Mercier’s lush romantasy debut follows an ambitious baker who becomes embroiled in magical and political intrigue when she’s tapped to participate in a culinary competition. Teenage Elara Rousseau dreams of escaping a life of financial insecurity to open her own bakery, but her reputation throughout Anespérer as the daughter of a murdered revolutionary overshadows her talents. Using an assumed identity, her ex-boyfriend sneaks her into prestigious cooking tournament Objet d’Art, the winner of which becomes Souverain of the Societe des Arts Culinaires, an influential leader within Anespérer. Her unexpected competitive success puts her on the radar of Nikolas Dupont, an affluent peer desperate to please his own powerful father. Nikolas offers crucial support that helps Elara navigate each grueling stage of the competition and inch closer to obtaining power and status beyond her wildest dreams. But as revolution once again simmers in the streets of Anespérer, Elara finds herself confronted with choices that will determine the city’s fate. Tangible descriptions of mouthwatering dishes combine with empathetic portrayals of social and economic disparity, as experienced by a memorably drawn cast, described as having varying skin tones. It’s a tantalizing recipe of complex plotting, Parisian atmosphere, political intrigue, arts-based magic, and revolution. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michaela Whatnall, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (June)

Reviewed on 04/03/2026 | Details & Permalink

Siegert (Somebody Told Me) delivers an emotionally charged novel in which a transgender teen’s attempt to change his name uncovers the truth of his abduction as an infant. For Jaden Colby’s 17th birthday, his father surprises him by taking him to get his name and gender marker legally changed to mark his transition. But when his dad is arrested for apparently forging Jaden’s birth certificate, Jaden learns that his dad and late mother are not his real parents. Jaden’s birth family—wealthy Russian Jewish couple Aaron and Alena Harper, who have been looking for their kidnapped child since he was four days old—travel from the Hamptons to his New Jersey neighborhood to claim custody. With help from his former best friend, brilliant Terri Williams, who is Black and autistic, Jaden attempts to parse his past, wary of the Harpers’ motives even as red herrings mount. Siegert excels at capturing volatile emotions: Jaden’s grief, suspicion, and fierce loyalty to the flawed father who raised him feel especially authentic. Though conversations surrounding social themes including racism and class divides land somewhat didactically, and breathless pacing alongside an abrupt resolution culminates in an uneven reading experience, the novel’s core dilemma—identity forged by love versus biology—lands solidly. Readers will find this a gripping exploration of self-definition. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sera Rivers, Speilburg Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 04/03/2026 | Details & Permalink

The daughters of classic literary characters and historical figures embark on high-octane fantasy adventures in Morgenstein’s spirited debut. In 1909, Rose Moriarty, the teenage daughter of Sherlock Holmes’s infamous rival, is best known as a mystery-solving, monster-slaying ingenue. Feeling adrift after a mission gone south, she wanders the grounds of her former headmistress Hina’s unconventional London academy, a school that prioritizes world-saving exploits over decorum. Separated from her formidable companions—including brilliant inventor Nikki Tesla and physically enhanced Seffy Moreau—Rose must navigate both external dangers and internal doubts. The arrival of enigmatic Count Christoph of the Carpathian Mountains and his aide Clara draws Rose into a perilous search for a powerful magical orb, which is upended by the emergence of eerie, magically altered insect-like beings and the devastating revelation of Nikki’s declining health. The novel’s emphasis on women in scientific and intellectual pursuits contending with interpersonal challenges is rendered with refreshing candor. Its strength lies in the nuanced characterizations of the white-cued cast; Seffy’s combination of enhanced strength and social unease adds emotional texture to the group dynamic. Blending homage with reinvention, this unique and emotionally grounded series launch will leave readers eager for further installments. Ages 12–up. Agent: Gemma Cooper, Gemma Cooper Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 04/03/2026 | Details & Permalink

Debut author Naranjo blends swashbuckling adventure with wry humor in a romantic fantasy that juggles charm and peril. All her life, residents of Risa Porto’s small village in the kingdom of Kheadon have inexplicably used Risa as a scapegoat for unfortunate events, believing she’s been cursed since birth. When the witch Brunhilda appears on Risa’s 17th birthday with a quest, Risa is certain that the ensuing journey will end badly. She’s tasked with escorting charismatic Prince Javier, the seventh son of the king, to the distant land of Madros in time for his upcoming wedding to the country’s princess. Javi’s easy confidence and rakish wit clash with Risa’s fatalistic outlook, and their dynamic—marked by sharp, sarcastic banter—provides a lively counterpoint to the dangers they encounter along their route. From frightening forests to treacherous towns, the pair face witches, assassins, and a growing sense that their mission is more complicated than it first appeared. They are soon joined by a mysterious girl known only as Wolf, whose own apparent curse adds another layer of intrigue. As Risa projects her fears onto every misfortune, convinced she is the source of the Latinx-cued characters’ troubles, her assumptions gradually morph over the course of a pensive narrative that invites both protagonist and reader to question the nature of fate and self-perception. The result is an empowering tale of friendship, first love, and self-acceptance. Ages 12–up. Agent: Chelsea Hensley, Mad Woman Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 04/03/2026 | Details & Permalink

Attaallah’s insular, character-focused English-language debut follows a teenager’s fluctuating thoughts and emotions as he confronts daily struggles surrounding life in 2011 Gaza. Seventeen-year-old Asad—the third child of eight and the eldest son—deeply resents his circumstances: his family resides in two rooms under a tin roof in a refugee camp, he’s never used a computer or cell phone, and he envies the better living conditions of his classmates and relatives living outside the camp. Since his father has been imprisoned for undisclosed crimes for the past six years, Asad works part-time at a printing press to help support his family. He also turns to wise 80-year-old Um Fazzi, whom Asad calls the “First Lady of the camp,” for book loans, frank conversation, and down-to-earth advice (including about his crush, beautiful, intelligent Houriya). Asad’s acerbic tone and circular narration often overshadow significant plot beats. As Asad matures, though, his world expands, bringing notes of hope and optimism to the narrative. Emphasizing interior storytelling over broader context regarding the setting and period, this novel offers a brief glimpse into one teen’s experience living in a part of the world that’s often underrepresented in young people’s literature. Ages 12–up. (June)

