Here’s a look at some of the books hitting shelves next week: picture book fables, middle-grade adventures on the high seas, teen murder mysteries, and more.

Tool of War by Paolo Bacigalupi. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-22083-5. Bacigalupi’s intense and violent follow-up to Ship Breaker and The Drowned Cities finds Tool—a powerful “augment” made from animal and human DNA—finally in control of the Drowned Cities.

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illus. by Gordon C. James. Bolden/Millner (PGW, dist.), $17.95; ISBN 978-1-57284-224-3. This picture book offers a tribute to barbershop culture, and portrays how good a haircut can make a person feel. The book earned a starred review from PW.

The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse by Mac Barnett, illus. by Jon Klassen. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-7754-1. In the latest collaboration from the picture book duo, a sweet mouse with pink ears encounters a wolf in the forest. He escapes, right? Wrong. The wolf gobbles him up. Which is awful, right? Nope. It’s surprisingly comfortable inside the wolf. In fact, a duck is already in residence. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Echo After Echo by Amy Rose Capetta. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-9164-6. Capetta (Entangled) seamlessly weaves a murder mystery and a love story into a suspenseful YA novel set within Manhattan’s theater community. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Race to the Bottom of the Sea by Lindsay Eagar. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-7923-1. In this middle grade novel, protagonist Fidelia goes on a maritime adventure after losing her parents at sea. The book earned a starred review from PW.

The Incredible Magic of Being by Kathryn Erskine. Scholastic Press, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-338-14851-0. Inquisitive and sheltered, nine-year-old Julian is drawn to his elderly new neighbor, Mr. X, after he moves to Maine with his mother, stepmother, and older sister to open a bed-and-breakfast.

The Watcher by Nikki Grimes, illus. by Bryan Collier. Eerdmans, $17; ISBN 978-0-8028-5445-2. Drawing on Psalm 121, Grimes creates a cycle of poems about two children, Jordan and Tanya, who become friends through their intense faith and the arrival of a new classmate. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Gris Grimly. Orchard, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-338-11243-6. In contrast to the sinister characters for which he’s best known, Grimly offers a (mostly) sweet-tempered picture book based on the favorite nursery rhyme. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Berserker by Emmy Laybourne. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-05520-0. In this supernatural Wild West adventure, 16-year-old Hanne and her siblings—Nytteson who are cursed with a Viking “blood-gift”—flee their home in Norway after their father’s sudden death triggers Hanne’s berserker ability, and she slaughters three men.

Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin. Random House, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-553-53818-2. Sisters Snow and Rose once lived a charmed life in a grand house with a beautiful garden. After their father disappears into the woods, the girls set out in search of answers.

Vanilla by Billy Merrell. Push, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-338-10092-1. In this YA novel-in-verse, boyfriends Hunter and Vanilla have known, and loved, each other for years, but their relationship is showing stress fractures in high school.

Draw the Line by Kathryn Otoshi. Roaring Brook, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-62672-563-8. Otoshi (Beautiful Hands) uses a simple charcoal line to tell a tale of conflict and resolution.

Bizzy Mizz Lizzie by David Shannon. Blue Sky, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-545-61943-1. Shannon (Duck on a Tractor) humorously advocates slowing down to appreciate the small things in life, in this bee-themed fable.

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater. Scholastic Press, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-545-93080-2. In this YA novel set in 1962 Colorado, Stiefvater explores the complex and interconnected nature of desires, fears, and miracles via a Mexican-American family known for producing saints.

For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of October, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.