Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a picture book about a child’s agency, a middle grade series starter following a prophesied dragon girl, a YA debut about a teen facing injustice at her high school, and more.
Bartleby by Matt Phelan. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-3743-9355-7. Phelan applies a variation on the famous catchphrase of Melville’s to explore a child’s desire for autonomy across this clever picture book. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Dragon Girl and the Awakened Flames by Jenny Moore. Sourcebooks, $16.99 hardcover; ISBN 978-1-4642-5404-8; $9.99 paper ISBN 978-1-4642-6629-4. Moore spins together laugh-out-loud humor, heartfelt friendship, and classic fantasy adventure energy in a sparkling series launch. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Estela, Undrowning by René Peña-Govea. Quill Tree, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-342995-6. In Peña-Govea’s arresting debut, a high school senior determines to make space for herself as she grapples with racism, injustice, and financial precarity. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
The Future Book by Mac Barnett, illus. by Shawn Harris. Knopf, $19.99; ISBN 979-8-217-03317-1. In another lively collaboration, Barnett and Harris offer up a funhouse-mirror picture book guide to the future.
Goldfinches by Mary Oliver, illus. by Melissa Sweet. Viking, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-69241-7. Sweet vibrantly illuminates an incisive and joyful work from the late poet Oliver in a picture book that takes the feel of a naturalist’s notebook. The book received a starred review from PW.
Harper Sharp: Kid Detective by Jarrett Williams. Random House Graphic, $21.99 hardcover; ISBN 978-0-593-30305-4. In this jovial graphic novel mystery, Williams fuses classic detective tropes with the comedic chaos of elementary school life.
Her Hidden Fire by Cliodhna O’Sullivan. Viking, $22.99; ISBN 979-8-217-04050-6. O’Sullivan interweaves Irish-mythology-inspired worldbuilding with dystopian fantasy trappings to deliver an intriguingly dark romance. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
If We Never End by Laura Taylor Namey. Bloomsbury, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-2071-5. In her first speculative novel, Namey delivers a rejuvenating romantic drama between a teen and a ghost with no memories that concludes in a gasp-inducing twist.
A Kingdom of Shadows by Emily Bain Murphy. WaterBrook, $10.99 paper; ISBN 978- 0-593-60145-7. Orphaned 12-year-old street thief Finn, his sister Lydia, and his best friend Adrion are taken in by a local gang who enlist the youths in their search for the mythical Lake of Light, a reservoir of pure, liquid light, which is rumored could restore balance to the kingdom.
Lies We Tell about the Stars by Susie Nadler. Dutton, $19.99; ISBN 979-8-217-00451-5. A teen looks for her missing best friend following a devastating earthquake in Nadler’s savvy and riveting debut. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Loops by Jashar Awan. Simon & Schuster, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-7494-3. Via artwork that evokes the peppy boldness of vintage screen-printed posters and a horizontal format that turns “learning to be a big kid!” into a full stage-show, Awan zeroes in on a common milestone on the wobbly path to maturation. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Magnitude by Jennifer A. Nielsen. Scholastic Press, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5461-6611-5. Resilient tweens work together to survive in this race-against-the-clock fictionalization of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Phoenix by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Dial, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-85986-5. A tween contending with familial tumult and financial insecurity finds comfort in a brand-new setting in this classic-feeling girl-saves-horse story. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Read All about It! by Benjamin Hall, illus. by Martina Motzo. HarperCollins, $21.99; ISBN 978-0-0633-5754-9. In a picture book debut from news correspondent Hall, a young hedgehog plans for a solo adventure in his idyllic neighborhood and gets creative to help out a fallen baby owl while following the guidelines his father has set for the excursion.
Red Stones: A Graphic Account of the Salvadoran Civil War by Ernesto Saade. Graphic Universe, $17.99 paper; ISBN 979-8-7656-7136-8. Drawing from firsthand accounts, Saade crafts a visceral nonfiction graphic novel about the Salvadoran Civil War as experienced by resilient 12-year-old protagonist Miriam.
Roohi and Nate Are Not on the Same Page by Supriya Kelkar and Jarrett Lerner. Amulet, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-4197-7873-5. In this winsome collaboration from Kelkar and Lerner, two sixth graders become unlikely allies in an effort to save their school library.
The Ruins Beneath Us by Sasha E. Sloan. Disney Hyperion, $20.99; ISBN 978-1-368-11751-7. Debut author Sloan weaves themes of self-discovery, oppression, loyalty, and consent into a luminous fantasy duology opener. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Skating Wilder by Brandon Dumais, illus. by AJ Dungo. Flying Eye, $21.99 paper; ISBN 978-1-913123-20-8. Skaters Dumais and Dungo present a celebration of skateboarding in this exuberant graphic novel that reflects on their friendship and chronicles the sport’s history. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
Taking Turns with Turtles: A Rescue Story by Shari Becker, illus. by Brittany Lane. Groundwood, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-77946-012-7. Drawing attention to a keystone species, this hopeful, science-led picture book traces the work of human volunteers who look out for “lost” cold-stunned sea turtles. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Truckosaurus by Karen Shapiro, illus. by Rachel Foo. Sourcebooks Wonderland, $12.99; ISBN 978-1-4642-5164-1. Readers follow Truckosaurus, a creature part animal and part truck, on their adventures across an island, in this series starter from the late founder of the Sourcebooks Wonderland imprint.
The True Ugly Duckling: How Hans Christian Andersen Became a Swan by Sandra Nickel, illus. by Calvin Nicholls. Levine Querido, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-64614-576-8. Nickel subtly draws on the plot of “The Ugly Duckling” to compose this compassionate biographical portrait of author Hans Christian Andersen.
The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan by Jasmine Warga. Macmillan/Balzer + Bray, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-38718-9. In this moving tale of animal friendship and found family by the Newbery Honor author, a rescue dog befriends an orphaned cheetah cub as part of a zoo’s conservation program.
When Tomorrow Burns by Tae Keller. Random House, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593485-58-3. Seventh grade trials—and a healthy dose of mystical meddling—jeopardize a tight-knit trio’s yearslong friendship in Newbery Medalist Keller’s striking novel.
When You Dream Big! by Peter H. Reynolds. Orchard, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-339-00035-0. Young Charley navigates Dream Big Week at school, trying to decide how she sees herself in the future.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of March, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
