Traumatized teens navigate a labyrinth of betrayal, conspiracies, paranoia, and violence in this brutal psychological thriller by Silver (Dead Happy). Ever since a car accident that occurred a year before this book’s start, and his subsequent two-month-long coma, 17-year-old Elias experiences nightmares, struggles to feel emotion, and is constantly aware that “something” is missing. In an effort to feel guilt, he steals a stranger’s phone; this act of thievery inadvertently leads him to Traumaland, an underground club where patrons pay to experience other people’s memories of violence and suffering. Upon electing to view a recollection from the viewpoint of Jack, a trauma survivor he recently met in a support group, Eli is shocked to see himself in the vision, which depicts a harrowing physical altercation that Eli doesn’t recall. Searching for the truth about the event, Eli discovers that everything he was told about his accident was a lie, that he once knew Jack very well, and that the secrets of Traumaland extend further than he expected. Flashbacks and Traumaland memories leisurely document Eli and Jack’s blossoming relationship as well as Eli’s grappling with mental health challenges and the unseen forces shaping his life. The result is an unsettling tale that balances suffering with hope. Major characters cue as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Alexandra Devlin, WME. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 11/28/2025 | Details & Permalink

Screenwriter Ray debuts with this overwrought postapocalyptic take on Romeo and Juliet. In 2425, centuries after rising sea levels flooded the world, London is mostly underwater. Two factions—the Crowns and the Rogues—fight over the remaining 10% of dry land, seeking control of the beech trees that produce a treatment for the Yellowing, a disease that reduces lung capacity and inhibits motor function. Eighteen-year-old Jules is one of the Crown’s most renowned, ruthless warriors; Rafe, also 18, is a notorious Rogue strategist. Though their loyalties would dictate they be mortal enemies, when they meet for the first time, their instant connection prompts the teens to seek an end to the centuries-long feud. But neither the Crowns nor Rogues are willing to consider compromise for the sake of peace, and when a cure is found for the Yellowing, the groups’ clamoring for ownership of the discovery sparks a disastrous battle. In the process, Rafe and Jules’s illicit romance is revealed, spelling fatal consequences for them both. Characters are hollowly rendered, and florid narration somewhat diminishes the impact of the grisly happenings. Still, Ray deftly examines the brutality of war across an evocatively depicted vision of a future drowned metropolis. Main characters read as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Anthony Mattero, CAA. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 11/28/2025 | Details & Permalink

Twelve-year-old Roman Barnes always ducks out of the room when Grandpa Henry starts telling Roman’s older brother and cousins about the infamous Toe Beast, a story about how Roman’s grandfather lost his pinkie toe and the events that occurred thereafter. Though the rest of the children love Grandpa’s tales, squeamish Roman—who often feels like an outsider in his own family—finds the stories, and Grandpa, frightening. When Grandpa Henry unexpectedly dies, Roman is tasked with packing up the late elder’s belongings. In the attic, Roman finds a jar of murky green liquid—supposedly where the fabled toe was once kept—and a notebook containing a bizarre yet alluring story about a young girl and a pack of dogs. That’s nothing compared to what he finds locked up in Grandpa Henry’s shed, though. Roman’s curiosity about his family and his place within it propels him on an unsettlingly strange and seemingly disjointed journey that Starmer (Night Swimming) cleverly conjures into a cohesive, genuinely touching narrative. Moody gray Steven Kellogg–esque illustrations by Zollars (Snowshoe Kate and the Hospital Built for Pennies) amplify the unrepentant weirdness of the setting. The Barnes family is depicted as white. Ages 10–up. Author’s agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Illustrator’s agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 11/28/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this moving tale of animal friendship and found family by Warga (A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall), a rescue dog befriends an orphaned cheetah cub as part of a zoo’s conservation program. When her mother abruptly dies, Chase is left alone as the only cheetah in the facility. Meanwhile, pooch Finnegan—discovered lost and injured in the woods—is adopted by sympathetic humans, one of whom is the zoo’s lead cheetah trainer. After Finnegan recovers, he’s partnered with Chase as a cheetah ambassador dog. Following an initial adjustment period, the two young animals become inseparable friends, with Finnegan giving Chase much-needed confidence and companionship. In return, Chase provides steadfast comfort for Finnegan, who struggles to manage his fear of storms and abandonment. The animalian protagonists’ spare dual third-person POVs present a charming story that examines human and animal interactions by centering the growing emotional bond between Chase and Finnegan as well as their human handlers. Drawing inspiration from similar real-life programs, per an author’s note, Warga offers an accessible point of entry for curious animal lovers, culminating in a compassionate work that additionally addresses issues of anxiety and trauma. Background human characters cue as racially diverse. Ages 8–12. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 11/28/2025 | Details & Permalink

In the small mill town of Tolsbury, Mass., 13-year-old Sprout Sprowder is careful to keep her flower-producing antlers—which she calls her “plantlers”—hidden from everyone but her florist mother, wearing an ever-present pageboy cap. When Sprout inadvertently reveals her plantlers to E.B. Shaw, a boy her own age with a phenomenal memory and a knack for trivia, she worries he’ll use her secret against her. Despite Sprout’s fears, the two become fast friends as they team up to investigate reports of another girl apparently sporting plantlers. Sprout is eager to meet someone like herself, but when the director of nearby Longmore Institute, a private asylum, takes an inexplicable interest in Sprout, she discovers that there’s more to her plantlers—and to Tolsbury—than she anticipated. Sprout’s sparkling first-person POV—brimming with sassy confidence and snarky humor—relays this funny and heartwarming adventure by Tyng (Clara Poole and the Long Way Round), which straddles the line between cozy fantasy and fast-paced thriller. The protagonists cue as white. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 11/28/2025 | Details & Permalink

