This time out, we’re expanding our coverage of the season’s notable fiction debuts to include books for children and young adults. No matter the age group they’re written for, these stories shine with the originality and audacity of their authors’ visions. They also represent a growing trend in fiction of protagonists working to rewrite the narratives that confine them. In these novels, a sex worker assassin, a New York cab driver accused of murder, a Latina teen poet, and others attempt to wrest control over the stories of their lives.
Literary Fiction
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Emmeline Atwood
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Woody Brown
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Portia Elan
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Yosha Gunasekera
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Kirsten King
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Lisa Lee
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Anna Kovatcheva
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Bsrat Mezghebe
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Rebecca Novak
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Bobuq Sayed
Children’s Fiction
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Ama Ofosua Lieb
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Petra Lord
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Cassie Miller
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Anna Monders
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: René Peña-Govea
Matt Seidel is a writer and translator living in Massachusetts.
Joanne O’Sullivan is a journalist, author, and editor in Asheville, N.C.
