July - December 2026 Anticipated Releases

I was thinking about writing my stats for the mid-year point. I wanted to add some potential reads for the rest of the year so that got me thinking... What's even coming out for the rest of the year? I went on a search, and these are the adult, YA, and middle grade books that sound the most interesting to me.. Not all books have been announced, so the later months have fewer books. I'm hoping to get to a good chunk of these books in the upcoming months and this list will help me remember which ones are coming out soon.

July Releases

Elmwood Ranch is Octavia Daniel’s dream. A safe place to land after years on the road. But once she signs the paperwork and receives the keys, the nightmare begins.

Shadows move on their own, strange accidents become the norm, and injured ranch hands refuse to work a second longer. Octavia doesn’t believe in ghosts, but she can’t deny something’s wrong with the land she’s sunk her entire savings into.

Rae Jones is in the business of ending nightmares. She comes from a family of successful paranormal investigators. But she’s set herself apart from the Jones sisters by making their legacy into a commercial success.

After years of enjoying said success, she’s hit a wall. Whether it’s burnout or a full-blown existential crisis, she doesn’t know. One way to try to avoid a downward spiral? Take every interesting job she can get. And that includes one from a very stand-offish, nonbelieving horse rancher who thinks she’s a scam artist and the things she hunts don’t exist.

Octavia and Rae must figure out how to work together if they have any hope of solving what’s truly going on at Elmwood. As they build trust, they begin to build something more. Something that could either help or harm their chances of making it out of this haunting alive.

A librarian swipes right on a charming high school teacher, only to realize that she’d already dated him once—and it ended in disaster.

Leti Maldonado has heard all the dating horror stories, but she never expected to be part of one after coming out of a four-year dating hiatus. When she matches with Julian Gutierrez, she doesn’t think much of how familiar his profile picture looks. But when the date goes awry, it unlocks the terrible first date memory that made her quit dating in the first place—because she’s been on this date before. And it’s just as bad the second time around.

To make matters worse, at the end of the night she discovers Julian lives in the same apartment building as her and his roommate is her younger brother. From then on, he’s inescapable. In the mailroom. In the stairwell. Outside her door with a takeout mix-up. He’s even a witness to yet another of Leti’s terrible first dates.

When Julian suggests taking over her dating accounts, he makes a surprisingly convincing case. If Leti’s proved anything, it’s that she sure doesn’t know how to pick ‘em. How much worse can Julian be at picking dates for her? It’s a terrible idea, but at this point he might be her only hope of finding real, lasting love. If they don’t fall for each other in the process, that is…

 

Perfect for fans of Erin Baldwin and Elise Bryant, this sapphic rom-com—a companion novel to Nav’s Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love—stars a girl determined to reinvent herself, in life and in love.

Hallie loves romance, but it doesn’t seem to love her back. Her six-time broken heart can attest to that.

So when Hallie has the chance to attend a prestigious academic summer camp, she sees an opportunity not just to better herself, but to reinvent herself. Into a new Hallie who will succeed where the old one failed—in school, friends, and especially love.

First, a fresh start—which means no romance, all summer. If Hallie’s fortitude is immediately tested by Julia, her gorgeous camp roommate with an uncrackable icy shell, then all the better! Reinvention is never easy!

Yet as Hallie and Julia get closer, Hallie’s heart is in more danger than ever. With the prospect of real love on the line, can Hallie trust that New Hallie won’t make the mistakes that she did? Or is Julia looking for someone else—the unfiltered, unaltered, real Hallie?

 

I Killed Zoe Spanos meets The Counselors in this YA thriller about the daughter of a killer who must prove her innocence after a night of fun turns deadly.

Dina Soto is used to laying low. Ever since her father confessed to murdering two of his students, Dina's mom has kept the family on a short leash to avoid drawing any more attention. But when cute, popular, and incredibly sweet Kai Thompson invites Dina to spend the weekend with him and his friends at his cabin, Dina thinks maybe being noticed wouldn't be so bad.

But once at the cabin, Dina realizes one night won't change her reputation as the daughter of a killer-especially not when people start turning up dead. Told in part through police evidence, the truth of what happened that night unravels alongside long-held secrets. But one thing remains true: Dina is adamant she didn't do it. Now, she just has to prove it.

Thirteen-year-old Raven Miller just moved to Bear Creek Falls with her aunt after losing both her parents in a fatal kitchen accident. Not only does Raven feel like she’s to blame, but she hasn’t been able to do the one thing that would bring her much-needed comfort: baking.

Raven has always had a way with food. After watching her mom whip up special dishes that seemed to have magical effects on those who consumed them, Raven was able to step into the curious power herself. Now, the delicious scents and ingredients that once brought her joy taunt her. Which only makes starting over—new house, new school, new town—even harder.

But after she befriends Laurel and Hazel, Raven starts to believe Bear Creek Falls might not be so bad after all. Until it becomes clear that a girl named Stella has it out for the trio. To make matters worse, Raven notices that the vice principal is targeting certain students for dress code violations while showing favoritism to others. When attempts to stand up to him and Stella fall flat, Raven wonders if the magical treats she used to make could whip up a justice so sweet it would set everything right. But in order to find out, she’ll have to face the things she’s been avoiding. Can Raven rise above the pain of her past in order to secure a better future?

