Young readers can look forward to a picture book about the pleasures of observation, a middle grade historical caper, a YA tale of time travel, and more notable titles hitting shelves this month.
Picture Books and Early Readers
Briony May Smith. Candlewick, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-4503-5. Ages 3–7. In this reassuring tale, the titular hog, an expert finder of forest floor treats, heads off in search of snacks. Along the way, he befriends other lost little ones who are afraid of being eaten by the Big Bad Wolf.
Daniel Nayeri, illus. by Vesper Stamper. Knopf, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-5938-0969-3. Ages 4–8. Combining step-by-step details with a tender look at an elder passing on generational information, this extended account follows a child learning the art of Persian rug-making. The book received a starred review from PW.
Liftoff! How the Apollo Moon Missions Made Alma Thomas’s Art Soar
Nina Crews. Millbrook, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 979-8-7656-4347-1. Ages 6–10. The artistic process of abstract painter Alma Thomas comes to light in this smart dual-strand picture book, which interleaves the stories of the Apollo 10 spaceflight and Thomas’s creation of the painting “Snoopy Sees a Sunrise.”
Tanya Rosie, illus. by Chuck Groenink. Candlewick, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5362-4506-6. Ages 3–7. After a father awakens his child to venture into their moonlit walled garden, the practiced observers prove wonderfully aware of their surroundings, including a family of hedgehogs. The book received a starred review from PW.
Salmon Run: An Epic Journey to the Ocean and Back
Annie Chen. Red Comet, $19.99 (38p) ISBN 978-1-63655-165-4. Ages 5–8. Chen charts 1,450 days of a coho salmon’s life in this eye-opening picture book. Concise narration paints a spare but incredible scientific story.
Middle Grade
Alex Gino. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (240p) ISBN 978-1-5461-3817-4. Ages 8–12. Twelve-year-old bookworm Chris and her soccer-obsessed younger sister Becca spend the summer with their grandparents in Massachusetts, where Chris has the opportunity to explore her gender identity.
Lily Berlin Dodd. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $19.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-3743-9312-0. Ages 10–14. A private school student and an orphaned errand boy embark on a gripping adventure in Dodd’s fiercely thought-provoking debut, kicking off the Aerimander Chronicles. See our q&a with the author. The book received a starred review from PW.
Mega: The Most Enormous Animals Ever
Jules Howard, illus. by Gavin Scott. Nosy Crow, $29.99 (128p) ISBN 979-8-8877-7200-4. Ages 9–12. Readers craving megadoses of natural history should glom onto this encyclopedic collection of extinct and extant animals that are the definition of living large.
Judith Eagle, illus. by Jo Rioux. Walker US, $18.99 hardcover (336p) ISBN 978-1-536242-68-3. Ages 8–12. In this 1959-set adventure novel, aspiring gymnast Caro is sent to stay with her dour great-aunt Mary, and discovers a mysterious painting, embroiling her in the machinations of a dangerous gang. The book received a starred review from PW.
Donna Barba Higuera, illus. by Mariana Ruiz Johnson. Levine Querido, $19.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-6461-4702-1. Ages 7–10. Newbery Medalist Higuera recasts the Aztec myth of creation, situating Xolotl, the dog-headed god of lighting, death, and misfortune, as a celebrated hero. See our q&a with Higuera. The book received a starred review from PW.
Young Adult
Sara Holland. Wednesday, $20 (336p) ISBN 978-1-250-85449-0. Ages 13 and up. Nineteen-year-old Annie Fairfax grapples with the terrifying reality that her worsening heartache has caused her monstrous traits to emerge, and works with disgraced captain Silas Price to break the curse. The book received a starred review from PW.
Chloe Gong. McElderry, $21.99 (496p) ISBN 978-1-6659-6013-7. Ages 14 and up. 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 by Gong.
Sam Gellar and Amber Smith. McElderry, $21.99 (448p) ISBN 978-1-6659-6610-8. Ages 14 and up. In 1999, two white-cued high school seniors work to disrupt their best friends’ relationship in this simultaneously uplifting and unflinching romance, which empathetically depicts instances of disordered eating and suicidal ideation. The book received a starred review from PW.
Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman. Tor, $22.99 (432p) ISBN 978-1-25087-315-6. Ages 13 and up. To protect their kingdom from a deadly six-week-long Winter, two teen magicians rail against a Chosen One prophecy in this sizzling romantasy. See a conversation between the co-authors. The book received a starred review from PW.
Mindy McGinnis. HarperCollins, $19.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-0633-7069-2. Ages 16 and up. McGinnis delivers a blistering portrayal of girlhood via multiple teens grappling with sexism, male manipulation, intimate partner violence, and more in this tautly written, emotionally devastating novel set in small-town Ohio. The book received a starred review from PW.
Margot Fisher. Dutton, $19.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-593-85839-4. Ages 14 and up. Following a tragic fire that kills her parents, 16-year-old Moose reluctantly leaves her hometown to move in with her half-sister Eden, joining the roller derby team Eden coaches where she finds emotional healing and a supportive community. The book received a starred review from PW.
Phenomenal Moments: Revealing the Hidden Science Around Us
Felice Frankel. MITeen, $21.99 (128p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3489-3. Ages 13–17. In an interactive children’s debut that explains myriad types of scientific phenomena, including viscosity and chlorophyll, science photographer and research scientist Frankel invites readers to view subjects she captured during her day-to-day life.
Jesmeen Kaur Deo. Disney Hyperion, $18.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-368-11374-8. Ages 14 and up. Punjabi teens find love while navigating gang politics in this dazzling contemporary drama. The book received a starred review from PW and was named a Best Book of 2025.
A Time Traveler’s History of Tomorrow
Kendall Kulper. Holiday House, $19.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5829-5. Ages 14 and up. Eighteen-year-old physicist Genevieve is transported to 1893 Chicago by time traveler Ash, who reveals that he has been tasked with saving the world from purported annihilation brought about by the cyclotron she invented. The book received a starred review from PW.
Rin Chupeco. Sourcebooks Fire, $12.99 paper (352p) ISBN 978-1-7282-5594-1. Ages 14 and up. Following the disappearance of his brother, Storymancer learns of a dead body recently found in the woods that was purportedly misidentified, and delves into the circumstances surrounding the corpse and the rash of disappearances within the woods. The book received a starred review from PW.
