FLIRTING WITH MURDER d’Amanda Sellet

This mystery and romance mashup features a quirky, contemporary setting and unforgettable characters, think The Agathas meets The Thursday Murder Club.

FLIRTING WITH MURDER
by Amanda Sellet
Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s, April 2026

Some people visit Florida for theme parks and beaches. High school junior Virginia Tillis is there for murder. Accidents, electrocution, tainted hand lotion: every victim meets a different end at her grandmother Lainey’s rococo pink condo. Such is life (and death) when you roll with a crew of theater retirees who roleplay murder mysteries from the comfort of their own home in a game they fondly call Killing Me Softly.

But this summer, fictional murder has given way to the very real death of the building’s beloved owner and his dramatic last testament has the vultures circling, from estranged relatives to sleazy property developers, dead set on getting the most from his will.

Adding to the tension for Virginia is the appearance of Felix, the cute guy she met at the airport who turns out to be the grandson of one of the condo’s residents. With his charm and musical theater chops, he’s the person Virginia most wants to beat at Killing Me Softly. That is, until the day they discover an actual dead body while playing the game, forcing them to work together to figure out whodunit.

In this comedic mystery about finding the Watson to your Holmes, Virginia and Felix must banter their way from rivals to co-detectives in time to save their eccentric grandparents from a shocking disruption to the community they’ve always loved.

AMANDA SELLET is a former journalist and the author of rom-coms for teens and adults, including By the Book, which Booklist described in a starred review as, “impossible to read without laughing out loud.” She loves old movies, baked goods, and embarrassing her teen daughter.

THE BEASTS BENEATH THE WINDS édité par Hanna Alkaf

A sweeping and magical story collection showcasing the mythical creatures of Southeast Asia, including work by two-time Newbery medalist Erin Entrada Kelly and National Book Award finalist Shing Yin Khor.

THE BEASTS BENEATH THE WINDS:
Tales of Southeast Asia’s Mythical Creatures
edited by Hanna Alkaf
Amulet Books, October 2025

A turtle the size of an island. A cricket that can possess you if swallowed. A giant who turns enemies to stone. The legends of Southeast Asia—or “the lands below the winds,” as explorers used to call it—are populated with a whole menagerie of colorful beasts that inspire awe and fear in equal measure. Yet, passed on as they are through story and song, so many of these stories remain rooted in some long-forgotten past and bound by the borders of the region, creatures of myth and memory and nothing more. Until now.

Welcome to THE BEASTS BENEATH THE WINDS, a collection of Southeast Asia’s most elusive cryptids by a team of bestselling and award-winning authors. Within these gorgeously illustrated pages, readers will find the stories of seventeen regular kids who encounter these mythical creatures in the here and now, and—fortunately or unfortunately—live to tell the tale.

Contributors include Hanna Alkaf (The Weight of Our Sky, Queen of the Tiles), Nadia Mikail (The Cats We Meet Along The Way), Brandon Hoang (Gloria Buenrostro Is Not My Girlfriend), Mandy Moe Pwint Tu (Monsoon Daughter), Moniza Hossain (Being Ace), V.T. Bidania (Astrid & Apollo and the Happy New Year), Emma Goddard, Dow Phumiruk (One Girl, Maya Lin), Erin Entrada Kelly (Hello Universe, We Dream of Space, The First State of Being), Gail D. Villanueva (My Fate According to Butterfly, Sugar and Spite), Greg van Eekhout (The Boy at the End of the World, COG), Jesse Q. Sutanto (Dial A for Aunties), June CL Tan (Jade Fire Gold), Mae Respicio (The House that Lou Built, Any Day With You), Shing Yin Khor (The Legend of Auntie Po), Van Hoang (Girl Giant & The Monkey King), Veeda Bybee (Courage on Ice, Lily and the Great Quake).

GEORGIE SUMMERS AND THE SCRIBES OF SCATTERPLOT d’Isaac Rudansky

The originally self-published #1 Amazon bestseller, soon to be re-released. In a world where fiction is forbidden and truth is a matter of life and death, one young boy must write a story to save humanity…

GEORGIE SUMMERS AND THE SCRIBES OF SCATTERPLOT
by Isaac Rudansky
Sourcebooks, publication TBD
(via Park, Fine & Brower)

When his father is abducted by a mysterious figure, twelve-year-old Georgie Summers is thrown into the adventure of a lifetime. Georgie’s journey takes him to Scatterplot, a hidden realm where Scribes record human memories to safeguard the truth. But when the evil Flint Eldritch threatens to corrupt those memories and plunge the world into chaos, Georgie must team up with an unlikely group of friends to stop him. As the journey grows increasingly dangerous, Georgie realizes that only he holds the key to defeating Eldritch and saving not just his father . . . but every mind on Earth.