Seventh-grader Sebastian Onizuka is having a terrible Friday. He overslept after making a video game, spilled orange juice on his pants so it looked like he peed on himself, and then accidentally freed a vampire-goddess from a cursed stone obelisk in the detention room.

Wait, what?

Centuries ago, twelve-year-old goddess Maggorthulax was imprisoned to stop her from devouring the universe. But now that she's free, Maggorthulax--or Maggie as she likes to be called--is going to destroy reality during the upcoming solar eclipse.

Despite being the Princess of the Abyss, Maggie would rather eat shrimp chips, blip bullies in and out of existence, and binge-watch episodes of The Adventures of Toilet Man than fulfill her evil destiny. Besides, she's never had a friend before meeting Sebastian, so she'd like to hang out a little longer before wiping out the universe. There's just one catch . . . there's nothing she can do to stop the end of the world.

In this laugh-out-loud book about friendship and bravery, Sebastian and Maggie have six days to find an ancient spell, navigate middle school, and save the world.

The girls of Spirit Service get involved in a heated competition with a rival, all-boy group in this second book in the sweet and spooky Spirit Service middle grade series that's Ghostbusters meets The Baby-Sitters Club.

Spirit Service is booming, and with "Holloween" night approaching, guiding spirits to the afterlife has never been easier. But all is not well. Raveena Gill and her besties have come across an impossible creation: another phantom phone! Worse, this phone belongs to a boys-only group of paranormal fanatics, and the boys seem bent on using its darker abilities to trap spirits for their own gains.

To keep the copycat phone out of the boys' hands, Raveena proposes a wager. The first to vanquish fifty spirits by Holloween will get to keep both phones. If Raveena fails, she'll lose Spirit Service; if she succeeds, she'll stop the twin phone from being used for evil.

As tensions between and within the clubs rise, a sinister threat stirs in the shadows. To stop it, they will have to band together to uncover the darker origins of the phones themselves...and this time, both the lands of the living and the dead are at stake.

It's Marlowe Middle School's big sleepover, and the Bubblegum Shoes detectives must race to solve a blackmail case before lights out. From the New York Times bestselling author of Kill the Boy Band comes the second installment in this whip-smart, crime-solving series.

Crime doesn’t sleep…luckily neither do they.

Normally, Maya Mendoza wouldn't be caught dead at school on a Saturday, but it happens to be the most epic night ever: Marlowe Middle’s big sleepover! The Bubblegum Shoes detective agency is taking a night off from solving cases to enjoy the Battle of the Bands, the all-you-can-eat candy, and the limited adult supervision...or so they thought.

When the girls learn classmate and rising YouTube star Hunter Holloway is being blackmailed to drop out of the singing competition, they have to help. But what was supposed to be an easy case quickly turns complicated when the Gumshoes discover an illegal pillow-fighting ring, battling Broadway divas, and counterfeit art—not to mention Hunter seems to be hiding a few secrets of his own.

Can these slumber party sleuths solve the case before the fun is over? Or will this sticky situation spell lights out for Hunter's career and the Bubblegum Shoes’ reputation?

An eerie middle grade mystery debut that follows a young girl who returns home to find the people of her little town, including her best friend, chillingly changed after the arrival of the prim and proper Gingham family.

When 12-year-old Joni Bird returns home from summer camp, it’s clear something strange is afoot in Olive Springs. May, her usually head-banging best friend, now wears her hair in a tight bun and calls playing the drums “unladylike.” The ice cream shop only serves vanilla ice cream. The women and girls of the neighborhood all sport big pearl earrings and crisp cotton dresses.

At the heart of it all? The creepy new family in the neighborhood with their soulless, carnival smiles and retro fashion sense: the Ginghams. Everyone they invite to their Thursday night book club re-emerges as dead-eyed, smiling, Gingham-approved "model citizens," all thanks to Mr. Gingham’s lifestyle guide, The Pillars of Perfection―and something even more sinister hidden behind his basement door.

Through quick thinking and cunning, Joni and her friend Tyler set out to fight not only to get their friend May back, but to save their whole town from forever falling under the Ginghams' control.

 

Some spirits never leave.

When a new family moves into the creepy old house across the street, sixth-grader Flora finds her wish for a best-best friend has come true. Her new neighbor Mac is sweet and charismatic. With Mac by her side, Flora feels like the upcoming school year will be a fresh start for her—no more anxious or klutzy Flora!

But despite their new friendship, not all is perfect. Mac fits in better with their classmates than Flora ever did. Mac’s family seems to be holding back a big secret, something about a mysterious ex-best friend named Daphne who Mac won’t ever talk about. And Mac’s little brother, Danny, gives Flora the creeps. Strange things keep happening whenever he’s around.

Is Flora’s mind playing tricks? Or could it be that Mac’s house is as haunted as it looks?

August Releases

An unexpected spark between a hockey player and the coach’s daughter might cause them to cross the line in the next Dalton University book from international bestselling author Bal Khabra.

Kian Ishida is all about parties, hockey, and living in the moment. But when he realizes he’s headed to the NHL without his degree, his late dad’s one wish for him, he’s determined to make up those last few credits. Desperate for help, he joins a study group led by none other than Scarlett Kilner. She’s as gorgeous as she is smart. Too bad he doesn’t know yet that she’s his coach’s daughter.

