Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a middle grade novel investigation into a group of daredevils, a YA reimagining of a Jane Austen classic, a middle grade novel following a boy’s transformation into a pup, more.
Crushed by Melanie Conklin. Little, Brown, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-316509-17-6. Twelve-year-old Brooklynite Sophie Valentine tries to rekindle her friendship with Eve, who left school after an incident of self-harm. When Sophie uncovers that Eve has been hanging out with a daredevil crew, she investigates how these dares have impacted her friend.
Dashed by Amanda Quain. Wednesday, $21; ISBN 978-1-250-90753-0. In this Sense and Sensibility reimagining, youngest sibling Margaret winds up in a fake-dating scheme with crew member Gabe while on a cruise with her sisters.
Felix Powell, Boy Dog by Erin Entrada Kelly. Greenwillow, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06333-716-9. Curious eight-year-old Felix is transformed into a dog and explores the world with his dog Puppins. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Gamerville by Johnnie Christmas. HarperAlley, $15.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-06-305681-7. After he qualifies for the Gamerville Video Game Tournament, tween Max finds himself attending Camp Reset, a Black-owned sleepaway program for digital detoxing and plans to break into Toy Tower—where all games, video and otherwise, have been collected and locked away. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
Grief in the Fourth Dimension by Jennifer Yu. Amulet, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-419767-27-2. Deceased high school seniors Kenny Zhou and Caroline Davison find themselves in pseudo-purgatory, where they watch what’s happening to their loved ones back in the land of the living. The YA grade book received a starred review from PW.
How to Eat a Mango by Paola Santos, illus. by Juliana Perdomo. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-5388-7. A grandchild resists helping to harvest mangoes until she learns from her grandmother the significance of the fruit. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Johnny, the Sea, and Me by Melba Escobar, trans. from Spanish by Sara Lissa Paulson, illus. by Elizabeth Builes. Enchanted Lion, $16.95; ISBN 978-1-59270-409-5. Ten-year-old bullying victim Pedro encounters Johnny Tay, a solitary beach hermit who helps him find healing. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Just What to Do by Kyle Lukoff, illus. by Hala Tahboub. Dial, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-593-46294-2. Faced with family and friends who’ve experienced loss, the young narrator of this heartfelt story tries to comfort them.
Little Ghost Makes a Friend by Maggie Edkins Willis. S&S/Wiseman, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-66592-785-7. Halloween becomes a time for making new friends in Willis’s picture book debut, about a shy ghost whose new pal helps him embrace “his spooky, sparkly self.”
Mind Over Monsters! by Betsy Uhrig. McElderry, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-5053-4. Seventh grader Lena Lennox and her classmates participate in a mindfulness meditation trial meant to help reduce student stress via an app, but when their dread starts manifesting in the physical world, the group tries to uncover the app’s origins and ascertain how their terrors are becoming real.
The Museum of Very Bad Smells: A Dare to Scratch N’ Sniff Mystery by Monica Arnaldo. HarperCollins/Tegen, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-0632-7144-9. A smelly egg is considered as valuable as one made by Fabergé in this picture book’s titular museum. So, when the “WORLD FAMOUS Rotten Egg” goes missing right on opening day, there’s no time to lose for rodent museum guard Arnaldo.
A Party for Florine: Florine Stettheimer and Me by Yevgenia Nayberg. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-5410-5. A young artist visiting a museum feels an immediate connection upon encountering a self-portrait by modernist artist Florine Stettheimer (1871–1944) in this biographical picture book.
The Ping-Pong Queen of Chinatown by Andrew Yang. Quill Tree, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-334041-1. Chinese American Felix Ma struggles to find his footing after moving from Flushing to suburban Long Island.
Prunella by Beth Ferry, illus. by Claire Keane. Simon & Schuster, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-2173-2. Young Prunella is a gifted gardener and must defend her garden full of odd plants to her neighbors. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Riot ACT by Sarah Lariviere. Knopf, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-47995-7. Gigi and peers dodge political party informers, checkpoints, and raids, as they plan to stage an illegal play in this 1991-set supernatural alternate history tale.
Scorch, Hedgehog of Doom by Cate Berry, illus. by Margherita Grasso. Page Street, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-64567-867-0. Instead of being cute like her ancestors, classroom pet Scorch plans to be fierce. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Sinclair, the Velociraptor Who Thought He Was a Chicken by Douglas Rees, illus. by Galia Bernstein. Holt, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-2507-8199-4. When Edna the chicken discovers a hatchling among her newborns that aren’t hers, she cares for Sinclair like one of her own.
Welcome to Camp Croak! by Taylor Dolan. UnionSquare, $6.99 paper; ISBN 978-1-4549-5-4705. Lexie—“the very best number one storyteller in Shreveport”—chronicles the harrowing tale of how Grams signed her up for a camp where paranormal entities are real.
The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker. Tor, $20.99; ISBN 978-1-250-86126-9. Benton-Walker crafts a trope-bending horror anthology, collecting 13 loosely linked tales by authors such as Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Chloe Gong, Mark Oshiro, and more.
Wicked Marigold by Caroline Carlson. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-3049-9. Mechanically minded 11-year-old Marigold, the princess of Imbervale, feels overshadowed by her kidnapped sister’s return and locates her captor’s lair, determined to become his apprentice.
Youth Group by Jordan Morris, illus. by Bowen McCurdy. First Second, $25.99; ISBN 978-1-250-78922-8; $17.99 paper ISBN 978-1-2507-8923-5. Three teens embrace their differences and unite to fight evil in this high-octane foray into the demon-slayer-comics meta.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of July, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
