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.