After making a reputation for herself, all Scarlett wants for her senior year is to prove she’s more than her mistakes and graduate without tarnishing her well-respected father’s name. But when Kian Ishida, one of her dad’s star hockey players, joins her study group, things get complicated.

As Scarlett helps Kian, their study sessions turn into something more—stolen glances, lingering touches, and a connection neither of them expected. Kian has to decide what’s more the dream he’s worked for his whole life or the girl he never saw coming.

Two enemies-to-lovers, one unforgettable summer escape…

Jia Chung is living the dream…until she gets fired from her job, yet again. With her mom breathing down her neck to move home, she needs an escape, fast. When Mimi, her beloved grandmother, invites her to spend the summer in Palm Springs, Jia jumps at the chance. Staying at Sunset Hills Senior Living Community is exactly where a free spirit like Jia can thrive—among people living their best, sun-soaked, fun-filled lives. So what if they’re all octogenarians?

Henry Shin lives by the rules. It’s what overworked corporate lawyers do. They don’t fly off to Palm Springs to help their grandfathers move into a new home. But Dennis is Henry’s only family. How else can Henry make sure he’s settled and safe? The boisterous Zumba classes, daily happy hours, and spicy book clubs were a surprise though. And at the center, leading the charge, is a bright, vivacious stunner named Jia Chung. The same face he’d had a one-night stand with a few months back. And the same woman Henry was forced to terminate at his company the morning after.

As carefree days turn into hot, steamy nights, the chemistry between Henry and Jia ignites. But when the real world beckons, should what happens at the Sunset stay at the Sunset?

Rory is academic royalty.

As the heir to the most successful tutoring company in the world, he can be nothing less than perfect if he wants to gain his parents’ approval. So it's simple. Rory studies harder than anyone else. He does not make mistakes. And he never loses.

Except to Luca Melendez. The infuriatingly good-looking hockey player who wins every academic competition without even trying.

When Rory has a very public meltdown, throwing a smoothie at Luca and shattering his own public image in the process – it feels like one more thing Luca ruined.

To salvage his reputation, Rory has his sights set on winning the most cutthroat academic camp in the country, BRAIN. There is nothing standing between Rory and the final medal.

Until, Luca Melendez shows up.

This means war and Rory has the perfect plan: Make Luca fall in love with him.

And then break Luca’s heart right before the final competition.

On an ordinary Monday morning, eighteen-year-old Mikaela Broussard receives the shock of her life. During a customer’s tarot reading at her family’s occult shop, she turns over the Death card and envisions the beautiful stranger stabbing her in the heart.

In order to determine why the girl, Joelle, wants to kill her, she’ll have to keep her close. But the more time Mikaela spends with her soon-to-be murderer, the more irresistible she finds her.

As if imminent death isn’t worrisome enough, witches are turning up with their magic stolen. And it’s clear some very dark magic is at work. Mikaela, as the next Witch Queen of her coven, is tasked with figuring out who’s behind the horrific acts—a mystery that will put her and her power to the test.

Death Card is a dark, pacy, and romantic fantasy about one witch’s journey to find the strength to fight for herself, her future, and her beloved community.

Centuries after the events of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wings of Starlight, two fairies must battle a dangerous magic—and their growing feelings for each other—in order to save their home in the Winter Woods of Pixie Hollow.

When frost fairy Periwinkle travels too close to the forbidden border where Spring meets the Winter Woods, she unknowingly discovers a thread of a lost magic. And, for the first time, she begins to dream. While Periwinkle’s dreams start sweet, they slowly morph into more disastrous visions of the Pixie Dust Tree—the life source for all of Pixie Hollow—destroyed. Soon Periwinkle is confronted by a sparrow man who knows two secrets: one, that Peri has been dreaming, and two, that the Winter Woods is in terrible danger.

The infuriatingly handsome stranger introduces himself as Weaver, claiming to be a dream-talent, the last of his kind. There's a chance he can spin Periwinkle's dreams into dream thread which could protect the Pixie Dust Tree. But to do so, they will have to embark on a quest to find a magic spindle and scissors in the legendary lost fairy workshops of dream-talents past.

Peri begins a reluctant journey with Weaver through the uncharted heart of the Winter Woods. But dreaming is dangerous, and as Peri’s dreams begin to unravel, she will start to question everything she thought she knew. For in Winter even beautiful things can hurt you… and Weaver is no exception.

 

A teenage ghost in love with life becomes bound to the house of the grieving artist who summoned her via Ouija board in this darkly funny YA paranormal.

One hot dog with banana peppers. That’s all Hot Dog wants. An invisible teenage ghost, she haunts a food cart outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Until one night, she’s accidentally summoned via Ouija board to a house party in Florida . . . where finally finally finally, people can see her.

All the party guests scatter, except for Logan: the cool artist girl who doesn’t just see Hot Dog, she actually wants to talk to her. Logan, who isn’t scared of Hot Dog’s stitched mouth or chattering dress. Logan, who’s grieving her own dead BFF—and called Hot Dog by mistake.

Hot Dog wants to prove it’s not a mistake.

She can be Logan’s new best friend. She can go to Logan’s Halloween party. She can eat snacks, have sleepovers, and hang out. She can definitely smile without scaring people. Exactly like a real, human girl.

There’s one problem: Hog Dog’s not a real, living human girl, and something in Logan’s sprawling house knows it. It scratches like rats in the walls. It opens a secret door in Logan’s attic. It wants to drag Hot Dog into the nothingness where dead things go. And unless Hot Dog can confront the dark truth of how she died, it will unmake Logan too.

