Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including an historical middle grade novel, a YA story about superhero teens, a book about two neighbors and a stray dog, and a middle grade steampunk adventure.
Blue Skies by Anne Bustard. Simon & Schuster, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-4606-9. More than three years after WWII, fifth grader Glory Bea’s father is still MIA at the start of this middle grade novel.
Super Adjacent by Crystal Cestari. Disney-Hyperion, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-368-02398-6. A pair of young women teams up to save their superhero significant others in this YA novel set in an alternate Chicago.
Blue Daisy by Helen Frost, illus. by Rob Shepperson. Holiday House/Ferguson, $15.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-4414-4. Intrigued by the unfamiliar filthy dog trotting through their yards one summer day, young neighbors Sam and Katie set out to learn more about the stray and, they hope, persuade their parents to let them keep it, in this middle grade novel.
Brightstorm by Vashti Hardy, illus. by George Ermos. Norton Young Readers, $18.95; ISBN 978-1-324-00564-3. This middle grade steampunk adventure by debut author Hardy sees twins Arthur and Maudie Brightstorm join a sky ship race to discover South Polaris.
Frozen Beauty by Lexa Hillyer. HarperTeen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-233040-6. Sisters Kit, 17; Tessa, 16; and Lilly, 15; and the brotherly boy next door, 16-year-old Boyd, have been close since childhood, but crushes and loyalties begin to shift once they enter their teens.
Sparrow by Mary Cecilia Jackson. Tor Teen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7653-9885-7. This YA novel about ballerina Sparrow is a psychological thriller that contends with issues of mental illness and abuse.
Child of the Universe by Ray Jayawardhana, illus. by Raul Colón. Make Me a World, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5247-1754-4. Accompanying inspirational words from astrophysicist Jayawardhana (Neutrino Hunters for adults), luminous illustrations by Colón (Counting the Stars) imagine a magnificent journey through the cosmos. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim. Kokila, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-525-55497-4. In Kim’s well-paced debut, 11-year-old aspiring comic Yumi Chung struggles between her dreams and her Korean parents’ wishes.
Seeds by Carme Lemniscates. Candlewick Studio, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0844-3. “Seeds carry the power of life./ So they embark on amazing adventures.” Mimicking its subject, this narrative goes through its own “breathtaking transformation,” from a science-focused discussion of seeds into an intriguing philosophical exploration of seeds as a metaphor for human behavior.
We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illus. by Michaela Goade. Roaring Brook, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-20355-7. Metis/Ojibwe author Lindstrom (Girls Dance, Boys Fiddle) honors those who fight to protect the Earth’s fresh water. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Wondrous Rex by Patricia MacLachlan, illus. by Emilia Dzubiak. HarperCollins/Tegen, $15.99; ISBN 978-0-06-294098-8. A charmed (and charming) dog, a language-loving girl, and an innate aunt-niece bond are among the alluring threads that MacLachlan (Dream Within a Dream) deftly weaves into this taut novel.
Hike by Pete Oswald. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0157-4. Nature forms the backdrop of this largely wordless picture book, beginning with the nature motif of a child’s chamber. The book earned a starred review from PW.
City Spies by James Ponti. Aladdin, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5344-1491-4. In this action-packed spy novel, first in a new series, 12-year-old Sara Martinez, who is Latinx, faces juvenile detention for hacking into New York City’s juvenile justice computer system to reveal her foster parents’ misdeeds and cruelties.
Mama Baby by Chris Raschka. Candlewick, $14.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-9060-1. Raschka (The Magic Flute) captures the intimacy between mother and infant with animated watercolors that celebrate imitative play. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit by Lilliam Rivera, illus. by Elle Power. Little, Brown, $14.99; ISBN 978-0-316-45664-7. In this middle grade debut launching a series based on the popular comics series, Goldie Vance, 16, may officially be a valet at the Cross Palm Resort in St. Pascal, Fla., where she lives part-time with her hotel manager father, but she considers her real title house detective in training.
A Ben of All Trades: The Most Inventive Boyhood of Benjamin Franklin by Michael J. Rosen, illus. by Matt Tavares. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0121-5. Rosen (The Horse’s Haiku) expands a segment of Benjamin Franklin’s childhood to reveal his early motivations and character traits in this picture book.
The Stars Just Up the Street by Sue Soltis, illus. by Christine Davenier. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-9834-8. Animated ink washes capture both Mabel’s earnest determination and the wonder of what means so much to her: a dark night sky of deep blue and lavender, gloriously dotted with stars.
All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban. HarperTeen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-290821-6. In this intense psychological thriller, six teens—“the queen bee, the jock, the brains, the stoner, the loner, and the orchestra geek”—are trapped in a room with a bomb ticking down, a deadly syringe, and a note informing them that “within the hour” they must either select one person to die or face that fate together.
Green on Green by Dianne White, illus. by Felicita Sala. Beach Lane, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4814-6278-5. Sala (What’s Cooking at 10 Garden Street?) anchors this serene, incantatory poem by White (Who Eats Orange?) with a family—mother, father, child, all with brown skin and black hair—that she follows through the seasons. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang. First Second, $24.99; ISBN 978-1-62672-079-4. Yang has crafted a triumphant, telescopic graphic memoir about a high school basketball team, which explores the effects of legacy and the power of taking a single first step, no matter the outcome. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of March, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
