Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a middle grade debut from a YA author highlighting Greek mythology, a picture book getting to the root of an emotional outburst, a graphic novel about a summer camp for monsters, and more.
The Aftermyth by Tracy Wolff. Aladdin, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-66598-546-8. Wolff, making her middle grade debut, conjures a Greek mythology–inspired magical school in this lively series launch, a dark academia fantasy.
Because of a Shoe by Julie Fogliano, illus. by Marla Frazee. Knopf, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-5937-0740-1. As a red-haired child’s feelings get big and bigger, rhythmic verse from Fogliano traces the ordeal’s escalation in this compassionate picture book. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Camp Monster by Kate Messner, illus. by Falynn Koch. Bloomsbury, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-0941-3. Previous collaborators Messner and Koch reunite in this upbeat graphic novel featuring friendship and fun-in-the-sun hijinks of monstrous proportions.
Decoy Saves Opening Day by Shohei Ohtani and Michael Blank, illus. by Fanny Liem. Harper, $21.99; ISBN 978-0-06-346077-5. After pup Decoy forgets his lucky baseball at home, he hopes to make it home and return to the stadium in time for the game, in this picture book by Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Ohtani.
Few Blue Skies by Carolina Ixta. Quill Tree, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-0632-8791-4. Ixta examines young love, environmental justice, and the cost of integrity in her timely and engaging sophomore novel. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Heart’s Gambit by J.D. Myall. Wednesday, $21; ISBN 978-1-250-36540-8. Black teens from rival magical families opt to fight fate instead of each other in debut author Myall’s extravagantly imagined series launch.
Hilo Presents: The Mighty by Judd Winick. Random House Graphic, $14.99; ISBN 978-0-593-30530-0. When Willow starts seeing sudden abnormal changes in her body, she seeks out a local legend to see if there is a connection.
Hypergifted by Gordon Korman. Harper, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-342929-1. In the sequel to Ungifted and Supergifted, tween genius Noah heads off to college where he joins a secret society and attempts to keep the pet mascot staying in his room a secret.
I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy by Mychal Threets, illus. by Lorraine Nam. Random House, $18.99; ISBN 979-8-2170-2602-9. A librarian who looks very much like debut author Threets—the viral literacy advocate and host of a rebooted Reading Rainbow—kicks off a day of “library joy” in this affectionate picture book.
Jeong Is Jeong by Jessica Yoon, illus. by Michelle Lee. Make Me a World, $18.99; ISBN 979-8-2170-2726-2. A child of Korean descent learns the meaning of a word considered untranslatable in this lovingly intergenerational picture book. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
The Lions’ Run by Sara Pennypacker, illus. by Jon Klassen. Macmillan/Balzer + Bray, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-25039-281-7. This WWII novel by Pennypacker, set in 1944 occupied France, centers orphaned 13-year-old Lucas who joins the Resistance.
Love Me Tomorrow by Emiko Jean. S&S/Barley, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-66597-437-0. In this perceptive speculative rom-com from Jean, a Japanese American teen seeks to uncover the identity of her secret admirer via letters sent from the future.
The Mighty Macy by Kwame Alexander, illus. by Kitt Thomas. Little, Brown, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-316-44216-9. In this effervescent chapter book by Alexander, 80 snappy poems recount a bookish third grader’s love for her library. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
The Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse by Erin Stewart. Aladdin, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-5228-6. Luminous first-person narration by Stewart relays an introspective slice-of-life tale that forefronts connection and the lessons to be learned about friendship, family, and oneself when approaching relationships with an open heart and mind. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Queen of Faces by Petra Lord. Holt, $22.99; ISBN 978-1-250-36297-1. Debut author Lord sensitively explores identity and self-actualization throughout this mind-bending series opener that follows teen Anabelle Gage as she pursues an elite education and a new body. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Rumpelstiltskin by Mac Barnett, illus. by Carson Ellis. Orchard, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-338-67385-2. In this retelling, Barnett’s wisecracking lines are joined by the medieval elegance of gouache spreads by Caldecott Honoree Ellis. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
A Scar Like a River by Lisa Graff. Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316570-80-0. Graff infuses viscerally rendered realities of lingering trauma with moments of lightheartedness to deliver a meticulously calibrated work about a girl who refuses to be defined by her past. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Seven Million Steps: The True Story of Dick Gregory’s Run for the Hungry by Derrick Barnes and Christian Gregory, illus. by Frank Morrison. Amistad, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-335752-5. This stirring account from the life of activist and comedian Dick Gregory begins with a question: “No matter where you come from or what family you belong to.... what would you do if you knew someone who goes to bed every night without having supper?” The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Sibylline by Melissa de la Cruz. Putnam, $20.99; ISBN 979-8-217002-61-0. Friendships and romances are tested against the backdrop of a magical Ivy League school in this energetic dark academia fantasy.
Unsettling Salad! by Aaron Reynolds, illus. by Peter Brown. S&S, $13.99; ISBN 978-1-665-96111-0. Thadeus isn’t a fan of eating healthy foods but promises to eat a salad and discovers the sentient salad has plans of its own in this new addition to chapter book series Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales.
Until the Clock Strikes Midnight by Alechia Dow. Feiwel and Friends, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-250-37577-3. Immortal magical entities feigning romance compete for a coveted mentorship in this fun and frothy “Cinderella” remix from Dow.
Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier, illus. by AJ Dungo. Ten Speed Graphic, $38 hardcover; ISBN 978-0-5938-3804-4; $24.99 paper ISBN 978-0-5938-3803-7. A large cast of intersectionally diverse characters model ways to push back against book banning in a timely graphic novel that fictionalizes the story of Chicago Public Schools’ 2013 removal of Persepolis from student libraries. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
Yulu’s Linen by Cao Wenxuan, trans. from the Chinese by Helen Wang, illus. by Suzy Lee. Atheneum/Dlouhy, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-3119-9. In this finely wrought picture book portrait of the artistic process, a canvas of “yu-lu-ma—rain-dew linen” seems destined for young Yulu’s brushes, so her father, a frustrated artist who has nurtured her talent, buys it for her first self-portrait. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of February, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