Since moving to Yellowstone National Park for his mom's job, Gustavo Santos Costa has had a lot on his mind.

• For instance: bison stampedes. Did you know that bison can run three times faster than the average person?
• Also: Why do people always stand so close to boiling hot springs?!
• Finally: the bad dreams. Why have they only gotten worse since the move?

And that’s all before Gus somehow meets his classmate Kordell inside his dreams. While Gus avoids sleeping (and nightmares) at all costs, Kordell finds that dreams seem to be a welcome escape from his real life . . . until one day, they're no longer enough. With the connection between the boys, Gus may be the only person who can help Kordell. But when most things already feel too big to take on, how can Gus find the courage to be there for his friends?

In this powerful novel from the Newbery Honor-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All, two boys confront their fears—and their dreams—to save themselves and each other.

A “werewolf” looking for a fresh start finds unexpected friendship with her school’s so-called vampire in this middle-grade graphic novel about fitting in, standing out, and accepting what makes us unique.

New town. New school. Fresh start. Jamie’s determined to keep her hairy legs hidden, her emotions in check, and her monster side locked down. No drama. No disasters. Just one painfully normal middle school year.

Everything seems to be going according to plan until she’s seated next to Vera—the school “vampire”—in English class. Jamie’s popular new friends say to steer clear. But there’s something about Vera that feels ... familiar. 

The more she and Vera talk, the more Jamie wonders: could there really be other monsters like her out there? 

A heart-filled, howl-out-loud graphic novel about identity, belonging, and what it means to finally find your pack.

Aliens have invaded Earth—or so it would seem—in this contemporary middle grade graphic novel that follows 11-year-old Chris Cleevy as he navigates the emergence of his OCD and his mom’s new boyfriend. Perfect for fans of Very Bad at Math and Real Friends.

Chris Cleevy’s out-of-this-world imagination has always been fueled by his love of sci-fi. Thankfully, simple routines like tying his shoelaces and picking out his socks have kept him grounded right here on Earth. But his carefully constructed world is shattered when his mom brings home her new boyfriend, Phil.

Despite Phil’s friendly demeanor, Chris becomes convinced Phil’s a member of the mind-controlling alien race from one of his science-fiction stories. Chris believes, however, that his routines will shield his mind from Phil’s alien influence. As the world becomes harder and harder to navigate, Chris discovers the source controlling his behaviors may have a different, more earthly origin.

Diego and his friends must face the legendary Mexican boogeyman, El Cucuy, in this fast-paced, action-packed middle grade horror that’s Rick Riordan meets R. L. Stine, the sequel to Lost on Doll Island.

Stay awake. Stay alive.

After going head-to-head with a demonic doll, life for Diego now is surprisingly good. He’s settled into Mexico City, he’s joining clubs at school, and he, Jandro, and Itzel are tighter than ever. Better yet, he hasn’t dreamt of one doll since he left La Isla de las Muñecas. Though Tomas remains under Itzel’s watchful eye, “living” in her house, things finally feel normal for the three amigos.

Until kids start mysteriously falling asleep…and never waking up.

When Diego hears rumors of a boogeyman with the power to enter children’s dreams and steal their souls, he knows there’s a connection between the sleeping illness that has fallen over his school and this monster.

But beware of El Cucuy, because once you enter his domain of dreams, he’ll do everything in his power to make sure that you don’t…wake…up.

For fifth-grader Della, paleontology isn’t just a hobby—it’s her entire world. Della is proud to be a dinosaur expert, even if it means losing her only friend, Avery, who cares more about fashion than fossils. 

 

When Della gets the chance to try out a secret high-tech dinosaur hatching device, she couldn’t be more excited. But after Avery's pink, sparkly jacket gets stuck in the incubator lid, what comes out of the dino egg ends up being much more glamorous than carnivorous. . .

Even for an expert like Della, taking care of this unique prehistoric pet is going to require a little bit of help and lot of luck.

A cozy middle grade fantasy pitched as Greenwild meets Kiki’s Delivery Service, in which a wandering young girl cursed with bad luck must save an enchanted library to find her forever home.

The Alterran Empire hasn’t had an Unremarkable born in centuries . . . until Lyra Hunt. All Lyra wants is a guild to call home—preferably one with a library full of storybooks—but because of her cursed fate, nearly everyone has rejected her.

Then Lyra stumbles upon the secretive Guild of Scholars in the cozy little village of Waterfall Way. With their tight-knit community and magical Library, this might finally be the perfect place for her. To be accepted, though, she must recover the Scholars’ crystal, the source of their magic that was lost in a terrifying fire. With the help of a mischievous new furry friend, Lyra will try to brave the Library’s cursed halls.

Lyra may have an Extremely Unremarkable past, but she’ll do whatever it takes to find a guild—and a home—where she belongs.

In this fast-paced, thrilling middle grade horror, a boy must confront his grief and save his little brother from a cursed forest.

Never go into the Hungry Forest.

Ryan’s dad had a lot of rules: Never let others see you cry, never let other people hear you speaking Spanish, work extra hard, make sure you always succeed. But the most important of all: never go into the forest. Too many kids have disappeared there.

