STYX AND STONES de Gary D. Schmidt & Ron Koertge

Percy Jackson meets The Labors of Hercules Beal in this hilarious, page-turning fantasy adventure with a heart of gold from two award-winning authors.

STYX AND STONES
by Gary D. Schmidt & Ron Koertge
Clarion/HarperCollins, May 2026

Simon expected more from life than being orphaned in ancient Greece and stuck in the Underworld for eternity. Determined not to forget who he is, he commits himself to escaping Hades. Along the way, he faces the monster Cerberus, befriends the tormented Sisyphus, and becomes Persephone’s favorite servant. Then, after centuries of failed attempts, he is finally thrust into modern times—and into the stall of a middle school bathroom. Naked.

With the help of Zeke, a nerdy rich kid on the social fringes, Simon learns to navigate this amazing and bewildering world. And with Simon’s help, Zeke begins to question his comfortable life and understand the true meaning of friendship. Everything seems to be going great . . . until the god of the Underworld sends a demon girl to bring Simon back. And suddenly, it’s not just the secret of Simon’s past that’s threatened, but their very lives—and everyone’s around them, too. Is their friendship strong enough to withstand the Will of Hades and save St. Nikolaos Academy Middle School?

From two-time Newbery honoree Gary D. Schmidt and two-time PEN Award winner Ron Koertge, Styx and Stones is an unforgettable coming-of-age adventure about friendship, courage, and identity, brimming with Greek mythology and high-stakes action.

Gary D. Schmidt is the bestselling author of The Labors of Hercules Beal; Just Like That;National Book Award finalist Okay for Now; Pay Attention, Carter Jones; Orbiting Jupiter; the Newbery Honor and Printz Honor Book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy; and the Newbery Honor Book The Wednesday Wars. He is also co-author, with Ron Koertge, of A Day at the Beach. He lives in rural Michigan.

Ron Koertge is the author of many acclaimed novels for young people, including Stoner & Spaz and Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, and most recently is co-author, with Gary D. Schmidt, of A Day at the Beach. A two-time winner of the PEN Award, Ron lives in South Pasadena, California, where he is currently the city’s poet laureate. 

THE LAST LOVE STORY de Katharyn Blair

A tropey, soapy, twist-filled teen romance standalone set in a dystopian world perfect for fans of The Hunger Games films.

THE LAST LOVE STORY
by Katharyn Blair
Avon/HarperCollins Children’s Books, August 2026

ROMANCE IN A DYSTOPIAN WORLD: This accessible read with soapy twists, cliffhangers, and love triangles is just in time for the current dystopian renaissance. Fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent films will love the crackling tension and romance tropes galore!

LONELINESS, AI, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND CENSORSHIP: This book explores questions that matter to teens: the role of AI; friendships and romance during an increasingly isolating digital age; extreme weather; and book banning. It also poses questions about politics and gently critiques extremism, with a message for empathy and finding a middle ground.

LIGHT, SOAPY, AND COMPULSIVELY READABLE: Under 300 pages, with short chapters and accessible writing by Katharyn Blair, television writer for Marvel’s “Loki” and “Daredevil,” this book is a perfect entry point for teen readers. The commercial package will also communicate the romance-forward content.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING: Ripley models social awareness through perspective-taking; relationship skills through teamwork; and responsible decision-making by evaluating ethical responsibility.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: “The Last Love Story is a twisty standalone romance set in a dystopian world, perfect for Divergent and Hunger Games fans who are mostly in it for the swooning. Written by Marvel TV’s Katharyn Blair and edited by Sara Schonfeld, this one will have a commercial package and short cliffhanger chapters, and pubs right on time for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping movie next year.”

Katharyn Blairis the author of The Hushed (A Haunt for Jackals), Unchosen, and The Beckoning Shadow and screenwriter of « Loki » Season 2 and « Daredevil: Born Again. » She’s been a social media coordinator for several films at 20th Century Fox, an intern at her city’s Parks and Recreation Department, a gymnastics coach, and a writing professor at Azusa Pacific University.

CALYPSO’S ODYSSEY d’Anna Ellison

The Summer I Turned Pretty meets Circe in this windswept, emotional retelling of The Odyssey. A stunning story of first love, ancient echoes, and the power of rewriting your own fate.

CALYPSO’S ODYSSEY
by Anna Ellison
Avon/HarperCollins, May 2026

A star-crossed, slow-burn summer romance. A contemporary reimagining with mythological roots. A girl who learns that sometimes, the most epic love story is the one you write for yourself.

Some loves are meant to stay…some are meant to set you free.

