This month’s offerings are sure to add to young readers’ TBRs with picks such as a middle grade mystery about a monster’s alleged crimes, a picture book about disappearing books, a YA thriller following a riddle-solving teen’s quest to find their parent, and more.
Picture Books
Marc Martin. Candlewick Studio, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3240-0. Ages 4–8. In this contemplative work that captures the power of close observation, Martin employs luminous watercolor, pencil, and digital panels, captioning them with simple words, to limn quiet moments of drama in the natural world. The book received a starred review from PW.
Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin Pritchard, illus. by Dan Santat. Disney Hyperion, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-3681-1065-5. Ages 3–7. When Arnold discovers that he can suddenly wish his classmates’ books away, he’s maliciously jubilant—until his own vanish as well.
The Escape Artist: A True Story of Octopus Adventure
Thor Hanson, illus. by Galia Bernstein. Greenwillow, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-0626-7647-4. Ages 4–8. Octopus Inky, known IRL for his 2016 escape from a New Zealand aquarium, is shown here as an eight-armed marvel with undulating, mottled pink tentacles; a prodigiously playful intellect; and a restless heart. The book received a starred review from PW.
Beth Ferry, illus. by Charles Santoso. Roaring Brook, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-250-80421-1. Ages 3–6. A “mystery pet” provides a plucky, green-haired sorceress with an embodied experience of patience in this polished picture book. The book received a starred review from PW.
Everyday Bean (Tiny Bean’s Big Adventures #1)
Stephanie Graegin. Tundra, $18.99 (56p) ISBN 978-1-77488-620-5. Ages 3–7. Hedgehogs Bean and Grandma winningly star in an agreeable series kickoff from Graegin, featuring 10 brief tellings that present the characters and their cozy world. The book received a starred review from PW.
Maddie Frost. Clarion, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-326783-1. Ages 4–8. A spectral narrator chronicles the ups and downs of older siblinghood in this relatable tale spotlighting family dynamics. The book received a starred review from PW.
On Our Way with Mr. Jay (School Heroes #1)
Chelsea Lin Wallace, illus. by Thyra Heder. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5704-5. Ages 4–8. This jubilant picture book, featuring energetic slice-of-life artwork by Heder, stars driver Mr. Jay, who commands School Bus 3—and the 18 kids on the route adore him. The book received a starred review from PW.
Lane Smith. Abrams, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4197-7689-2. Ages 4–8. Ever the troublemaker, Smith stages a jubilant, eye-popping, and highly interactive mutiny against the tyranny of strictly scheduled fun, declaring recess an anytime, anywhere affair.
Korena Di Roma Howley, illus. by Joowon Oh. Candlewick, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3231-8. Ages 3–7. In an uplifting authorial picture book debut, Di Roma Howley introduces a spirited protagonist whose innovative idea helps forestall the closing of the school in her seaside South Korean village. The book received a starred review from PW.
Ted Kooser, illus. by Matt Myers. Candlewick, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2900-4. Ages 4–8. In lusciously stroked spreads, Myers paints two children on the rooftops of facing brick buildings, a clothesline strung between them. The book received a starred review from PW.
This Moment Is Special: A Día de Muertos Story (Day of the Dead)
John Parra. S&S/Wiseman, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-6659-4824-1. Ages 4–8. Parra celebrates the ephemeral in this comforting observance of Día de los Muertos. The book received a starred review from PW.
Zoey Abbott. Atheneum/Dlouhy, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66595-602-4. Ages 4–8. Done with “adorable” Halloween costumes, a child makes what feels like a monumental proclamation: “this year, a witch!” The book received a starred review from PW.
Middle Grade
J.E. Thomas. Levine Querido, $18.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-6461-4508-9. Ages 8–12. Having lived in nine foster homes, 12-year-old Malcolm Montgomery is determined to make himself more adoptable. He finds an unexpected helper in AI program FRANCIS, but notices that FRANCIS is becoming increasingly independent, manipulating Malcolm’s classmates to infiltrate their computers. See our q&a with Thomas.
Tiffany D. Jackson. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (272p) ISBN 978-1-338-84991-2. Ages 8–12. Twelve-year-old Kaylani is spending the summer at Martha’s Vineyard when a local teen is found dead, prompting Kaylani to begin her own inquiry. See our Cover Reveal. The book received a starred review from PW.
The Case of the Contraband Closet (Bubblegum Shoes #1)
Goldy Moldavsky. Random House, $17.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-593-81376-8. Ages 8–12. Moldavsky makes her middle grade debut in this sharp series starter about an amateur detective who reveres adult investigators from classic noir movies. The book received a starred review from PW.
Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery
Kacy Ritter. Storytide, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-06-334857-8. Ages 8–12. Thirteen-year-old Elvira Vance aims to vindicate a monster accused by a biased human mayor of theft. The book received a starred review from PW.
An Encantadora’s Guide to Monstros and Magic
Sarah J. Mendonca. Quill Tree, $19.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-33501-288-3. Ages 8–12. When tween Rosa Coelho receives a mysterious invitation to join the Tea Leaves, an infamous group of thieves, she joins the team in hopes that she’ll be able to save enough money from heists to pay off her family’s debt. The book received a starred review from PW.