Since Dad’s death, Ryan’s been following those rules to be the kind of man his father would be proud of. But his anger has been getting stronger lately, and he finds himself fighting with his little brother, Teddy, who constantly embarrasses Ryan. When Teddy hears their father calling them from the forest, he ventures inside. Ryan follows to save his brother and finds that the place is as cursed as the legends say. And if he can’t find his brother and escape the forest before sunrise, they’ll be trapped there forever.

September Releases

Do Revenge meets Where Sleeping Girls Lie in this dark-academia-stripped-bare novel about a student who uncovers a predator operating in plain sight at her new prestigious private arts high school.

Ava Quirk thought getting into Faraday, the fine arts private school of her dreams, could be a fresh start. Instead, her grades have tanked and her scholarship hangs by a thread.

Near failing out, Ava is presented with a deal. Her student advisor, local legend Peter Barden, agrees to pass her if she befriends Love Solt, a brilliant but guarded classmate. Barden says Love is troubled and could use some guidance. In turn, Ava can soak up Love’s academic prowess. If Ava does this—and gets him a copy of the top-secret novel Love’s writing—he’ll pass Ava. It’s an odd ask, but Ava’s desperate.

At first, friendship comes easy, trust is built, and she’s right where she needs to be to deliver on Barden’s ask. But as time goes by, she realizes she’s falling for Love, and the idea of betraying her is killing Ava. Then she reads Love’s novel…

If the devastating truth Love has penned gets out, many lives will be ruined. But if the secret stays hidden, many lives will be at risk. Ava faces an impossible choice: turn her back on what she’s found, or close the book on a sinister villain who has gone unchecked for far too long.

 

Jennifer's Body meets The Weight of Blood in this horror-comedy about an evil spirit looking for a second chance at love and life.

Just because Schuyler is a bloodthirsty evil spirit doesn't mean she can't fall in love. Ever since Wren Castillo moved into the house Schuyler haunts, Schuyler has been crushing hard. But Wren has a boyfriend, Enzo, and he's the worst. Schuyler has no choice but to watch as Enzo treats Wren terribly-until she accidentally possesses him.

With Enzo's spirit nowhere to be found, Schuyler must pretend to be him until she can set things right. But Schuyler feels more at home in Enzo's body than she ever did in her own, and as she grows closer to his family and friends-including Wren-she starts to wonder if this could all be for keeps.

Maintaining a possession is harder than Schuyler expected, though, and it might just take some spilled blood to keep her new body going strong. Worse, it turns out she's not the only one interested in stealing Enzo's body. When another evil spirit threatens everyone Schuyler now holds dear, she must decide just how far she's willing to go to secure her second chance at love-and life.

 

Inspired by the local urban legend of night runners, this chilling, Kenyan-set debut blends horror and the mythical to tell a universal coming-of-age story about a girl facing impossible odds.

Perfect for fans of She Is a Haunting and White Smoke.

When Shani returns to her elite, isolated boarding school after her father’s mysterious death, she just wants to finish senior year with her scholarship intact—which means focusing on her work and staying out of trouble. Even with her best friend, Pendo, by her side, she’s never quite fit in at Taji Academy. But soon, strange things start happening at school—not only are students coming down with odd, grotesque skin maladies, someone is causing chaos on campus after curfew. Are they night runners, the supernatural entities that terrorize rural neighborhoods in the dark?

The strict administration insists it’s just students pulling pranks. Everyone knows that night runners are just an urban legend. But when one of the popular students, Adila, goes missing—and Shani wakes up one morning with mud on her feet, torn clothes, and a pounding headache—she knows it’s more than that. As she and others at Taji begin to transform, with no way to contact the outside world, she must figure out what is happening at Taji—before it’s too late.

 

Candid, comforting, and practical, this graphic novel is an endearing portrayal of the ups and downs of living with ADHD.

Kiki has always felt different from other people: She loses track of time, she daydreams when she should be paying attention, she questions all the rules and shows her emotions more strongly than her friends. But through trial and error (and error and error), she discovers her own ways to succeed and to connect with her loved ones. And eventually, she discovers a truth that makes all the difference—that she has been living with undiagnosed ADHD. Now, Kiki can get real help in managing her disorder and a new understanding of why she has been feeling more like an alien than a typical high school student.

Through disarmingly honest fictional anecdotes and enlightening interludes that explain the specifics of ADHD, Pina Varnel shares her own life experiences and hard-won knowledge.

 

Lil is anything but small. She’s rebellious, she's loyal; she's figuring out what kind of good person she wants to be, or if she wants to be a good person at all. But more than anything? Lil wants to be free.

When her instinct for freedom leads to another stay in D.C. juvenile detention, Lil knows she’s lucky to just be on probation. But judgment, guilt, and an ankle monitor weigh heavily on her, and she can’t shake that pinned-down feeling.

The only person who might understand is her big brother, Aldwin. Except he’s more distant now than just the hundred miles from his college. Something’s been off with him for several months, but only Lil seems to realize how important it is to get to him.

As her court hearing ticks closer, a question looms over Lil as the missed phone calls and strange texts from her brother pile will she stay put, or put her future freedom on the line?

 

Nothing is more intoxicating than power. . .

When Emery steps foot onto Dartmouth’s campus, she knows what she has to do: keep her scholarship, take her meds, and pray no one ever finds out about the past she left behind.

