Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a ballet book, a middle grade fantasy, a multimedia picture book, the true story of a housecat’s adventures, and many more.
John’s Turn by Mac Barnett, illus. by Kate Berube. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0395-0. It’s the day for “Sharing Gifts” at school, and John takes a turn at ballet in front of his classmates. The picture book earned a starred review from PW.
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill. Algonquin, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-64375-074-3. Newbery Medalist Barnhill incorporates folkloric story into a fantastical sociopolitical allegory that asks keen questions about the nature of time, the import of community care, and what makes a neighbor. The middle grade novel earned a starred review from PW.
Bubblecat vs. Dragonbear by Sean Charmatz. Penguin Workshop, $14.99; ISBN 978-0-593-22384-0. Fragile BubbleCat, of Instagram fame, learns to take risks in this quirky picture book offering from Charmatz.
A Brave Cat by Marianna Coppo. Chronicle, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-79720-442-0. Ensconced in a chic boxlike house, white puss Olivia is presented as leading a life of travel, exploration, and occasional danger in this picture book, but Coppo’s play with perspective tells an alternate story, exposing the domestic narrative that’s occurring safe at home.
Cinder & Glass by Melissa de la Cruz. Putnam, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-32665-7. Set in 1682 France, this progressive “Cinderella” YA reimagining from de la Cruz takes inspiration from stories about Louis XIV’s court.
Diamond Park by Phillippe Diederich. Dutton, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-59335-425-4. Diederich (Playing for the Devil’s Fire) interweaves Mexican American culture and murder in a YA road trip adventure that offers action with emotional heft.
Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly, illus. by Celia Krampien. Greenwillow, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-297035-0. In this small-town novel about friendship and identity, Newbery winner Entrada Kelly captures the complex hierarchies of middle school. The book earned a starred review from PW.
Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $22.99; ISBN 978-0-06-306776-9. In this tender debut, author-illustrator Gao offers a layered graphic memoir, which navigates recollections of an early-aughts adolescence as well as Covid-19-era anti-Asian racism. The YA book earned a starred review from PW.
Pink, Blue, and You!: Questions for Kids About Gender Stereotypes by Elise Gravel with Mykaell Blais. Random House/Schwartz, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-17863-8. Collaborating with Blais, who is transgender, author-illustrator Gravel delivers a picture book examination of gender stereotypes, employing a series of probing questions and speech bubbles that invite readers to consider gender identity and its attendant connotations.
One for All by Lillie Lainoff. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-374-31461-3. Sixteen-year-old Tania de Batz has always longed to emulate her dazzling Papa, an ex-musketeer who once served the king of France.
Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-62414-7. Seven years after their first meeting took them to a mystical world under body of water Lakelore, 16-year-old trans nonbinary, neurodivergent teens Lore Garcia and Bastián Silvano, both Mexican American, meet again when Lore’s family relocates to Bastián’s town to avoid dyslexic Lore’s difficult past. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Sheep, the Rooster, and the Duck by Matt Phelan. Greenwillow, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-291100-1. Utilizing a third-person narrative and paneled comics sequences, Phelan (Sweater Weather) offers a delightful historical re-imagining, centering animals as spies. The book earned a starred review from PW.
A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft. Wednesday, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-25062-365-2. Two religious outcasts—an alchemist and a marksman—team up in a divine fox hunt in this 1920s-esque fantasy romance and blunt political parable.
And They Lived . . . by Steven Salvatore. Bloomsbury, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-0819-5. Salvatore’s YA novel takes on coming out, the challenges of art-making, the importance of mentors who get where one is coming from, and the joys and terrors of romance. The book earned a starred review from PW.
The Best Liars in Riverview by Lin Thompson. Little, Brown, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-316-27672-6. In this middle grade novel, protagonist Aubrey—accompanied by two trusted companions, schoolmate Mari and older sister Teagan—secretly sets out on a trek into the woods to find a missing classmate.
Love, Decoded by Jennifer Yen. Razorbill, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-11755-2. Yen offers a satisfying spin-off to A Taste for Love in this fast-paced YA Emma update, which follows James Wong’s younger sister, Gigi.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of March, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
