Archives de catégorie : Children’s Books

THE WANDERING SHOP SERIES: SOCKS & SECRET QUESTS de Triona Murphy

In a land where heroic quests are assigned and undertaken in an orderly manner (with perhaps too much red tape), Peri of the Southern Plains does not play the role of a hero—she merely outfits them for their journeys. . . until she must strike out on an illicit adventure of her own. The Wandering Shop series is a charming illustrated middle-grade fantasy, perfect for fans of The Adventurers Guild and Wilderlore.

THE WANDERING SHOP SERIES: SOCKS & SECRET QUESTS
by Triona Murphy
Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, September 2026
(via Writers House)

Peri has been waiting for her magic to show up . . .

But there’s been no sign of it since she was chosen as an Apprentice Shopkeeper a year ago. Now she travels with a magical shop that equips adventurers for their quests, unsure if she’ll ever do more than stock shelves, mend mittens, and knit non-magical hats that mostly just keep heads warm.

Then a dark wizard kidnaps the Master Shopkeeper, intent on using her power to create an unstoppable army.

To save her master, Peri must leave the cozy shop and seek help from the closest adventuring team, who are really good at arguing and really bad at working together. As Peri’s magic unexpectedly begins to show itself in the items she’s knitting, it’s up to her and her team to stop the dark wizard before war breaks out—or it won’t be just her shop at stake, but the entire kingdom.

Triona Murphy designs (unfortunately non-magical) knitting patterns, which provided the inspiration for Peri’s unique magic. She lives near Portland, Oregon, with her husband and three kids in a house overflowing with board games and books.

THE INTERSTELLAR SISTERHOOD OF MOONIE AND JUNIE de Katie Kordesh

Sold in a fierce US bidding war, The Interstellar Sisterhood of Moonie and Junie is the first book in a series about two very different girls who become tried and true best friends. Vibrant, unique, and laugh-out-loud funny, Katie Kordesh’s graphic novel debut is The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza meets The Babysitters Club graphic novels.

THE INTERSTELLAR SISTERHOOD OF MOONIE AND JUNIE
by Katie Kordesh
HarperAlley, Summer 2026
(via Writers House)

Welcome to the Moon! We’re so glad you’re here. . . but I have some bad news.

The moon is boring.

Don’t believe me? Ask Moonie. She lives on the Moon all alone with not a friend in sight (unless you count her rock collection: Daisy, Raul, George, and Stinky). Flares and an S.O.S. message in the dirt haven’t brought anyone new to the moon, so a desperate Moonette launches a letter in a bottle out into the vastness of space. . .

. . . and that bottle floats perfectly to the porthole of a rocket. In that rocket is Juniper Lee Holmes, Junior Space Explorer and Field Scientist (and alien), who is on an intergalactic space expedition— otherwise known as a “family vacation”—with her parents. She has logged many findings about this strange solar system but knows nothing about the Moon.

They are perfect pen pals; Juniper is proof of other intelligent life in the universe, and Moonie can provide scientific data about the Moon for Junie’s Field Guide for Intergalactic Space Explorers. Everything is going STELLAR. That is, until letters and walkie-talkies no longer suffice. Moonie wants Junie to venture to the Moon so they can explore moon caves, make dirt angels, and go crater sledding together. But Junie has a long list of fears, including heights, open bodies of water. . . and in-person communication.

Will Moonie be able to lure Junie to visit the moon? Will Junie’s fears prevent them from meeting and curing Moonie’s loneliness? Have you ever seen an extra-terrestrial duck? A glorburger? An alien with social anxiety? Find your answers (and possibly a Moon Princess) in The Interstellar Sisterhood of Moonie and Junie!

Katie Kordesh is the artist of Sam with Ants in his Pants and the author-illustrator of Enola’s Best Friend and the forthcoming Merpig. An Indiana native, Katie is based in L.A. She was previously the social media illustrator for the N.F.L. She also has an Emmy. The Interstellar Sisterhood of Moonie and Junie is her graphic novel debut.

RAMIN ABBAS HAS MAJOR QUESTIONS d’Ahmad Saber

An intensely brave, gorgeously written story about a gay Muslim teen who has to choose between being true to himself or his faith—and his realization that maybe they aren’t as separate as he thought.

RAMIN ABBAS HAS MAJOR QUESTIONS
by Ahmad Saber
Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, March 2026
(via Writers House)

Now a senior at the top-ranked high school for Muslim teenagers, Pakistani Canadian Ramin can’t wait for the fresh start of college. He’s spent his whole life following the word of Allah, his parents, and his imam. His parents immigrated from Pakistan, sacrificing everything for him and his little brother, and expect Ramin to be halal in all things, meet a nice Muslim girl, and settle into devout family life. However, Ramin’s heart wishes for something—or someone—else: the strong, athletic captain of the soccer team. But at school, being gay is definitely haram, not allowed, so Ramin limits himself to dreams of moving away to New York City.