But that all changes when Emery meets an intoxicating girl named Roux, her disarming stepbrother named Eli, and the mystical band of girls Roux calls “The Sirens.” Each Siren is as beautiful as the last, and their lives on campus are shrouded in extravagance and secret parties. Before the girls became Sirens, they were outcasts, yet under Roux, their wildest dreams come true. When Roux offers Emery the chance to join them, Emery will do whatever it takes to make it in.

Even if it costs Emery her life.

Jordi Acosta wants nothing more than to be invisible. He’s a six-foot-tall twelve-year-old who wishes he could blend in with the rest of his classmates and avoid trouble.

Over spring break, Jordi’s mom, a wildlife biologist, has him volunteer at the Yaupon Creek Wildlife Refuge, much to his dismay. But Mami is keeping secrets, and when Jordi has a close encounter with a surprisingly humanlike bear, she comes clean: her unofficial job at the Wildlife Refuge is to care for Cryptids, creatures like the Chupacabra that are only supposed to exist in stories.

When a greedy corporation called Harvest Sunrise Energy arrives wanting to expand their drilling operations into Yaupon Creek, cattle start getting injured and fences damaged on their neighbors’ farms. Jordi and his friends realize that the company is manipulating the townspeople to believe the creatures are responsible for the damage they’ve wrought. It’s up to them to save their town from this insidious threat—and clear their cryptid friends’ names.

An orphan with big dreams becomes entangled in the corrupt magic system of her city in this gripping middle grade fantasy adventure from critically acclaimed author Isaac Fitzsimons—perfect for fans of Chronicles of Whetherwhy and School for Thieves.

Astra Fox longs to be a wonderworker, traveling the world and casting fantastical illusions. But as a ward of the awful Sisters of Sorrows’ Foundling Home for Friendless Children, her dreams seem impossible. Then Astra’s fate takes an incredible turn when she’s granted an apprenticeship with the Bellamys, a prominent family who made their fortune manufacturing wonderwork into everyday products.

Surrounded by wealth and glamor, Astra is captivated by her new world and feels closer to her ideal future than ever before. But when rumors of a mysterious figure who sparks rebellions reach the city, Mr. Bellamy places Astra in his gilding factory as a spy, promising sponsorship and an opportunity to explore the world as a wonderworker in exchange.

Now working in the same factory from which her sister disappeared years earlier, Astra experiences firsthand the perils and injustices suffered by the employees and discovers a larger plot that puts them all in danger. With the help of her new friends and some unexpected allies, can Astra put her dreams aside to save Empire City?

October Releases

Set in the cozy small town of Peach Blossom, a free-spirited mechanic and a fiercely independent artist make a pact to help each other rebuild, for fans of opposites attract romance and seasonal stories that celebrate autumn.

Welcome to Peach Blossom, an irresistibly charming small town where falling in love never goes quite as planned . . .

Aiden Flowers can fix anything. Cars, kitchens, houses—if something was broken, it could be rebuilt. Unless that something was his messy family. Especially his dad, who ruined Aiden’s credit. Or his sister, who Aiden hadn’t spoken to in years.

Janae Gunner is crafty, not handy. Give her a blank canvas, and she can make art. But she needed everything to be constructed before she could make it shine. That’s why she pretends her first marriage didn’t happen—pretty on the outside, with no foundation.

When an apartment fire leaves Aiden homeless and Janae living in a half-finished house, they agree to a practical fix up: Aiden will help Janae with repairs in exchange for a place to stay.

But neither of them planned on falling in love, especially not with their secrets threatening to surface. When the past catches up to them in the present, Aiden and Janae must weather the storm—or risk letting their spark burn out forever.

 

A goblin changeling caught between the human and fey worlds must find a way to save her home in this warm and heartfelt fantasy from the author of Toto and the Hell’s Library series.

Being a changeling is hard enough, but Toast was older than most changeling children when her goblin parents stole her back from her human family and returned her to the harsh, bustling world of the Goblin Market, where anything from your fondest dream to your strongest talent can be bought—or sold.

Nearly a decade later, Toast has grudgingly cobbled together a life there as the Market’s guide for mortal visitors. But when the next arrival is her long-lost sister and the ancient beast whose magic the Market depends on disappears under strange circumstances, everything starts falling apart.

Now the Market itself is dying. With the Summer Court of noble fey plotting to claim the weakened Market for themselves, Toast, her friends, and an infuriatingly charming fey knight with an agenda of her own must negotiate their differences to make the trade of a lifetime and win back the Market's future. To do so, Toast will have to decide what home--and the flawed community within--is ultimately worth.

 

It's the summer before her senior year of high school and Katherine (Kitty to her family) wants to be spending it interning for an important organization or doing something impressive--instead, she's spending an entire month with her family at a camp on the coast of southern California.

When she stumbles across a staff party on the first night, she's jealous of their joyful, uninhibited dancing. She hasn't danced like that since two years ago, when the insults forced her to quit ballet, which she once loved more than anything.

When she and a hip hop dance instructor named Jordan start to fall in love, she realizes that getting too close with a handsome and magnetic employee could tarnish her good girl reputation. As Kitty begins sneaking around and lying to her parents in order to spend time with Jordan, she'll have to ask herself--what is she willing to risk in order to finally feel free? And is it possible her love for Jordan could reignite her love for dance?

 

Welcome to Tanglewood, where prestige always has a price...

