Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a middle grade novel in verse about financial precarity, a YA fantasy retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” a picture book about an Indigenous family’s move, and more.
And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps. Penguin/Paulsen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-40632-8. Eleven-year-old comics lover Joseph navigates being abandoned by his mother and living with his ailing grandmother. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly. Scholastic Press, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-3388-0944-2. In this “Beauty and the Beast” reimagining, thief Beau is sacrificed by his team to the owners of a castle, where he meets Arabella, the intriguing lady of the house. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Being Home by Traci Sorell, illus. by Michaela Goade. Kokila, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-984816-03-0. An Indigenous child narrator looks forward to adjusting “our tempo” in this portrait of a family’s move away from metropolitan surrounds and to “our ancestors’ land/ and to our people.” The picture book received a starred review from PW.
The Bicycle by Patricia McCormick and Mevan Babakar, illus. by Yas Imamura. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-0630-5699-2. Young Mevan and her family are forced away from their home in Kurdistan by the ruler of Iraq, a harrowing experience that makes Mevan want to become as small as possible.
Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams. Labyrinth Road, $20.99; ISBN 978-0-593-71192-7. Trauma triggers Malik Baron’s dormant ancestral magic, landing him a spot at Caiman University, a historically Black college for hoodoo and vodun practitioners.
This Book Won’t Burn by Samira Ahmed. Little, Brown, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-3165-4784-0. New student Noor Khan confronts a zealous school board that removes hundreds of books deemed pornographic. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Born Naughty: My Childhood in China by Jin Wang with Tony Johnston, illus. by Anisi Baigude. Random House/Schwartz, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-5935-6361-8. In 1982, eight-year-old Wang lives without electricity or running water in Nan Ba Zi, yet Wang finds joy in the everyday.
Curveball by Pablo Cartaya, illus. by Miguel Diaz Rivas. Disney Hyperion, $24.99; ISBN 978-1-368-09009-4; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-368-08926-5. An injury forces skilled baseball player Elena Rueda to consider her future.
Death’s Country by R.M. Romero. Peachtree Teen, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-68263-691-6. Andres Santos once made a life-saving bargain with Death, and when his girlfriend gets into an accident, he determines to go to the Underworld to save her.
Dalmartian: A Mars Rover’s Story by Lucy Ruth Cummins. Atheneum, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-66591-195-5. A team of interplanetary explorers accidentally leave one of their friends behind, and a human child soon becomes his caretaker.
The Dare by Natasha Preston. Delacorte, $12.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-5937-0406-6. With three weeks left in the school year, dares of increasing complexity and danger are handed out to willing—and unwilling—soon-to-be graduates. When Marley’s dare turns deadly, she and her friends contend with an impossible situation that threatens to completely overturn their lives.
Dispatches from Parts Unknown by Bryan Bliss. Greenwillow, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-296227-0. Mourning Minneapolis teen Julie engages in silent conversation with an imaginary version of her late father’s favorite pro wrestler, as she tries to heal during her final semester of high school.
Dust Spells by Andrea Lynn. CamCat, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-744308-46-4. Stella Fischer encounters drifter Lloyd who soon befriends her family. The pair discover a portal to a world full of luxuries, but there’s a price to pay for entrance into this dreamworld. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Earnest Sandpiper’s Great Ascent by Timothy Basil Ering. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-9735-8. Young sandpiper Earnest isn’t quite ready to leave the nest and gets himself stuck while following a stray balloon.
The Elephant and the Sea by Ed Vere. Doubleday, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-525-58090-4. Gabriel, an elderly elephant, has always longed to go sailing and as an adult he determines to make his dream a reality. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Growing Up Under a Red Flag: A Memoir of Surviving the Chinese Cultural Revolution by Ying Chang Compestine, illus. by Xinmei Liu. Rocky Pond, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-5935-3398-7. Born in Wuhan, China, the book’s narrator shares an account of 10 years under Mao Zedong’s oppressive rule. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Hot Boy Summer by Joe Jiménez. MTV, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-66593-205-9. Queer friends Mac, Cammy, and Mikey grapple with interpersonal drama over the course of a summer.
