Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a dystopian YA novel, a picture book about a shark finding fame, a picture book about a family’s new addition, and the true story behind a hoax perpetrated by children.
The Fandom by Anna Day. Chicken House, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-338-23270-7. Day’s debut novel blends the joy of falling in love and the stark terror of actually becoming part of a fictional world, with no idea how to return home.
Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman, illus. by Scott Magoon. Orchard, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-338-11247-4. In this humorous picture book, a shark takes to fame when he becomes an unwitting TV star.
Now That I’m Here by Aaron Meshon. Dial, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7352-2936-5. Meshon (Delivery) celebrates the making of a family from a newborn’s point of view (“They couldn’t wait to meet me”), comparing the tranquility of life in a two-adult household with the uproar that a baby brings. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Fairy Spell: How Two Girls Convinced the World That Fairies Are Real by Marc Tyler Nobleman, illus. by Eliza Wheeler. Clarion, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-544-69948-9. Nobleman (Boys of Steel) resurrects the story of an early 20th-century hoax, perpetrated by two girls, that pulled the wool over the eyes of many Britons, including Arthur Conan Doyle.
Love Songs & Other Lies by Jessica Pennington. Tor Teen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7653-9227-5. After Virginia’s first year at college, her childhood friend Logan, an up-and-coming musician, invites her to join his new band on a nationally televised battle-of-the-bands tour, in this romantic YA novel.
Dude! by Aaron Reynolds, illus. by Dan Santat. Roaring Brook/Porter, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-62672-603-1. The versatile word dude can act as a question, a warning, or an exclamation of delight, and Reynolds (Creepy Pair of Underwear!) uses it all of these ways and more as the single spoken word of his picture book, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Santat.
White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-08565-8. Two teens try to piece together a murder in this YA thriller.
Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian. Delacorte, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5247-6706-8. Sixteen-year-old Princess Theodosia is a royal prisoner in the Kaiser’s court within the fantasy setting of Astrea—where some have the power of magical abilities channeled through coveted gems.
Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian. Simon & Schuster, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-5232-8. Vivian (The Last Boy and Girl in the World) serves up a mixture of ice cream and romance in this story about a small-town girl whose life revolves around her summer job at an ice-cream stand. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Pip & Pup by Eugene Yelchin. Holt/Godwin, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-62779-394-0. In this wordless barnyard comedy by Yelchin (Breaking Stalin’s Nose), a dog and a duckling make friends.
Chasing Helicity by Ginger Zee. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-4847-8038-1. In this middle grade novel, 13-year-old Helicity, named after a physics term relating to a particle’s spin, loves storms, science, and math.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of April, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