Deja Freeman has always been told she could never be a weaver. But magic runs in her blood. When she enrolls at the prestigious Tanglewood Preparatory School, she finds herself walking the same hallowed halls that claimed her mother.

Popular and driven, Tóbi Ekúndayo has her sight set on becoming Junior Class President. Even if it means confronting the institutional prejudice that seeks to exclude girls like her.

When Deja and Tóbi experience strange dreams that appear to be entwined, they uncover a string of deaths, beginning with the mysterious disappearance of Tanglewood's first Black female student. Joined by a motley crew of friends, the girls must untangle the school's dark history before the administration, or something far more sinister, catches up with them.

The only thing Jonathan Covey wants from the gloomy, moldering isle of Kelcarrow is to leave it. Summer is ending, and his friends are looking forward to college on the mainland, unaware that Jonathan was not accepted to join them. He'll be left behind with nothing but the ocean's haunts and a rising dread of being abandoned.

In an act of wild desperation, Jonathan pays a tithe to Scorpion Deep, an eldritch sea god who many of the locals have dismissed as myth. He wants to forget the past, he wants to follow his friends, and most of all he wants to finally escape.

To his shock and horror, the ritual works―Scorpion Deep awakens. And despite his terror, Jonathan can't help but feel drawn toward the ageless entity that seems just as mutually obsessed with him. As scales start growing down his spine and Scorpion Deep's adoration of him turns bloody, Jonathan realizes the only way to end the nightmare is to destroy the monster one way or another.

But once a god has awoken, the only way to be free is to pay a price of blood.

After saving her parents from the clutches of an evil sorcerer, Chloe Vega just wants a normal year at her magical academy. But when you wield legendary new powers, danger is never far behind.

Her enemies will stop at nothing to use her to reveal the Agents of Magic to the rest of the world. And with their secret society on the brink of discovery, the agency begins to question whether Chloe is their best weapon—or their greatest risk.

When Chloe’s powers spiral out of control, the cost isn’t just their chance at victory, it’s the people she loves. Can she master her powers in time or will she lose everything?

In this new middle grade novel by Schneider Award-winning author Sally J. Pla, two neurodivergent tweens, one of whom is nonverbal, forge a friendship against the backdrop of their feuding families.

Rowan Monahan has lived in the town of Friendship Prairie forever. He knows everyone, and they know him. Some folks judge him, too, for being a slow learner. But Rowan knows in his heart that he's capable of more than people think.

Gemma Caplan is new in town. Back in the city, people understood she used her assistive device (AAC) to speak. But here in tiny Friendship Prairie, she's afraid she won't fit in.

When Rowan and Gemma meet, they form an instant, magic bond. But just as the two are growing close, their mothers start a feud: they're running terribly nasty campaigns against each other for school board.

Since their moms detest each other, Gemma and Rowan feel they must keep their connection a secret.

When they’re discovered and punished, Rowan and Gemma decide it’s time to take a stand -- and show their families what a place called Friendship Prairie is supposed to be about.

A middle-grade short story anthology featuring disabled kids, written by disabled writers, and edited by #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp. Featuring beloved contributors, like Samira Ahmed and Natalie Lloyd.

Imagine the boundless experiences of disabled kids: A Deaf Southerner who solves local mysteries. A young diabetic plant mage encountering magical mishaps. A girl with epilepsy discovering a hidden world in her grandmother’s garden. A chronically fatigued gamer saving the day―and their team―during an epic VR space race.

From juvenile arthritis to asthma and from wheelchairs to neurodiversity, Boundless: 17 Stories Starring Disabled Kids writes disability back into the mainstream narrative of the commercial genres we love, with an inclusive and intersectional lens.

After nineteen days of “induction chemotherapy,” Dasia Monae Riley knows no one else should be in her hospital room . . .

But there she is: Jameson “Jimmy” Jeffs. Another cancer patient who’s seemingly everything Dasia is not: rich, well cared for, and a smidge childish (in Dasia’s opinion).

However, Dasia soon discovers that their commonalities go beyond a random, incurable disease . . . like older brothers who are gone, baby brothers who need them, and struggles with friends at school.

As Dasia and Jimmy chat, Dasia’s memories unfold in the unsent “letters” (read: poems) Dasia wrote to her incarcerated older brother. And over the course of one life-changing night, two girls who are at their lowest fight to keep each other uplifted. When you hit rock bottom, what does it take to survive and allow yourself to hope again?

In a spin-off to the Dear Martin series, New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone delivers a heart-wrenching story of resilience, connection, and the fight to stay alive when battling illness and bearing the weight of difficult circumstances.

November Releases

Fed up and burnt out, a woman leaves the city to take on the challenge of owning a sunflower farm but finds that her biggest trial is facing her first love in this charming second chance romance by USA Today bestselling author Danica Nava.

Drained by her high-pressure tech job, June Walker finds an escape in homesteading videos and the fantasy of a quieter life. When she finally hits her breaking point, she does the only reasonable thing: she quits her job and buys a crumbling sunflower farm in rural Oklahoma where she grew up.

June thought her biggest challenge in restoring Sunshine Farm would be the rotting fences, but soon comes to the crushing realization that "positive vibes" are not a business plan. Nothing, however, tests her resolve quite like running into her first love, the boy she left behind after her world imploded when she was seventeen. She's back for a fresh start, not to unpack old heartbreaks.

