Archives de catégorie : Frankfurt 2026 Children’s Fiction

THE BLOOD MAIDEN de Chapel Vane

A dystopian crossover fantasy set in a fortress city where monsters lurk beyond the walls – sated by the nine drops of blood which each citizen must donate daily – and where a brother and sister witch find themselves plunged into a deadly competition.

THE BLOOD MAIDEN
by Chapel Vane
on submission in the UK and the USA
(via Mushens Entertainment)

Nine hearts to spare.
Eight for the monsters.
One for the heir.

In the fortress city of Narvall, each citizen must let nine drops of blood a day. A small price to pay the stave off the monsters beyond the steel wall. But for Vesper and her brother Rion, donating blood is anything but simple. For they are witches, and if the monsters ingested their blood they would become dangerously powerful. And if the Lord Protector and his bloodkeepers found out who they were? They’ll be put to death. Vesper’s ability to manipulate her appearance, and blood, and Rion’s magic which allows him to take blood from a lover during a poison kiss has kept them alive. So far. But the more Rion uses his powers the sicker he becomes, and Vesper is desperate to find a way to save him.

When the monsters break through the walls their fragile existence is shattered but with it a new opportunity comes: nine citizens will be picked for a deadly competition. Eight of them will donate their hearts to appease the monsters. And one will be picked to enter a life of luxury, married off to the heir: the dangerously attractive Lord Dellion. Vesper’s plan is to take on a new identity and win: accessing the wealth and medicine which can heal Rion. But when she tricks her way into the competition she is horrified to discover that Rion has also entered. And worst of all, why does her heart suddenly skip a beat whenever the heir is near?

Chapel Vane studied at London and Oxbridge. They work as the Editorial Director for a major Science Fiction and Fantasy imprint at one of the big five publishers. Chapel currently resides in England with their partner and fur babies. THE BLOOD MAIDEN is their debut fantasy novel.

HOW THE GOODE GIRLS DIED de Alyssa Sheinmel

From New York Times-bestselling author Alyssa Sheinmel comes a haunting, layered novel about loss, mental health, and the danger of keeping secrets for fans of Girl in Pieces and We Were Liars.

HOW THE GOODE GIRLS DIED
by Alyssa Sheinmel
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, April 2027
(via Park, Fine & Brower)

Francie, Now:

Francie Buck is the new girl at Arborville Country Day, a prestigious private school ruled by a gossip app only the most popular students can access. At her old school, Francie was a loser—she lost her mother to cancer and her best friend to the popular kids—but enrolling at ACD is her chance to be someone new. When Francie’s the first to learn her classmates Arden and Abigial Goode have died, the app’s shadowy creator forces Francie into the mystery surrounding their deaths.

Abby, Then:

Abby Goode is used to being alone. Her vicious older sister, Arden, who sits at the top of their prep school’s strict hierarchy, keeps it that way. But when Abby finds an unexpected friend in lacrosse player Leo Finch, she realizes that together, they might be able to expose her sister’s cruelty to the world.

As every twist brings Francie closer to the truth about what happened, the stakes for Abby grow higher, and both girls must reconsider who they can trust in this suspenseful, deeply-felt tale about the secrets that ruin lives—and the secrets that end them.

Alyssa Sheinmel is the New York Times-bestselling author of several novels for young adults, including A Danger to Herself and Others, The Castle School for Troubled Girls, and Faceless as well as her adult debut, Such Sheltered Lives. Alyssa grew up in Northern California and New York and currently lives and writes in New York. Follow her on Instagram @AlyssaSheinmel or visit her online at AlyssaSheinmel.com.

STAGTOWN de Punko

A young woman investigates the strange events terrorizing her hometown in this heart-pounding horror graphic novel.

STAGTOWN (Volume #1)
by Punko
Ten Speed Graphic/Crown, October 2026

Something mysterious is happening all around Stagtown: Cameras are appearing everywhere on the streets, and even in the corners of apartments and homes. Cutting one down only spawns more in its place. Someone is surveilling the residents and now that Frankie is back home from college, she is going to discover who—or what—is behind this.

After the shocking death of her neighbor Jeremy, Frankie becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind these occurrences. Armed with Jeremy’s box of cryptic clues, a loyal cat companion, and the help of Jeremy’s friend Felix, Frankie embarks on a perilous journey through town. Her quest leads her to a sinister marble house, a blood-stained carousel, a dark underground cellar filled with traps, and more. Each encounter brings her closer to the horrifying truth, culminating in a desperate attempt to escape Stagtown once and for all.

With beautifully haunting illustrations and a terror-filled story, STAGTOWN is a masterpiece of psychological horror. This volume includes the complete first season of the Webtoon comic, along with a bonus mini-comic.

 

Punko is a twenty-year veteran of the comics industry. She graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design and began her career creating TOKYOPOP’s bestselling Original English Manga series, Bizenghast. Her later works include The Elephant Book, The Party Princess Handbook, Toyetica, and Cinderella Boy. She likes to loiter and tresspass in her spare time, though not in the same spots.

MOSTLY AWFUL GROWNUPS de River Clegg & Lúthien Leerghast

In the wickedly funny tradition of Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl, this fast-paced, illustrated middle grade trilogy introduces Cole and Willow—daring twins racing to find their missing parents while fleeing all kinds of unpleasant, mostly awful grownups on their trail.

MOSTLY AWFUL GROWNUPS
written by River Clegg
illustrated by Lúthien Leerghast
Stonefruit Studio, September 2027
(via Writers House)

Twin siblings Cole and Willow are smart, kind, and brave. But they are not safe.

When they return home to a door left ajar, the house ransacked, and their parents missing, the twins are suddenly pulled into a fast-moving mystery involving a shadowy organization called the Keepers.

Cole and Willow must face uncountable obstacles in their journey—a woefully incompetent newspaper, adults who cannot identify alpacas, a malicious (and hungry) piranha named Reginald, and worst of all, the chilling question: did they ever really know their parents?

No one is who they say they are. No one is to be trusted. The two will need their wits, their courage, and perhaps a few unlikely allies. After all, every good mystery needs someone clever enough to solve it. Might that someone be you?

River Clegg has written for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Opposition with Jordan Klepper. He writes humor for outlets including The New Yorker, The Onion, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. He has won a Peabody and a Writers Guild of America Award and been nominated for three Emmys. MOSTLY AWFUL GROWN-UPS is his first novel. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.