-row seats as Lila turns ordinary routines into heroic escapades.
The Gallery of Unfinished Girls by Lauren Karcz. HarperTeen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-246777-5. Magical realist elements thread through this YA novel about self-discovery and making art.
How It Feels to Be a Boat by James Kwan. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-544-71533-2. Kwan (Dear Yeti) explores themes of weathering the unexpected and pushing on anyway in an allegorical picture book that excitedly informs readers, “You are a boat. Ahoy! Ahoy!”
Someone Like Me by Patricia MacLachlan, illus. by Chris Sheban. Roaring Brook/Porter, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-62672-334-4. Newbery Medalist MacLachlan’s latest title is a picture book memoir in verse. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls by Beth McMullen. Aladdin, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-9020-7. In this middle grade novel, protagonist Abby lives in New York City with her single mother; with summer winding down, she’s looking ahead to seventh grade. Then a surprise letter announces her acceptance to a school with an undercover element—training girls to be spies.
I See London, I See France by Sarah Mlynowski. HarperTeen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-239707-2. Nineteen-year-old Sydney has never traveled far from home. But when her best friend Leela needs another summer travel companion in Europe, Sydney hesitantly agrees to accompany her.
The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-544-87936-2. Set in New England in 1942, Murphy’s debut novel melds fantasy and history in a story about a cycle of strange disappearances. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol. Chicken House, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-338-11858-2. In Nicol’s debut middle grade novel, failed witch Arianwyn Gribble learns of the power that comes with knowing one’s self-worth and conquering the darkness within.
Survivor’s Diaries, Book 1: Overboard! by Terry Lynn Johnson, illus. by Jani Orban. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $9.99; ISBN 978-0-544-97010-6. This middle grade survival story follows 11-year-old Travis and his family as they endure a capsized boat in freezing temperatures.
How to Get Your Teacher Ready by Jean Reagan, illus. by Lee Wildish. Knopf, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-553-53825-0. Having previously explored how to take care of mothers, fathers, and grandparents, Reagan and Wildish zip readers through a school year’s worth of advice in this picture book.
Who’s That Girl by Blair Thornburgh. HarperTeen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-244777-7. Debut author Thornburgh charts the tensions and loyalties among a group of friends in this YA romantic comedy.
Second Grade Holdout by Audrey Vernick, illus. by Matthew Cordell. Clarion, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-544-87681-1. In this picture book, the star of First Grade Dropout returns, and once again he has big reservations about proceeding to the next grade.
Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton. Random House, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-399-55088-1. Echoing the premise and structure of Flowers for Algernon, this novel shows how a teen’s life changes after he is given an experimental medication to treat symptoms of schizophrenia. The book earned a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of July, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