Whitney Gardner. Simon & Schuster, $23.99 hardcover (256p) ISBN 978-1-6659-3813-6; ISBN 978-1-6659-3812-9. Ages 10 and up. A fast-talking ghost mentor, an endearing tween, and a possibly cursed musical instrument combine in this emphatically rock-’n’-roll graphic novel that riffs on themes of identity, legacy, and learning to own one’s sound. See our q&a with Gardner.
Meg Medina, illus. by Anna and Elena Balbusso. Candlewick, $18.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-5362-1945-6. Ages 10–14. Newbery Medalist Medina delivers a beguiling aquatic adventure in her first fantasy offering, set in a fictional Spanish-inspired landscape. See our Cover Reveal. The book received a starred review from PW.
Jazzy the Witch in Broom Doom (Jazzy the Witch #1)
Jessixa Bagley. S&S, $14.99 (232p) ISBN 978-1-6659-2232-6. Ages 8–12. Young witch Jazzy struggles with having confidence in her magical abilities, and this concern worsens when schoolteacher Madame Melcha announces the day’s lesson: flying. The book received a starred review from PW.
Junius Leak and the Spiraling Vortex of Doom
Allan Wolf. Candlewick, $18.99 (528p) ISBN 978-1-5362-1745-2. Ages 10–14. Wolf blends swashbuckling mystery with ecological disaster in an epic novel about one family’s 100-year-old connection with Lake Peigneur, in the Louisiana wetlands. The book received a starred review from PW.
The Metamorphosis of Bunny Baxter
Barbara Carroll Roberts. Holiday House/Ferguson, $18.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-823458-56-1. “Bunny” Baxter begins seventh grade at a new middle school and gets off to a rocky start but concocts a plan to get herself expelled, mistakenly believing that she’ll be transferred to her best friend’s school. Ages 10–14. The book received a starred review from PW.
Mirror Town (The Bizarre Bazaar #1)
Daniel Nayeri, illus. by Liz Enright. Little, Brown Ink, $24.99 hardcover (144p) ISBN 978-0-7595-5642-3; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-0-7595-5643-0. Ages 8–12. In this double graphic novel debut, a fantastical series opener, Newbery Honor author Nayeri spins tales of passing strange originating from a magical marketplace boasting enchanted wares.
Chris Raschka. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5855-4. Ages 10 and up. Optimistic 12-year-old Peachaloo Piccolozampa, who has “uneven legs,” and her feisty grandmother face off against scheming newcomer Major Gasbag, whose plot to construct an opulent resort contradicts the wishes of the enigmatic organization that previously owned the property.
Sam Hepburn. Dial, $24.99 hardcover (288p) ISBN 978-0-593-69941-6; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-69942-3. Ages 9–12. Eleven-year-old James Gordon is surrounded by robot assistants, and when his school is selected for a program aiming to replace human teachers with robots, James realizes that something sinister is afoot. The book received a starred review from PW.
Young Adult
Marieke Nijkamp. Sourcebooks Fire, $18.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-7282-9120-8. Ages 14 and up. Artistic high schooler Payton and her girlfriend Eden had plans to escape their small town, but the night before their getaway Eden dies in a sudden fire. Unconvinced that this was an accident, Payton launches her own investigation, causing a rift among her classmates. The book received a starred review from PW.
Jay Martel. Wednesday, $24 hardcover (384p) ISBN 978-1-2503-5556-0; $13 paper ISBN 978-1-2503-5554-6. Ages 13 and up. Mia’s mother is dead, and her father is missing. When she is abducted and interrogated about something her father allegedly stole, Mia knows that the only way to uncover the truth about her father is to follow a series of clues he left behind. The book received a starred review from PW.
Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy #1)
I.V. Marie. Delacorte, $21.99 (512p) ISBN 978-0-593-89880-2. Ages 14 and up. Marie’s sprawling dark academia fantasy finds six students attending a school in purgatory and competing in high-stakes trials for a shot at a better afterlife.
Amy Goldsmith. Delacorte, $19.99 hardcover (432p) ISBN 978-0-593-81431-4. Ages 14 and up. Lara Williams is reunited with estranged bestie (and unrequited crush) Rhys while working on a luxury train—and the train, laden with mysterious cargo and equally eerie passengers, totes its own sinister secrets. The book received a starred review from PW.
Lakita Wilson. Viking, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-593-52564-7. Ages 12 and up. Former friends navigate class dynamics and economic divides to help each other accomplish their goals in this knockout novel by Wilson. The book received a starred review from PW.
Lyndall Clipstone. Holt, $19.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-250-34890-6. Ages 14 and up. Teenage Lark agrees to marry Therion, a god of salt and darkness, but when the wedding ceremony is interrupted and Therion disappears, Lark questions the intentions of everyone around her. The book received a starred review from PW.
Kelly Murashige. Soho, $19.99 (272p) ISBN 978-1-641-29703-5. Ages 14 and up. Grieving 18-year-old Monika and new friend Shuri discover the Yomigaeri Tunnel and its ability to resurrect the dead. But once inside, Monika plummets into old memories, setting into motion a series of events in which both girls encounter past recollections and new confrontations. The book received a starred review from PW.
