Hitting shelves next week are a wintry picture book, a haunted middle grade novel, a YA novel that pits free will against fate, and more.

Winter Dance by Marion Dane Bauer, illus. by Richard Jones. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-544-31334-7. In this picture book written in verse, a fox gathers advice from other animals on what to do while his friends hibernate. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Meant to Be by Julie Halpern. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-09498-8. In this YA novel, a teen eschews society’s forced matchmaking for her own sense of free will. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Ruby and Olivia by Rachel Hawkins. Putnam, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-399-16961-8. Ruby Kaye and Olivia Willingham, two very different 12-year-olds, reluctantly band together when a local historic house shows signs of being haunted.

A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider: The Story of E.B. White by Barbara Herkert, illus. by Lauren Castillo. Holt/Ottaviano, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-62779-245-5. In this picture book, Herkert and Castillo pay tender tribute to Elwyn White who, as E.B. White, would write three enduring books for children: Stuart Little, Charlottes Web, and The Trumpet of the Swan. The book earned a starred review from PW.

Expelled by James Patterson and Emily Raymond. LB/Patterson, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-44039-4. Combining tragedy, mystery, romance, and amateur sleuthing, this YA novel shows how four teens expelled from their high school form unlikely friendships while trying to get to the bottom of an incident involving a compromising photo.

Gum by Nancy Willard, illus. by Jeff Newman. Candlewick, $14.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-7774-9. In this picture book from the late Willard, two boys strategize on how to get a prize from a gumball machine.

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