Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a graphic novel about a tween leaning about her family’s survival of a genocide, a graphic memoir addressing the stigma of being labeled a “troubled teen,” a middle grade novel about a tween navigating her acne breakouts, a picture book about emotions, and more.
Armaveni: A Graphic Novel of the Armenian Genocide by Nadine Takvorian. Levine Querido, $26.99; ISBN 978-1-646-14636-9. Young Nadine has always wanted to know more about her Armenian and Turkish culture, but her parents struggle to open up to her after living through the Armenian genocide.
Bad Kid: My Life as a “Troubled Teen” by Sofia Szamosi. Little, Brown Ink, $25.99 hardcover; ISBN 978-1-5235-2738-0; $18.99 paper ISBN 978-1-64375-197-9. Szamosi recalls her experience being labeled as a “troubled teen” during the early 2000s in this no-holds-barred graphic novel memoir.
Breakout by Christina Wyman, illus. by James Lancett. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $17.99 hardcover; ISBN 978-0-374-39335-9; $9.99 paper ISBN 978-0-374-39334-2. A 13-year-old navigates “the Acne Scale of Doom,” strained friendships, and parental insensitivity in this fresh and funny drama.
Come What May by Debi Gliori. S&S/Beach Lane, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-665-98276-4. In this picture book companion to No Matter What, Small struggles with big feelings during a difficult day, with the support of Large.
Defying China: A Memoir by Tsultrim Dolma and Rebecca Wei Hsieh. Dial, $20.99; ISBN 978-0-5936-1595-9. In this unflinching memoir, activist Dolma teams up with Hsieh to detail Dolma’s experiences growing up in late-20th-century Tibet under the control of the People’s Republic of China.
Erase Me by Josh Silver. Delacorte, $19.99; ISBN 979-8-217-02963-1. Traumatized teens navigate a labyrinth of betrayal, conspiracies, paranoia, and violence in this brutal psychological thriller.
Glory Be by Jamie Sumner, illus. by Alisha Monnin. Atheneum, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-66590-571-8. A search for a missing dog reveals hard truths about family in this contemplative verse novel.
Hafsa’s Way by Aisha Saeed. Penguin/Paulsen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-52937-9. Inspired in part by the true story of an orphaned Asian elephant that is transplanted to the Islamabad Zoo, this tidy novel traces a Pakistani youth’s experience learning to advocate for others.
Just Try It! Someplace New! by Phil Rosenthal and Lily Rosenthal, illus. by Luke Flowers. Simon & Schuster, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-665-94265-2. In the second A Phil & Lil Book, co-written by the creator and host of Somebody Feed Phil and his daughter, young Lily is off to visit her grandmother and needs encouragement from her father about staying at a new place overnight for the first time.
King of Nothing by Nathanael Lessore. Little, Brown, $19.99 hardcover; ISBN 978-0-316-58857-7; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-0-316-58856-0. A high schooler grapples with conflicting ideologies on “how to be a man, a real man” in this empathetic novel.
Navigating Night by Julie Leung, illus. by Angie Kang. Random House/Schwartz, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-89769-0. In this touching familial picture book, a rainy evening sees a child considering two nighttime journeys—one past and one present. The book received a starred review from PW.
No Way Never Sisters by Chantel Acevedo and Natalia Sylvester. Aladdin, $18.99 hardcover; ISBN 978-1-665974-12-7; $8.99 paper ISBN 978-1-6659-7413-4. Acevedo and Sylvester pull a reverse Parent Trap in this effervescent novel about at-odds tweens scheming to sabotage their parents’ relationship.
Queso, Just in Time by Ernesto Cisneros. Quill Tree, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-309224-2. A tween receives a second chance to commune with his late father in this heartfelt time travel tale with Back to the Future flair. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Ramadan Rain by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illus. by Aliaa Betawi. Random House Studio, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-70544-5. A child grapples with “needs and wants and wishes” during Ramadan in this quietly moving picture book. The book received a starred review from PW.
Right as Rain by Tashie Bhuiyan. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $20.99; ISBN 978-0-3743-9392-2. A Bangladeshi American teen struggles to manage her depression, especially when a literal cloud that reflects her emotions starts following her around in this affirming speculative novel.
These Shattered Spires by Cassidy Ellis Salter. Bloomsbury, $20.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-1863-7. Rival teen witches unite to circumvent their doom in this heartrending trilogy opener from Salter.
Wake Up, Grouchy Bear! by David Ezra Stein. Clarion, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-0633-8266-4. Though “everyone is out and about” in a puddle-dotted meadow that bursts with wildflowers, Bear remains decidedly asnooze in this amiable picture book.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of March, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
