This time out, we’re expanding our coverage of the season’s notable fiction debuts to include books for children and young adults. From pitch-black comedy to epic fantasy, 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 of the stories of their lives.
Literary Fiction
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Emeline 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: Anna Kovatcheva
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Lisa Lee
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Bsrat Mezghebe
Spring 2026 Writers to Watch: Rebecca Novack
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.