A tween yearning for connection begins to fade from existence in this introspective and heartfelt tale by Burch (Camp Twisted Pine). When Black 13-year-old Olivia starts seventh grade, she realizes that a lot of things changed over the summer. All her classmates are suddenly obsessed with crushes, gossip, and popularity, and all of their attention is seemingly occupied by social media. Things at home have taken a similar turn, especially now that her beloved older brother is too distracted navigating his first relationship to focus on his sibling. Olivia would rather work on her art than talk about dances and boys, but the more overlooked and out of place she feels at school and at home, the more invisible she becomes—literally. As Olivia undergoes sporadic instances of physically fading in and out of reality, she finds comfort in her school’s sympathetic new librarian and her classmate Jules, who also knows what it’s like to feel unseen and ignored. While attempting to simultaneously fit in and remain true to herself, Olivia considers that she may be asexual and aromantic, experiences that Burch deftly weaves into a timely story about complex emotions and queer identity. Ages 8–12. Agent: Trinica Sampson-Vera, New Leaf Literary. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 11/28/2025 | Details & Permalink

In Corey’s subversive fantasy debut—informed, per an endnote, by the author’s experience with genderqueerness and childhood psychosis—a tween endeavors to create a better world. No matter how hard he tries to prove that he is “very normal,” spider-obsessed seventh grader Clementine H. Hopeful always feels like an outsider. Worse, he seems to be the only person who can see the mysterious floating faces in the nearby woods. Then he meets 12-year-old Bug and Bug’s friend Anise, homeschool kids who use their mysterious magical abilities to spend their nights playing wildly imaginative games in the forest. With Bug and Anise, Clementine feels free to embrace the things about himself he hides from others—“(like that he was fidgety) (and sort of sweaty) (and wearing pink sneakers)”—and to further explore his own personal expression and growing feelings for Bug. As reality and fantasy begin to overlap, Clementine discovers that there are monsters hiding in plain sight within his small Idaho town. Throughout this dreamlike tale, Clementine considers the cost of acquiring enough power to change his world and take charge of his own destiny. Clementine, Bug, and Anise cue as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Emily Forney, BookEnds Literary. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 11/28/2025 | Details & Permalink

Bowling (Holding on for Dear Life) centers the first-person perspective of Edmund, a seizure-alert service dog who goes from the lap of luxury to the great outdoors in this lightly speculative chapter book series opener. Following his elderly British owner’s death, goldendoodle Edmund is certain that his next job will be as a royal guard dog at Buckingham Palace. Instead, he’s adopted by Willy, a ghost hunter traveling to the Grand Canyon to track down the spirits of a pair of river rafters who disappeared in the 1920s. While Willy uses a machine to hunt apparitions, however, Edmund doesn’t need such devices, as “just like any dog, I could see ghosts.” As Willy and Edmund delve into the mystery of the missing rafters, Edmund communicates with a host of spirits. Along the way, the pooch grows closer to Willy and learns to accept his new lot in life. Though the expository prose can be dense, fascinating American Southwest lore peppers this upbeat tale that features bustling b&w illustrations from Hughes (Sesame Street: Sunny Stories). An author’s note details the real-life inspiration of specific characters and situations. Ages 7–11. Author’s agent: Shannon Hassan, Marsal Lyon Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Francesca Lecchini-Lee, Bright Agency. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 11/28/2025 | Details & Permalink

Gracie Wei desperately wants to win the Grapevine Elementary Fourth-Grade Class Spelling Bee so she’ll finally have a certificate to display on her family’s Special Wall of achievements. But she’ll have to beat know-it-all Elena, who “always has an answer for everything.” As the girls wait for their turn to spell, Elena runs off the stage. When Gracie Wei gives chase and finds Elena in tears caused by fear that she’ll “mess up” her own chance to win, Gracie Wei shares her father’s wisdom: “But what if you don’t?” Despite the pride she feels in having managed to calm her rival, Gracie Wei is crushed to learn that, upon her return to the stage, the round is over, and she’s missed her opportunity to obtain the coveted certificate. Gracie Wei’s single-minded pursuit to please her family and the pressure she puts on herself will resonate with young readers, as will the affirming depictions of the lasting effects of loving support—both Gracie Wei’s on Elena and the protagonist’s family’s on herself. Softly shaded illustrations by Tran (Gwei the Hungry Ghost) portray characters with varying abilities and skin tones. Gracie Wei is described as being mixed-race. Publishing simultaneously: You’re the Boss, Gracie Wei. Ages 7–10. Author’s agent: Annie Bomke, Annie Bomke Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Chad. W. Beckerman, CAT Agency. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 11/28/2025 | Details & Permalink

Sutherland (the Jordan and Max series) delivers a fresh, family- forward interpretation of monsters and monster-hunting in this effusive chapter book. Young Lou Chandra-Pine is tired of being one-upped by his prankster older brothers and dismissed by his wildlife specialist parents, who run a bat rescue service in the attic. Upon receiving a “musty old book” he couldn’t care less about as a birthday gift, Lou wishes to become “a total beast.” In the subsequent days, he begins journaling about the weird things he’s been experiencing lately, including suddenly extremely hairy feet, clipper-busting fingernails, and an overwhelming craving for steak. Afraid he’s actually turning into a beast, Lou flees to protect his family. Things for Lou go from bad to worse when, under a full moon, he transforms into a werewolf—and finds himself in a monster hunter’s crosshairs. Fully sculpted characters and authentic-feeling dialogue conjure a nuanced vision of a contemporary family that just so happens to find themselves in the company of monsters. Humorous b&w illustrations by Patel (the Asha and Baz series) depict friendly-faced creatures that inspire feelings of kinship rather than fear. Characters are shown with various skin tones. Ages 6–8. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 11/28/2025 | Details & Permalink