Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a middle grade fantasy series installment about a tween’s return to a magical school, a picture book following a folded-paper fortune teller’s quest for purpose, a middle grade novel about a Muslim tween’s transfer to a Catholic school, and more.
Amari and the Metalwork Menace by B.B. Alston. Storytide, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-334002-2. In the fourth installment of the Supernatural Investigations series, a curse that could destroy humanity forces tween Amari to choose between joining the Junior Special Agent Program to help in the fight or return to life as a normal girl.
Forty the Fortune Teller by Drew Daywalt, illus. by Kevin Cornell. Philomel, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-5936-9146-5. Dropped on the playground without making even one prognostication, Forty the folded-paper fortune teller feels purposeless—until she spots a big red bolt that has slipped out of a playground slide’s ladder.
Hail Mariam by Huda Al-Marashi. Kokila, $17.99; ISBN 979-8-217-11296-8. An Iraqi American Muslim tween contends with growing pains upon transferring to a Catholic middle school in this moving novel informed by the author’s childhood.
Is It Spring? by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow, $21.99; ISBN 978-0-06-346925-9. Variable vernal weather spurs this high-spirited seasonal offering from Caldecott Medalist Henkes.
Kitty Caterpillar by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White, illus. by Brigette Barrager. Macmillan/Balzer + Bray, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-2503-9289-3. Kitty Caterpillar, a staunchly inside cat, is perfectly happy to nap—until a butterfly spotted through the window triggers her pursuit instinct.
Limelight by Andrew Keenan-Bolger. Penguin Workshop, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-5938-8924-4. Broadway actor Keenan-Bolger celebrates the healing capabilities of theater in his lightly fantastical solo debut set in 1996.
Mary Morland in the Time of Dinosaur Discovery by Jane Kurtz, illus. by Giselle Potter. Beach Lane, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-66595-554-6. Wry interrogative narration energizes this engaging portrait of scientist and illustrator Morland.
Mythspeaker by Christopher Roubique. Viking, $18.99; ISBN 979-8-2170-3904-3. Cajun and Indigenous debut author Roubique draws inspiration from Indigenous American tales to craft an action-packed adventure.
Onward: 16 Climate Fiction Short Stories to Inspire Hope Edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter. Charlesbridge, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-6235-4653-3. Carpenter curates a thought-provoking collection of 16 short stories in which teens navigate the complexities of growing up amid climate instability.
Paradise Coast by Suzanne Young. Simon & Schuster, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-66598-353-2. A community’s decades-old feud comes to a head in this savvy thriller from Young.
The Rare Bird by Elisha Cooper. Roaring Brook, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-2503-6439-5. With concise text and watercolors that feel full of swift motion, Caldecott Honor artist Cooper introduces a house cat who, after peering at a book featuring arrayed animals, imagines himself as a sprightly bird.
The Twelve by Joey Graceffa, with Mackenzie Lyn Marr. HarperCollins, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-333955-2. Graceffa and Marr blend action-adventure and magical spectacle in this fast-paced fantasy novel.
The Weedy Garden: A Happy Habitat for Wild Friends by Margaret Renkl, illus. by Billy Renkl. Greenwillow, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-343281-9. A bumblebee, snake, squirrel, speckled toad, and more take up space in the “weedy garden” celebrated in this elegant picture book from the sibling team.
Welcome, Uncle Nowruz!: A Persian New Year’s Story by Rashin Kheiriyeh. NorthSouth, $19.95; ISBN 978-0-7358-4617-3. In this seasonal picture book, Kheiriyeh reimagines the Iranian folktale of Nane Sarma, who embodies winter, and Uncle Nowruz, the messenger of spring.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of February, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