I’m Afraid, Said the Leaf by Danielle Daniel, illus. by Matt James. Tundra, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-77488-070-8. A child bears witness to the way that different aspects of nature affirm and support one another. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
I’m Proud of You by Craig Melvin, illus. by Sawyer Cloud. Quill Tree, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-320613-7. A speaker outlines the many ways they’re proud of their child in this greeting-card-style picture book, told from the perspective of a father.
Joyful Song: A Naming Story by Lesléa Newman, illus. by Susan Gal. Levine Querido, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-64614-370-2. In this picture book look at contemporary Jewish life, Newman and Gal focus on a synagogue baby-naming ceremony. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Let’s Go by Julie Flett. Greystone, $19.95; ISBN 978-1-77164-610-9. A mother passes down the skateboard she once used to her child, kicking off a route of perseverance as the youth learns to ride down the sidewalk, painfully tumbling and trying again.
Lion of the Sky by Ritu Hemnani. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-0632-8448-7. During the 1947 Partition, 12-year-old Hindu Raj and his family are forced to flee to Bombay, where they face myriad injustices as religious refugees. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate. Harper, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-322112-3. Ivan enjoys his life in the wildlife sanctuary with his friends and new family but recalls his life before the enclosure in the final installment of The One and Only series.
May You Love and Be Loved: Wishes for Your Life by Cleo Wade. Feiwel and Friends, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-87395-8. Wade shares gladdening wishes in this benedictive poem accompanied by pen, ink, and watercolor sketches.
The Perfect Place by Matt de la Peña, illus. by Paola Escobar. Putnam, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-32563-6. When Lucas discovers an alternate world where everything seems perfect in comparison to his own, he learns to appreciate the authenticity of his own life. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol. First Second, $22.99; ISBN 978-1-250-31485-7. Brogsol upends the “The Little Mermaid” tale in this graphic novel following Jane Brown, who must venture to the ocean floor to rescue her fiancée from a murderous mermaid. The book received a starred review from PW.
Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire by Paula Yoo. Norton, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-324-03090-4. Yoo depicts the events surrounding the acquittal of the four police officers who brutalized Black motorist Rodney King in 1992 Los Angeles. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-3088-8. Dally Peteharrington discovers a map left by her late grandfather that leads her to an enchanted library that opens portals to life-changing moments in her family’s history. The middle book received a starred review from PW.
Simone by Viet Thanh Nguyen, illus. by Minnie Phan. Minerva, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-6626-5119-9. Young Simone grapples with realities of sudden displacement after a wildfire.
Skandar and the Chaos Trials by A.F. Steadman. S&S, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-665-91279-2. In the third installment of the Skandar series, traveling across the elemental zones proves to be a challenge for Skandar and his friends.
The Spaceman by Randy Cecil. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-2616-4. Exiting its spaceship, an itinerant spaceman discovers beauty on a seemingly ordinary planet.
Summer Is Here by Renée Watson, illus. by Bea Jackson. Bloomsbury, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-547-60586-6. A dark-skinned Black protagonist embraces summer via a litany of seasonal activities in this experiential first-person ode. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Telephone of the Tree by Alison McGhee, illus. by Dan-ah Kim. Rocky Pond, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593698-45-7. When Ayla’s best friend Kiri goes missing and an old-fashioned telephone that can make calls to lost loved ones appears, Ayla fears what making a call could mean for her friendship.
Terrible Horses: A Story of Sibling Conflict and Companionship by Raymond Antrobus, illus. by Ken Wilson-Max. Candlewick, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-3548-7. A child who wears hearing aids faces conflict with their sister. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
The Things We Miss by Leah Stecher. Bloomsbury, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-1302-1. Seventh grader J.P. Green makes a flippant wish to skip the awfulness of middle school, and discovers a door that allows her to move three days into the future, but questions if missing pieces of her life is worth it. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
With Dad by Richard Jackson, illus. by Brian Floca. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-4495-3. This story from the late Jackson follows a father and son on a camping trip and the memories it offers the boy while his dad is stationed overseas.
The Wolf Effect: A Wilderness Revival Story by Rosanne Parry, illus. by Jennifer Thermes. Greenwillow, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-296958-3. Working in prose, rhyming verse, panel-style art, and sweeping spreads, Parry and Thermes tell the story of what happened when wolf packs were reintroduced into Yellowstone Park.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of May, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