Callie Quinn has never left Catalina Island. Her world is a crumbling cliffside inn, a father who’s more prison guard than parent, and a curse she believes she’s doomed to repeat: every summer brings a boy, a spark—and then a goodbye. Until one summer everything changes.

A storm. A shipwreck. A boy washed ashore.

Odie is secretive, wounded, and desperate to disappear. Callie offers him shelter, a place to heal, and slowly, something more. But Odie is no ordinary castaway. He carries secrets that could destroy them both. On Catalina, Callie shows him another way to live. A life of freedom and belonging. An everlasting life where he could be anyone—even himself.

But when Odie’s world crashes back into their paradise, both Odysseus and Calypso must make impossible choices: one between legacy and love. The other, between holding on and setting herself free.

Inspired by the tale of Odysseus and Calypso from Homer’s The Odyssey, this fresh retelling gives star-crossed lovers a chance to defy fate. Full of longing, first love, and impossible choices, it’s a story where, at last, they find their happily ever after.

Anna Ellison is the pen name of a lifelong storyteller. A hopeless romantic at heart, Anna has always been captivated by the magic of first love, late-night conversations, and the bittersweet excitement of growing up. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found with her nose in a book, wandering through a local coffee shop, or working on her next story idea. This is her debut novel under the name Anna Ellison.

THE PATH OF ASCENSION de C. Mantis & Karla Diaz

The Wheel Of Time meets Demon Slayer in this bestselling LitRPG Epic Fantasy Action Adventure series– in print and as a Light Novel for the very first time from Aethon & Vault.

THE PATH OF ASCENSION
by C. Mantis & Karla Diaz
Aethon & Vault, May 2025
(via JABberwocky)

Orphaned by monsters, Matt must power-up to save others from the same fate.

Matt plans to delve the rifts responsible for the monsters that destroyed his city and murdered his parents. But his dreams are crushed when his Tier 1 Talent is rated as detrimental and no guild or group will take him.

Working at a nearby inn, he meets a mysterious and powerful couple who give him a chance to join the Path of Ascension, an empire-wide race to ascend the Tiers and become living legends.

With their recommendation and a stolen Skill, Matt begins his journey to the peak of power. Maybe then, he can get vengeance he seeks…

Experience the start of an action-packed fantasy adventure that blends the best of LitRPG and Progression Fantasy with Xianxia (Chinese for “immortal heroes” and is Chinese fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology). With more than 5 million views on Royal Road, this hit web serial is new-and-improved – and now in Light Novel format from Vault!

About the series: This is a mix between LitRPG and Xianxia. It’s like a car that looks like a LitRPG with dungeons and skills, but the interior and engine are all Xianxia. It features a magic system and progression system that are logically and internally consistent, as well as realistic fight scenes and a rational MC.

MARK OF THE FOOL de J.M. Clarke

The Irregular At Magic High School meets Dungeons & Dragons in this light novel adaptation about an aspiring hero at a magical university who tries to find a way to grow beyond his designation as « the Fool. »

MARK OF THE FOOL Vol. 1
by J.M. Clarke
illustrated by Natsujirushi
Aethon & Vault, May 2025
(via JABberwocky)

The gods chose him. He said no.

After his parents died, Alex Roth had one desire: become a wizard. Through hard work, he was accepted into the University of Generasi, the world’s greatest academy of wizardry.

Fate had other plans.

On his eighteenth birthday, Alex is Marked by prophecy as one of his kingdom’s five Heroes, chosen to fight the Ravener, his land’s great enemy. But his brand is ‘The Fool’.

Worst of the marks.

Rather than die or serve other Heroes like past Fools, he takes a stand, rejects divine decree…and leaves. With his little sister, his childhood friend, and her cerberus, Alex flees for the university, hoping to research the mystery of the Ravener. He’ll make lifelong friends, learn magic from mad wizards, practice alchemy, fight mana vampires, and try to pay tuition.

There’s one small problem. The Mark insists on preventing the Fool from learning and casting spells, while enhancing skills outside of divinity, combat, and spellcraft…

…that is, unless he learns to exploit the hell out of it.

Explore a coming-of-age magic academy fantasy with a weak-to-strong progression into power, a setting inspired by D&D, detailed world building, and magical science, action, comedy, slice-of-life, and GameLit elements.

With nearly 10 million views on Royal Road, the popular web-serial MARK OF THE FOOL has sold more than 100K eBooks, while the bestselling (100K+) audio book is narrated by author Travis Baldree.

J.M. Clarke is the author of the bestselling, mega-hit, seven- volume LitRPG epic progression fantasy series Mark Of The Fool from Aethon Books, and the hit audiobook of Mark Of The Fool Book 1 from Aethon Audio, as well as the super-hit Rune Seeker series co-written with C.J. Thompson.