Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles including a middle grade novel exploring a tween’s gender identity, a YA dystopian novel in which humans have retreated into virtual reality, a picture book about a creature in search of alone time, and more.
Chris Makes a Friend by Alex Gino. Scholastic Press, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-5461-3817-4. Twelve-year-old bookworm Chris isn’t initially thrilled about spending the summer with her grandparents in Massachusetts, but the time away offers her an opportunity to explore her relationship to gender.
Coldwire by Chloe Gong. McElderry, $21.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-6013-7. In a near-future world ravaged by deadly disease and extreme weather caused by climate change, humans rebuff reality for a virtual realm in this allegorical telling.
The Coziest Place on the Moon by Maria Popova, illus. by Sarah Jacoby. Enchanted Lion, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-59270-437-8. A creature in search of “happy-alone” solitude—“that feeling which feels like hearing your own voice singing you back to yourself”—drives a perceptive, science-anchored story.
A Cure for the Hiccups by Jennifer E. Smith, illus. by Brandon James Scott. Random House Studio, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-5937-0900-9. Headstrong Max has the hiccups, and none of the usual remedies are working, so he resorts to some new tricks.
Deadly Ever After by Brittany Johnson. Putnam, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-593-85953-7. In Johnson’s complex romantasy debut, two dead teens seek the reviving power of true love’s kiss.
Fade into You by Sam Gellar and Amber Smith. McElderry, $21.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-6610-8. In 1999, two white-cued high school seniors work to disrupt their best friends’ relationship in this simultaneously uplifting and unflinching romance, which depicts instances of disordered eating and suicidal ideation. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
The Fangirl Project by Beth Reekles. Delacorte Romance, $12.99 paper; ISBN 9798217031498. A lovesick teen will stop at nothing to win over her crush in this frothy meta rom-com.
A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman. Tor, $22.99; ISBN 978-1-25087-315-6. To protect their kingdom from a deadly six-week-long Winter, two teen magicians rail against a Chosen One prophecy in this sizzling romantasy. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Gilded in Vengeance by Lyssa Mia Smith. Storytide, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-323962-3. In this fantasy set within an alternate 1880s New York City, after facing a devastating betrayal by her best friend Grace that lands her in jail, Emmy makes a deal with fellow prisoner Jack, heir of the powerful Society, who promises she can seek her revenge once she infiltrates the Society.
Girls Who Play Dead by Joelle Wellington. Simon & Schuster, $21.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-7443-1. A Black teenager works to uncover the truth behind a peer’s death in this socially conscious murder mystery.
The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer. Feiwel and Friends, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-250-32095-7. Teen charlatans battle a sinister specter in this rollicking “Bluebeard” reimagining.
How to Find a Yeti by Matt Hunt. Nosy Crow, $18.99; ISBN 979-8-88777-212-7. A self-described young “yeti expert” and his dog Milo embark on an expedition in search of the mystical forest-dweller in this visually playful story.
How the Ghost Army Hoodwinked Hitler: The Story of American Artistry and Deception in World War II by Rebecca Siegel. Peachtree, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-68263-758-6. In this gripping historical exploration, Siegel recounts the seemingly implausible story of how American soldiers used theatrical subterfuge to outsmart Nazis during WWII. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
Kat and Brandy by Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, illus. by Petra Brown. Penguin Workshop, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-5933-8583-8. Kat loves horses, but after tumbling off a startled pony as a younger child, she fears getting back in the saddle, until she meets Brandy, a timid white rescue pony with a scar running down her face and instantly feels a connection.
Reasons We Break by Jesmeen Kaur Deo. Disney Hyperion, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-368-11374-8. Punjabi teens find love while navigating gang politics in this dazzling contemporary drama. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
The Secret Astronomers by Jessica Walker. Viking, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-59369-267-7. In this intriguing epistolary novel, Walker employs multimedia formatting to chronicle the anonymous, pen pal–adjacent friendship between two high school seniors in 2016 rural West Virginia.
Seven Deadly Thorns by Amber Hamilton. Bloomsbury, $20.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-1910-8. In debut author Hamilton’s gothic romantasy reimagining of “Snow White,” two schoolmates find themselves affianced to each other while on a mission to uncover the truth about their cursed kingdom.
The Snowball Fight by Beth Ferry, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Clarion, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-0633-2707-8. In this beat-by-beat snow-day tale from frequent collaborators Ferry and Lichtenheld, action unfolds along a single plane in a yard between two homes, rendered in digitally finished pencil and watercolor illustrations.
A Time Traveler’s History of Tomorrow by Kendall Kulper. Holiday House, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-5829-5. Eighteen-year-old physicist Genevieve is transported to 1893 Chicago with time traveler Ash who has been tasked with saving the world from purported annihilation brought about by Genevieve’s invention. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Under a Fire-Red Sky by Geraldine McCaughrean. Flatiron, $24.99 hardcover; ISBN 978-1-250-22554-2; $13.99 paper ISBN 978-1-2502-2553-5. Four English teens struggle to navigate the beginning of WWII in this moving accounting by McCaughrean.
War Is Over! by Sean Ono Lennon, Dave Mullins, and Brad Booker, illus. by Max Narciso (Viking, $19.99; ISBN 979-8-217-04009-4). In this picture book inspired by John Lennon and Yoko Ono's anthem “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” a carrier pigeon aims to help soldiers on opposite sides of a war find joy during the holidays.
We Fell Apart by E. Lockhart (Delacorte, $21.99; ISBN 978-0-593-89916-8). In this YA thriller set in the We Were Liars universe, Matilda is invited to meet her estranged father at Hidden Beach and attempts to untangle the questions surrounding her family.
Xolo by Donna Barba Higuera, illus. by Mariana Ruiz Johnson. Levine Querido, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-6461-4702-1. Newbery Medalist Higuera recasts the Aztec myth of creation, situating Xolotl, the dog-headed god of lighting, death, and misfortune, as a celebrated hero. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of November, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