Reviewed on 04/03/2026 | Details & Permalink

Frost (Cats on Cats on Cats) stuffs this smartly paced tale of unlikely partnership with charming visuals and gentle comedy. Budding entrepreneur Moose is a stuffie artisan whose handmade creations boast a simple design, “just the right amount of squish,” and a serious cute factor. When he cuts a window into his sewing shed and hangs out his shingle, business booms—but an overwhelming amount of custom orders result in overwork, sloppy craftsmanship, and complaints (“This acorn is stuffed with actual acorns,” a squirrel laments). Reluctantly, Moose takes on a partner: pale-skinned human child Mabel, a stuffie enthusiast whose freewheeling work habits and bedazzle-everything aesthetic are a far cry from Moose’s tidy, minimalist style. But as the duo build inventory and reopen the stand, Moose finds that the different approaches not only complement each other but also rack up sales. Droll, thinly outlined digital cartooning captures the clash of personalities, the plethora of plushies, and the array of animal customers. Stitched together neatly, it’s a buoyant story of how collaboration, like a beloved stuffie, works best when it has a little give. Ages 4–8. Agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House. (June)

Reviewed on 04/03/2026 | Details & Permalink

The mortifying becomes miraculous in the entertaining solo debut from Espinosa (Dream for the Land), who details the agony of finding a parent a bit cringe. From pancake-making to pigtail artistry, the eponymous father seems to be everything the child narrator could want. There’s just one thing: Papa’s genial, egg-shaped face bears an “embarrassing” red mustache, while “every other man in the whole wide world” has a black one. It’s an assertion that mixed-media artwork, with the visual joie de vivre of mid-century poster art, bears out in a sly running gag. The child’s unease only intensifies when the pale-skinned duo heads to a much-anticipated soccer match: Papa’s whiskers, to the child, practically glow on the packed train. But when the narrator gets lost in the game’s crowd, there’s only one face unmistakable enough to find. As eye-catching and cheerfully idiosyncratic as Papa’s mustache, this telling bristles with comedy while turning affection with an asterisk into full-stop appreciation. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. A Spanish-language edition publishes simultaneously. Ages 4–8. Agent: Elizabeth Rudnick, Gillian MacKenzie Agency. (June)

Reviewed on 04/03/2026 | Details & Permalink

A large, swan-like bird tends to her multicolored brood in this sumptuously dreamy picture book from Weber (Year Round), which traces a full day of avian rest and play. After “the bird out at sea// comes home to her tree// and waits in the moonlight// for morning,” minimal incantatory text coos with simple rhymes that describe the creature’s activities with her five young. The birds ride ocean waves alongside flying fish; join figures avian, canine, and human—depicted with light brown skin—on a boat; retreat to their cushy-looking treetop nest for a nap; and again head out to play. Rendered in dusty shades of blue, cream, green, and pink, mural-like spreads feature curvilinear forms that seem to morph and shift from scene to scene—the birds nestle into waves, clouds, and a tree, everything melting into everything else. The plot hews to a circuitous logic of its own while incorporating the cadences of birdsong (“a-hoo-loo! a-hoo-loo!”) and nonsense verse (“The birds in a row// away they all go”). Less a book to read than one to slowly inhale, it feels like a lullaby made visible. Ages 4–8. Agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House. (July)

Reviewed on 04/03/2026 | Details & Permalink

Sullivan—who has been to outer space and the ocean floor—teams up with Rosen for this conversational scientific travelogue that recounts her journey to the deepest place on Earth, Challenger Deep. The book opens with personal history delivered in a friendly tone, then invites readers to accompany the speaker on an expedition to take pressure measurements. Along the way, text engages with prompts for reflection (“Which would you choose: astronaut or... aquanaut?”). Given a textbook-like layout with ample photos and occasional doodle-like charcoal drawings by Rosen, the dense account is frequently quantitative: “The pressure is crushing (almost 400 times more than at the surface) but we are safe in our sphere.” While a graph paper backdrop lends the vibe of a field notebook, interrogative subheadings and sidebars offer a mixture of science instruction and oceanography history (“Why is a sphere the right shape for a submersible?”). It’s a companionable guide to the ocean’s depths as well as to opportunities, “fueled by imagination,” that expanded Sullivan’s world. Background figures portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 7–9. (June)

Reviewed on 04/03/2026 | Details & Permalink

Boston Weatherford and Ibatoulline offer 14 different angles on jellyfish in this reverent, notebook-like assemblage of facts and appreciations. The creative team’s “ways of looking” range from literally peering at jellyfish in a creek to contemplating them through the eyes of a biologist who “saw his late wife’s reflection in a jellyfish.” Spreads also cite the subjects’ “unusual common names” (e.g., “fried egg”), scientific classification, and more. While one section touches on the jellyfish life cycle, others address the creatures’ more dangerous qualities (“Jellies kill more humans than sharks do”). Utilizing a range of materials, illustrations present varied techniques and styles, from a fantastical spread emulating Japanese woodblock prints to a pop art–like comic to scientific sketches. The result is a wonder-inspiring tribute to these aquatic animals and their “otherworldly light.” A bibliography and further resources conclude. Ages 6–8. (May)

Reviewed on 04/03/2026 | Details & Permalink