Then Ramin learns his graduation is in jeopardy, and the only chance he’s given to get the needed physical education credits quickly is to join the school’s soccer team…and train one-on-one with Fahad, a.k.a. Captain Handsome. It’s a nightmare of temptation and resistance, compounded by threats from a longtime bully who is blackmailing Ramin, threatening to reveal a secret that could ruin him. Ramin’s only ray of light is Omar, a sweet and caring new friend whose family believes in a different, kinder Allah. He gently prods Ramin to consider his faith more deeply, challenging Ramin’s long held belief of Allah as merciless and unforgiving by introducing him to one who is instead merciful and loving.

With graduation, a championship soccer match, and the blackmail looming, the pressure on Ramin is too much to keep buried. He must decide between the consequences of speaking his truth and living a lie. He must decide which Allah lives in the little mosque in his heart.

Ahmad Saber is a medical doctor specializing in rheumatology and internal medicine. Born and raised in Pakistan, Ahmad and his family moved to Canada while he was in high school. RAMIN ABBAS HAS MAJOR QUESTIONS is his debut novel and based in part on his own life.

GIRLS WALKING WITH WOLVES de Jenna Baner

A YA fantasy/queerplatonic love story that is Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent meets Loveless by Alice Oseman. Perfect for younger YA readers and set against a dark fairytale landscape of wolves, witches, and danger behind every tree, this debut brings deep emotional resonance and high narrative stakes to a story of a young woman discovering that love doesn’t need to mean romance.

GIRLS WALKING WITH WOLVES
by Jenna Baner
Page Street YA/St. Martin’s Press, October 2026

Arden Hood, blind since birth, is not afraid of witches. Despite the cautionary tales of evil witches in the forest, every day she walks alone deep into the woods to care for her beloved, ailing grandmother. One day Arden’s small, simple life is changed by two encounters: a chance meeting with the Queen’s Hunter, who develops an interest in her that she isn’t entirely sure she likes; and being rescued from a wolf attack by a mysterious young woman named Myra, the last witch still living in the woods. The two girls form a fast friendship, but the Hunter was sent to these woods for a reason. He won’t leave until he’s captured a witch. When the Hunter imprisons Myra, Arden will have to leave home, learn magic, and discover what “love” truly means for her to save her dearest friend.

Jenna Baner is a debut author who specializes in character-driven, emotionally wrenching Young Adult and New Adult fiction, with a particular passion for spotlighting queer, ace-spec, and disabled female characters. Her years of serving as both a judge and participant in writing contests such as the Young Adult Romance Writers of America Rosemary Contest and Voyage YA have allowed Jenna to hone her craft while collaborating with fellow authors.

CHECKING YOU OUT de Jennifer Chen

XO, Kitty meets Dash & Lily in this rom com about two teens falling in love via letters left in their favorite library books – even if in real life they think they have nothing in common.

CHECKING YOU OUT
by Jennifer Chen
Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press, June 2026

Lizzie Wei is a huge book nerd, and proud of it. And when she realizes there is a mysterious reader who has been checking out all of her favorite books from the library, she can’t help but get a crush on someone she’s never even met. Her friends make it their mission to find Lizzie’s long lost book soulmate and convinces her to leave notes for her crush. But what if the person Lizzie is looking for, isn’t at all what she expects?

Dylan Lin loves reading, secretly anyway. Ever since a bullying incident at his last school, he’s hidden his love of fantasy novels, instead leaning into his jock persona. Now he’s the tennis team captain, runs every day, and actively avoids reading. So, when he decides to start volunteering at a kitten nursery, and his super cute co-volunteer Lizzie asks if he likes reading, he says no. He never expects the look of complete and utter disappointment on Lizzie’s face.

Lizzie is certain her secret crush isn’t Dylan. It can’t be! But when he accidentally makes an obscure reference to her favorite book during their volunteer shift, she’s not so sure anymore. Can Lizzie forgive Dylan for lying? And can Dylan be brave enough to be himself?

Jennifer Chen’s CHECKING YOU OUT is a contemporary romance about being true to yourself and celebrating what you love, because you just might find the perfect person to share it with.

Jennifer Chen is a freelance journalist and the author of two young adult novels, Artifacts of an Ex and Hangry Hearts. Jennifer is a proud mentor for WriteGirl, a creative writing organization and a loving foster kitten mom. She lives in Los Angeles with her TV writer husband, twins, two pugs, and two cats named Gremlin and Taro.