Readers can find plenty of options out this month to enjoy, rain or shine, including a picture book following a sibling duo through a storm, a middle grade novel about a girl discovering a family secret, a YA tale about sisterly love and loyalty, and more.
Picture Books and Early Readers
The Friendship Train: A True Story of Helping and Healing After World War II
Debbie Levy, illus. by Boris Kulikov. Bloomsbury, $20.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-5476-0802-7. Ages 5–8. Sweeping historically informed spreads convey a nation galvanized as an ever-growing train that Americans could fill with food staples winds across the country. The book received a starred review from PW.
Derrick Barnes, illus. by Shamar Knight-Justice. Penguin/Paulsen, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-11145-1. Ages 3–7. Through the voice of soon-to-be middle child Rasheed, Barnes honors older siblings’ contributions to family dynamics. It’s a touching work that models secure attachments and strong sibling connections. The book received a starred review from PW.
Brian Floca, illus. by Sydney Smith. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5647-5. Ages 4–8. Caldecott Medalist Floca, here taking the role of author, crafts a thrilling story of two young siblings venturing out in a storm, as Hans Christian Andersen Award recipient Smith captures the tempest’s splendid energy in broad strokes and splashes. It’s a dynamic look at the dual powers of nature and volition unleashed. The book received a starred review from PW.
Making Light Bloom: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Lamps
Sandra Nickel, illus. by Julie Paschkis. Peachtree, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-68263-609-1. Ages 7–10. The studio of Louis Tiffany was renowned for its stained-glass objects, and this revealing story clarifies the role of designer Clara Driscoll (1861–1944) in creating the exquisite table lamps Tiffany was known for—a role that was not understood until after her death. Alongside delicate, design-oriented text by Nickel, Paschkis combines black outlines and luminous colors to make the pages glow like stained-glass itself. The book received a starred review from PW.
The Music Inside Us: Yo-Yo Ma and His Gifts to the World
James Howe, illus. by Jack Wong. Abrams, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-4197-5521-7. Ages 4–8. Howe highlights the celebrated cellist’s introspective nature, conveying questions that Yo-Yo Ma has asked throughout his life, first as a young musician taught by his father—“What does it mean to be a cellist? To be a musician? To be a human being?”—and later when questioning his future: “Who am I when I am not the obedient son, when I am not the cellist everyone expects me to be?” It’s a warm, musing biographical work that details a figure’s desire to “bring people together in harmony and joy”—and invites readers to ask and answer questions of their own. The book received a starred review from PW.
Julie Flett. Greystone, $19.95 (40p) ISBN 978-1-77840-171-8. Ages 4–8. With a tranquil narrative voice and collage-like artwork in subdued colors, Cree-Métis creator Flett shares the story of May, a beloved cat who suddenly disappears. The book received a starred review from PW.
Tae Keller, illus. by Rachel Wada. Norton, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-324-03112-3. Ages 7–10. In this story of “how we reached into the sky/ and carried the sun home,” Newbery Medalist Keller highlights the chain of insights that have led to accessible solar energy technology.
Katey Howes, illus. by Beth Krommes. Beach Lane, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-66591-827-5. Ages 4–8. Gracefully rhythmic verse from late creator Howes celebrates the in-between places through which animals steal. The book received a starred review from PW.
Michelle Cusolito, illus. by Jessica Lanan. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5342-9. Ages 4–8. This breath-by-breath glimpse offers a magnificent snapshot of an otherwise hidden moment that conveys with deep emotional impact the parallels of creaturely life. The book received a starred review from PW.
Middle Grade
Anna Rose Johnson. Holiday House, $17.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-82345-853-0. Ages 8–12. Thirteen-year-old Rosemary and her family relocate to Rosemary’s father’s native Wisconsin from England at the start of WWII, where Rosemary meets her Indigenous grandmother.
Joan Reardon. Aladdin, $17.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-6659-6336-7. Ages 8–12. Twelve-year-old Zadie Drake is thrilled when she and her older sister learn that they’ll be spending a week with their dad, but end up on the run when she learns her family is part of a secret society dedicated to protecting magical creatures. The book received a starred review from PW.
Rucker Moses. Penguin/Paulsen, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-593-69638-5. Ages 10 and up. While filming a stunt at a defunct adventure park, Cy’s best friend Oak is abducted by aliens. It’s an always-moving tale that balances an out-of-this-world premise with heartfelt ruminations on the importance of friendship and family.
Brian Bilston. Macmillan, $14.99 (128p) ISBN 978-1-03-505055-0. Ages 8–11. British poet Bilston delivers heart-wrenching insight and frequent laughs in this pet-themed poetry collection. The book received a starred review from PW.
On Guard! (Marshall Middle School #1)
Cassidy Wasserman. Random House Graphic, $21.99 hardcover (256p) ISBN 978-0-593-64998-5; $13.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-64999-2. Ages 8–12. In Wasserman’s grounded graphic novel debut, a tween finds confidence and a much-needed emotional outlet by joining her school’s fencing team.
