Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a picture book riff on a holiday carol, a speculative middle grade novel about a school locker revealing intergenerational secrets, a graphic novel about a friendship on the brink of fracturing, and more.
The 13th Day of Christmas by Adam Rex. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-5653-6. Side-splitting silliness ensues as Rex riffs on “The Twelve Days of Christmas” in this rollicking holiday read. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Candace, the Universe, and Everything by Sherri L. Smith. Putnam, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5247-3793-1. The secrets of a middle schooler’s locker connect three generations of Black girls across time in this speculative novel by Smith.
Dear Jackie by Jessixa Bagley, illus. by Aaron Bagley. Simon & Schuster, $24.99 hardcover ;ISBN 978-1-5344-9658-3; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-5344-9657-6. Best friends Jackie and Milo struggle to acclimate in middle school as Jackie is bullied over her appearance. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
How to Survive a Horror Movie by Scarlett Dunmore. Union Square, $19.99 hardcover; ISBN 978-1-4549-6333-2; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-4549-6334-9. Transfer student Charley strikes up a weekly horror movie tradition called Slasher Saturday with new friends, but when a classmate winds up dead, the discovery becomes the first in a series of deaths the school claims are accidents. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive by Leslie Barnard Booth, illus. by Alexandra Finkelday. Chronicle, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-79722-615-6. Rhythmic prose from Barnard Booth and gothic paintings by Finkelday work hand-in-hand to create a hypnotic group portrait of crows. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Let’s Get Together by Brandy Colbert. Clarion, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-063092-48-8. In this twist on The Parent Trap, sixth graders Liberty Perry and Kenya Norwood have a disastrous first meeting, and the pair’s uncanny resemblance becomes the talk of the school. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Make New Friends by Joshua David Stein, illus. by Mariachiara Di Giorgio. Abrams, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-9494-8055-9. Tomasso, the new kid at school, feels pressure to make new friends. When he lies, things come to a head after his father requests to meet his friends at dinner. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
A Method for Magic and Misfortune by Craig Kofi Farmer. Roaring Brook, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-90028-9. A hardworking tween obtains magical abilities at an unexpected cost in this endearing fantasy novel.
The Monster in the Lake by Leo Timmers, trans. from the Dutch by Bill Nagelkerke. Gecko, $18.99; ISBN 979-8-7656-7050-7. Eric, a cautious mallard, resists joining three duck friends for a lake paddle, where underneath lurks a large bona fide monster with horns, yellow stalk eyes, and a heap of big white teeth. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate, illus. by Charles Santoso. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-90436-2. Haughty former street cat Zephyrina finds abandoned, down-on-their-luck toys and takes them to the apartment where she lives. At night, the family’s toy collection awakens, roaming free under Zephyrina’s watchful eye and the guidance of her best friend, stuffed teddy Pocket Bear. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell, illus. by Ashley Mackenzie. Knopf, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-80990-7. In the sequel to the 2023 Waterstones Book of the Year Impossible Creatures, it is up to tween Christopher to prevent a poison from spreading throughout the magical isle of Archipelago, which means embarking on a rescue mission for a prisoner.
Split the Sky by Marie Arnold. Little, Brown, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-316-58287-2. Arnold wields a fantastical premise to examine the effects of systemic racism in this speculative social justice narrative. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
A Spoonful of the Sea by Hyewon Yum. Norton, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-3240-5369-9. A child learns about the history of miyeok-guk (birthday soup) and haenyeo (free divers) in a delicately rendered tale that honors both Korean matriarchal traditions. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
There’s No Place Like Gnome’s by Scott Magoon. Viking, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-5936-9122-9. An environmentally leaning fairy tale from Magoon offers readers a hopeful vision that combined efforts to respect and restore nature might heal wounded wild places.
A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out by Nicholas Day, illus. by Yas Imamura. Random House Studio, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-64387-7. Day and Imamura chronicle the story of Mount Tambora’s 1815 volcanic eruption in this intense accounting. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of September, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