Noah Abbott never left Love County. Between his family, his job with the local fire brigade, and a town that knows him inside and out, he has everything he needs-except answers. So when June Walker returns as the new owner of Sunshine Farm, Noah is determined to find out why the girl who once meant everything to him vanished without a word.

As old wounds crack open and attraction flares back to life, June and Noah are forced to reckon with their past and decide whether first love is a memory best left buried, or the one thing worth replanting.

 

In this raucous, tongue-in-cheek spin on the Romanian fairytale “The Girl Who Became A Boy,” a knight attempts to thwart an invasion, save the most beautiful woman in the world, and finally get away from their sisters.

Jules is tired of running low-stakes errands with their five magically mismatched sisters, whose skills include killing plants, inducing sneezing, and making smaller windows … slightly larger. Blessed with a poorly controlled ability to make flowers bloom, Jules longs for a mission where they can actually prove themself. And when the siblings stumble upon a rival kingdom’s plot to overthrow their royal family, Jules sees an opportunity.

What follows is a whirlwind of botched disguises, accidental heroics, talking animals with surprisingly strong opinions, and one very inconvenient crush on the most sought-after princess in the land. And through all this, Jules learns that happy endings are indeed possible, even if you’re not quite Prince Charming. A cozy yet epic retelling of a Romanian fairy-tale, This Knight Topples Empires proves that the greatest victories of all are love and self-acceptance.

 

The real heat is behind the scenes.

Clara Kim doesn’t give up easily. The aspiring K-drama star loves challenging expectations—in her personal life, in her career, and on social media. But despite winning awards and garnering glowing reviews, she’s struggling to land a breakout role. So when Clara gets a shot at the lead in a buzzy romantasy project, she won’t let anyone stand in her way…especially not Shin Min-joon.

Min-joon, a superstar with an annoyingly perfect face, is Clara’s most vocal critic online. Now, he’s also her co-star, and just as broody and aloof as she expected him to be. But between the long days on set—and the even longer nights off—their smoldering animosity sparks into something else entirely. Clara and Min-joon won’t have a problem convincing audiences their chemistry is real, but can they convince themselves it’s not?

A girl from a family of bakers discovers she has a talent for solving mysteries in this delectable first book in a mischief-filled, highly illustrated middle grade whodunit series perfect for the fans of The Great British Bake Off and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library.

Cinnamon Crumb is better at burning cakes than baking them. Her family’s bakery, once the pride of the town of Marzipan, is now a scraggly slice of icing squished between two pastry powerhouses: Victoria Sponge’s Tea Emporium and Madeleine Macaron’s Mouthwatering Delights. And Cinnamon certainly isn’t the baker to change that.

But when a suspicious request lands her in the town’s legendary baking competition, Cinnamon finds herself at the center of a nefarious plot. Someone might be cheating to win this year’s Twelve-Tiered Crown—and Cinnamon’s been roped into finding out who. With her best friend Rafi, she’s soon sneaking through patisserie kitchens and unearthing more than a few secrets. Can Cinnamon crack the case, rise to the occasion, and prove that even the crumbliest underdog has what it takes to win?

December Releases

Rian Gray wasn’t born in the slums of Axis City. 

They were left there to rot.

When their estranged grandmother dies, Rian is plucked from the gutter and thrust into the upper echelons of society and the hallowed halls of Curzon Academy. The opportunity of a lifetime to some, for Rian, this will be a tactical infiltration. Their mission: dismantle the corporatocracy that destroyed their family. But to burn it all down, they need access, and their inheritance comes with strings. Rian will have to excel at both the rigorous academics and the complex social politics of the elite school.

Enter Baz Hallward, a reclusive yet brilliant scholarship student, who is instantly enthralled by the new transfer, and who agrees to tutor Rian if they’ll submit to uploading their memories through an AI cyborg as part of Baz’s final science project; a project which will guarantee him success and acceptance from the uppercrust.

As Rian navigates this treacherous yet seductive world, their thirst for vengeance is threatened by the mind-altering allure of the privilege they swore to destroy. And with Baz’s experiments chipping away at Rian’s mind, their humanity is at risk of decay.

In a city where identity is a commodity and wealth is the measure of human worth, can Rian tear down a corrupt system before the world they despise consumes them entirely?

 

In this YA rom-com two teenage contestants compete on a reality cooking show and dish out a fun enemies to lovers romance.

Lizzie Ly is determined to win when she's invited to compete on Sweet Heat—a reality cooking show where young cooks compete for a mentorship under world famous chef, Harrison Moss. Victory would mean finally fulfilling her culinary dreams and honoring her mother's memory.

But then Ethan Huang walks into the kitchen.

Lizzie never forgot when the arrogant foodstagrammer nearly destroyed her kitchen confidence with a harsh review, and now he’s her competition? Ethan, however, has plans of his own. He's ready to prove to his parents and the world that cooking isn’t just a hobby, it’s his future. And he’s not about to let Lizzie Ly stand in his way.

From collaborating on team challenges, enduring the show’s meddling producers, and one upping each other in their private late-night cookoffs, Lizzie and Ethan clash at every turn. But as the competition comes to a boiling point, they begin to realize that their rivalry might be the very thing pushing them to become their best selves…

Lizzie and Ethan are falling in love…but can they turn up the heat without getting burned?