Hitting shelves next week are a picture book about an owl, a monkey, and a balloon; a middle grade novel about tolerance from the perspective of a tree; and a YA novel about Mexican teens seeking better lives.
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, illus. by Charles Santoso. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-250-04322-1. In this illustrated middle grade novel, a tree’s perspective on local prejudice grows into a call for kindness. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Wonderling by Mira Bartók. Candlewick, $21.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-9121-9. In her first book for children, Bartók (The Memory Palace) takes readers to a world in which part-human, part-animal groundlings are largely treated with disdain.
The Handbook by Jim Benton. Scholastic Press, $12.99; ISBN 978-0-545-94240-9. In this neighborhood caper from Benton (the Franny K. Stein series), three friends discover the manual that parents use to maintain control of their kids.
I Have a Balloon by Ariel Bernstein, illus. by Scott Magoon. S&S/Wiseman, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-7250-0. An owl and a monkey confront jealousy, the fickleness of want, and the influence of other perspectives in this high-energy story from debut author Bernstein and illustrator Magoon (I Will Not Eat You). The book earned a starred review from PW.
Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey. Scholastic Press, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-338-22122-0. Pig the pug’s selfishness and greed remain unchecked in his third book, in which he’s anticipating Christmas with an almost maniacal fervor.
Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman. Simon Pulse, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-8772-6. In this coming-of-age YA novel, a mixed-race teen navigates her growth as an artist amidst familial abuse. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Love, Santa by Martha Brockenbrough, illus. by Lee White. Scholastic/Levine, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-545-70030-6. When five-year-old Lucy writes her first letter to Santa, she receives a friendly reply, and continues the exchange each year until, at age eight, Lucy asks: “Dear Mom, Are you Santa?” Her mother’s thoughtful, heartfelt response, which Brockenbrough wrote to her own daughter and and which was published in the New York Times in 2009, is its own bit of Christmas magic. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Littlest Train by Chris Gall. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-39286-0. Having gone big in Dinotrux and microscopic in NanoBots, Gall does a bit of both, sending a tiny train on an enormous adventure. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Invictus by Ryan Graudin. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-316-50307-5. This YA novel follows a teen in the future who pirates history’s precious artifacts. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
I’m Just No Good at Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups by Chris Harris, illus. by Lane Smith. Little, Brown, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-316-26657-4. This debut collection of verse from TV writer/producer Harris hits a poetry trifecta: high energy, rhymes that can rival Cole Porter’s (“Nothing is impossible.... Every tooth is flossable”), and a torrent of ideas. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
The Dam Keeper by Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsuma. First Second, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-62672-426-6. Kondo and Tsutsuma expand on the world of their Oscar-nominated animated short film of the same name, about a young pig who keeps his town safe from a terrifying black fog. The book earned a starred review from PW.
There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins. Dutton, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-525-42601-1. Raised in Hawaii, protagonist Makani Young has moved to small-town Nebraska to live with her grandmother. As her senior year begins, students at her new high school are being murdered by what looks to be a serial killer.
Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Edna the Very First Chicken by Douglas Rees, illus. by Jed Henry. Holt, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-62779-510-4. Rees (the Uncle Pirate books) and Henry (Time for Cranberries) imagine that a T-rex that terrorized the Cretaceous is finally bested by a petite, doe-eyed hen named Edna.
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson. S&S/McElderry, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-9758-9. In this high fantasy YA novel, a 17-year-old skilled artist falls for the royal subject of her latest portrait. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Henny, Penny, Lenny, Denny, and Mike by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Mike Austin. Beach Lane, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-4523-8. This picture book follows fish buddies Henny, Penny, Lenny, Denny, and Mike, who live a glorious life in their tank until “clean the fish tank day,” when they are “unceremoniously plopped into a bowl.”
Robinson by Peter Sís. Scholastic Press, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-545-73166-9. Caldecott Medalist Sís returns with a picture book about a boy emulating Robinson Crusoe’s seafaring adventure. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork. Scholastic/Levine, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-545-94447-2. Siblings Sara and Emiliano Zapata live in Juárez, Mexico, where crime, kidnapping, and drugs are regular concerns for them.
The Best Tailor in Pinbauê by Eymard Toledo. Triangle Square, $18.95; ISBN 978-1-60980-804-4. A boy with a skilled tailor for an uncle narrates this elegant, poignant story of the way industrialization reshapes a fictitious Brazilian town; it’s the English-language debut for author-artist Toledo, herself born in Brazil. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine by Mark Twain and Philip C. Stead, illus. by Erin Stead. Doubleday, $24.99; ISBN 978-0-553-52322-5. Working from notes Twain made after telling an especially successful bedtime story, Philip C. Stead completes the tale of gentle Johnny, whose heart is pure despite his bleak surroundings and cruel grandfather. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Still Stuck by Shinsuke Yoshitake. Abrams, $12.95; ISBN 978-1-4197-2699-6. It’s bath time, and Yoshitake’s tiny protagonist insists that he can undress himself. Bad move: his yellow shirt gets stuck on his head, so he decides he will leave it that way. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of September, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