Chanté Timothy. Nosy Crow, $9.99 (160p) ISBN 979-8-88777-133-5. Ages 7–11. In this energetic graphic novel series launch, a solo debut, Timothy offers timely messaging about sustainability and environmental preservation.
Young Adult
Kenneth Oppel. Scholastic Press, $19.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-5461-5820-2. Ages 12 and up. Thirteen-year-old Xavier and his family head on a weekend trip to a vacation cottage, but discover they cannot leave. The book received a starred review from PW.
Rey Terciero, illus. by Claudia Aguirre. Penguin Workshop, $24.99 hardcover (256p) ISBN 978-0-593-38557-9; $17.99 paper ISBN 978-0-59338-558-6. Ages 12 and up. [After being abandoned by his mother, a queer teen endeavors to cultivate a sense of home and belonging in this tender and heartfelt graphic novel reimagining of Anne of Green Gables. See the author’s essay on putting a graphic novel twist on the classics. The book received a starred review from PW.
L.T. Thompson. Bloomsbury, $20.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-5476-1519-3. Ages 14 and up. A trio of teens set out to rescue a peer and uncover a secret society in Thompson’s creatively imagined queer historical fantasy debut. The book received a starred review from PW.
Michael G. Long. Norton, $19.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-324-05353-8. Ages 14 and up. Mixing wrenching, atmospheric narrative with frank, informative prose, Long chronicles delivers a timely U.S.-focused volume about the AIDS epidemic. The book received a starred review from PW.
Elizabeth Lim. Knopf, $20.99 (480p) ISBN 978-0-593-65061-5. Ages 12 and up. Hoping to protect her family and secure their financial future, teenage Truyan agrees to marry the powerful half-dragon Demon Prince Elang, an arrangement that could also provide insight to her missing father’s whereabouts. The book received a starred review from PW.
Brooks Whitney Phillips. Viking, $19.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-5932-0212-8. Ages 14 and up. In early 1960s Florida, as teen sisters Pip and Sissy manage their chores and navigate their parents’ constant bickering, they long for escape and look forward to visiting the annual traveling carnival. But something is different about this year’s visit. It’s a potent tale of love and loyalty. The book received a starred review from PW.
Heir of Storms (Storm Weaver #1)
Lauryn Hamilton Murray. Roaring Brook, $20.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-250-34815-9. Ages 14 and up. When 17-year-old Blaze Harglade was born, she summoned a storm that ravaged the kingdom and marked her as a Rain Singer, one of a rare group of water wielders. Now, despite her powers being dormant and unable to conjure more than a drizzle, the gods select Blaze to compete in the Choosing Rite, a contest to determine the ruler of each elemental throne. The book received a starred review from PW.
Racquel Marie. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $19.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-25035-269-9. Ages 14 and up. Eighteen -year-old Flora and her brother are surviving a zombie apocalypse when they receive a radio transmission from their father advising them to head to California, prompting the pair to start a dangerous journey. The book received a starred review from PW.
Rory Power. Delacorte, $19.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-593-30231-6. Ages 14 and up. A missing Utah teen resurfaces to the surprise of her murderer in this gleefully twisted psychological thriller from Power. See our q&a with Powers.
Ann Liang. Scholastic Press, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-5461-1067-5. Ages 12 and up. In this quintessential rom-com by Liang, a former model turns a cultural excursion into an opportunity for revenge on her childhood nemesis. Read more about Liang’s busy publishing schedule in our profile. The book received a starred review from PW.
Caroline O’Donoghue. Walker US, $19.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2881-6. Ages 14 and up. Teenage Margo discovers she is on a strictly regulated railroad that leads to other worlds and alongside traveling salesman Moon tries to escape authorities aware of her unwarranted presence on the train. See our q&a with O’Donoghue. The book received a starred review from PW.
Rebecca Barrow. McElderry, $21.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-6659-3230-1. Ages 14 and up. The pressure cooker of external expectation meets a roaring furnace of personal ambition in this Shakespearean tale by Barrow. The book received a starred review from PW.
Cass Biehn. Peachtree, $19.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-682-63732-6. Ages 14 and up. Sixteen-year-old temple attendant Loren encounters Felix, a thief who has stolen the helmet of a god, and fears that he may be a catalyst of doom. The book received a starred review from PW.
H.E. Edgmon. Wednesday, $21 (320p) ISBN 978-1-250-85365-3. Ages 14 and up. Edgmon dazzles in this supernatural mystery novel in which a traveling caravan hidden from human society provides community for magical creatures with no memory of who they are or where they’re from. The book received a starred review from PW.
Xan Kaur. Holt, $21.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-250-35717-5. Ages 14 and up. In Kaur’s Southern gothic horror debut, a periodic cicada emergence brings to light a web of sinister secrets and lies involving a missing boy, four teens, and eerily entwined histories.