Will Georgie be able to wield the power of the Aetherquill to save his father and protect everyone he loves, or will Eldritch rewrite history itself? In Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot, author Isaac Rudansky spins an exhilarating tale of strength, determination, and the power of friendship to lift you from the depths of loneliness and despair.

After earning his master’s in industrial psychology, Isaac Rudansky founded AdVenture Media, an award-winning advertising agency headquartered in New York that has written campaigns for clients like AMC Networks, Asurion, Hearst, Sports Illustrated, Nasdaq, and many others. His online courses, each #1 bestsellers in their categories, have attracted over 300,000 students worldwide. He writes for industry-leading publications and leads workshops at marketing events around the world. GEORGIE SUMMERS AND THE SCRIBES OF SCATTERPLOT is the result of years of narrative-driven ad copywriting, imagination, and a belief that middle-grade books should only do one thing: entertain.

SECRETS, SPELLS, AND CHOCOLATE de Marisa Churchill

This fast-paced, whimsical fantasy set in a kitchen-witchery world is perfect for younger YA readers.

SECRETS, SPELLS, AND CHOCOLATE
by Marisa Churchill
Page Street/St. Martin’s, November 2025

All 14-year-old Sylvie Jones wants is to attend her dream cooking school, Brindille School of Culinary Arts and Magic. After years of gossip and threats against her family, Sylvie is ready to prove that she’s got the skills to be a great chef and put an end to the rumors that her famous chef mother cheated her way to victory at the world’s greatest magical cooking competition, The Golden Whisk. But the new head of the Council of Culinary Sages, Jack Bass, has mandated that Sylvie must finish first in her class during a preparatory program or she’ll be banned from attending Brindille. To make matters worse, her mom must compete in the highly-anticipated Golden Whisk All Stars, putting herself back in the spotlight or risk losing her right to cook with magic. But some will go to great lengths to ensure her mother can’t compete.

With the unlikely help of frenemy Georgia Shaw, and rising-star-student Fleur, Sylvie must find a way to The Golden Whisk to help her mother before it’s too late. But betrayal has a taste all its own, and Sylvie will soon discover that not everyone is who they seem. Will Sylvie be able to save her family and her future or will it all end in burned butter and broken dreams?

Marisa Churchill spent a decade of her career working in some of San Francisco’s most notable restaurants, was a competitor on Top Chef season two, and competed multiple times on Food Network Challenge. She is the author of two cookbooks Sweet & Skinny and My Sweet & Skinny Life. Her recipes have appeared in almost every culinary publication, from Food & Wine to Epicurious. Her recipes have also been featured in Oprah.com, Women’s Health, and on numerous TV shows: The Talk, Access Hollywood, Hallmark’s Home & Family, and more.

THE REDWOOD BARGAIN de Markelle Grabo

In this gothic fairy tale, a maid poses as her lord’s stepdaughter to fulfill his bargain with the murderous lord of the woods.

THE REDWOOD BARGAIN
by Markelle Grabo
Page Street/St. Martin’s, March 2026

To free her cousin from an indentured contract, Katrien agrees to fulfill their lord’s bargain with the fabled “Redwood Man.” Three maids before her have posed as his stepdaughter, Lady Zaviera, and met this lord of the forest as promised. But Katrien means to be the first to fool him—and live. Impersonating a lady is no easy feat, especially one as beautiful and aloof as Zaviera. With one month before she’s sent off, Katrien is put through endless lessons, even as the Redwood Man’s suffocating vines overtake the manor and threaten its staff. Zaviera takes a special interest in her training, and their shared interests grow into shared affections. But the Redwood Man awaits his prize. Caught between duty and desire, her future and her past, Katrien must navigate a tricky bargain—or risk failing those she holds dearest.

Markelle Grabo retells the fairy tales that frustrate her, which, based on that guideline, could include nearly all of them. She earned her master’s degree in creative writing for children and young adults from Hamline University and lives in Illinois with her partner and their two cats, Matcha and Kava. She is the author of Call Forth a Fox.