Here we round up new and forthcoming children’s titles, including a sci-fi thriller about a teen spy escaping her kidnappers, a queer YA rom-com in which former friends get a second chance, a picture book following a sick child’s day off from school, and more.
Augusta Pine Does Not Exist by Emily Lloyd-Jones. Macmillan/Balzer + Bray, $20.99; ISBN 978-1-250-41052-8. A teen turned covert asset matches wits with her unsuspecting hostage-takers in this outstanding thriller, set in a technologically evolved near-future Portland, Ore. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Buried Feelings by Kit Rosewater. Delacorte Romance, $12.99 paper; ISBN 979-8-217-03302-7. Rosewater draws upon San Francisco’s queer history to fuel a high-stakes citywide treasure hunt that gives way to a propulsive friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
A Day Off School by Oliver Jeffers, illus. by Oliver Jeffers and Kevin Waldron. Philomel, $18.99; ISBN 979-8-217-03999-9. Time at home with “the sniffles” yields wild imaginings for the familiar-feeling child at the heart of this madcap account.
Don’t Get Eaten (Monster Hunters #1) by Scott Stuart. Scholastic Paperbacks, $7.99 paper; ISBN 979-8-225-04274-5. Via lighthearted illustrations and a sprightly setting, Stuart launches an action-packed series that puts a thoughtful spin on good versus evil.
Free Girls by Kristen McCallum. Flatiron, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-250-32026-1. Recently released from a juvenile detention center, Black 16-year-old Jasmine struggles to adjust to her family’s newly affluent lifestyle in this contemporary drama, McCallum’s debut.
Fritz: A Mushroom Story by Kelsey Garrity-Riley. Tundra, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-7352-6433-5. Garrity-Riley turns a classic introvert-extrovert dynamic into a fungal fable that’s sweet on the surface and umami underneath. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
The Great Pumpkin Pancake Party by Celeste Pewter, illus. by Kelly Wu. Holt, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-250-37599-5. Halloween becomes an opportunity for community-building in this kind-hearted story based on the author’s own grandfather’s emigration from Taiwan to the U.S. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Heartland by Jilanne Hoffmann. Little, Brown, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-316-58005-2. Across an evocative story of agricultural upheaval, Hoffmann follows a curious tween’s search for answers about her past in her guarded mother’s childhood diaries.
The Lure of Wolves and Whispers by Amanda Connolly. S&S/Barley, $21.99; ISBN 978-1-6659-8951-0. A desperate 19-year-old strikes a deadly deal to save her older sister in Connolly’s pulse-pounding romantasy debut. The YA book received a starred review from PW.
Nobody But Me by Sara Lundberg, trans. from the Swedish by B.J. Woodstein. Triangle Square, $21.95; ISBN 978-1-64421-524-1. During a watery outdoor outing, a child embarks on a captivating adventure in Lundberg’s richly illustrated evocation of early independence.
Offside by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, illus. by Mari Costa. Graphix, $25.99 hardcover; ISBN 978-1-5461-1103-0; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-339-02360-1. Gonzalez and Costa thoughtfully fold questions of gender equity in soccer into a rousing sports graphic novel. See our roundup of children’s books for the 2026 World Cup. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
Raven, Rising by Christine Hartman Derr. Heartdrum, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-343283-3. Cherokee Nation citizen Derr makes her debut in this cozy, lived-in fantasy novel about a magical tween baker healing from loss. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.
The Skeleton and the Cat by Brandon James Scott. HarperCollins, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-0634-5588-7. An odd-couple fable in the cozy-macabre vein, this droll picture book unfolds in five short chapters of deepening dialogue. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Weaver and the Web by Chris Baker, illus. by Byron Eggenschwiler. Holt/Godwin, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-250-34921-7. A spotted orbweaver spider’s nightly routine unfurls in Baker and Eggenschwiler’s pleasingly perceptive, arachnology-guided tale. The picture book received a starred review from PW.
Where Lost Girls Go by Kody Keplinger. Scholastic Press, $19.99; ISBN 978-1-338-68507-7. Keplinger delivers a propulsive thriller in which a formerly unhoused teen begins questioning the leader of the cult that gave her shelter. Check out our interview with Keplinger here.
Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield. Random House, $20.99; ISBN 979-8-2171-2208-0. Blending romantic peril with escalating stakes and a steady stream of revelations, Foxfield delivers a paranormal murder mystery steeped in tension and spectacle.
Wolf’s Belly by John August, illus. by Simón Estrada. Roaring Brook, $23.99 hardcover; ISBN 978-1-250-87522-8; $15.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-87523-5. In their visionary retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood”—complete with appearances from other fairy-tale characters—August and Estrada reimagine Red as intrepid adventurer Lu, who concocts an elaborate scheme to kill the local wolf. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.
For more children’s and YA titles on sale throughout the month of July, check out PW’s full On-Sale Calendar.
