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In the Spotlight
 Children's Institute 2025: Championing Ideas Over Ideology The ABA's Children’s Institute began on June 12 in Portland, Ore., with an uplifting keynote by PBS resident librarian and TikTok star Mychal Threets (r.). Sharing his personal experience with depression and anxiety, Threets reminded booksellers to make room for all kinds of readers. more   CI 2025: ‘More Important Now Than Ever’ Themes of reading as resistance and bookselling as a force for good echoed throughout the conference, which closed with a paean to picture books by the 2025–2026 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Mac Barnett. “We have to believe children are worthy of art,” he said. more TV Alert
 'We Were Liars'Calling all sleuths: viewers are invited to spot the lies in Universal Television and Amazon Studio’s adaptation of E. Lockhart’s bestselling YA novel We Were Liars, which premieres its eight-episode series on Prime Video on June 18. We spoke with Lockhart about expanding her twisty series on the page and screen. more   On the Scene
 Morgan Library Brings Readers Inside Jane Austen's 'Lively Mind' at 250 This December marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, and the bookshelves are filled with new adaptations and retellings for readers of all ages. The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City is commemorating the occasion with a landmark exhibition of the novelist's personal and professional objects, aptly titled “A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250.” Click through for highlights from a guided tour. more Reading Roundup
 New and Noteworthy Children’s and YA Books: June 2025Readers can find plenty of new releases to enjoy, rain or shine, including a picture book following siblings through a storm, a middle grade novel about a girl discovering a family secret, a YA tale about sisterly love and loyalty, and more. more
Out Next Week
 Hot Off the Press: Week of June 23 Among the books hitting shelves next week are a picture book inspired by a musical legend’s lyrics, a graphic novel about teens connected by a supernatural link, a YA romance following a summer of lies between two vacationers, and more. more
Rights Report
 Alex Wolfe and Elizabeth Lee at Penguin Workshop have bought The Hardest Ones to Fool by Christina Li (The Manor of Dreams), a YA paperback original thriller about a teenage scammer pretending to date three boys. When her best friend turns up dead, she becomes convinced one of them is involved. Publication is scheduled for summer 2026; Jess Regel at Helm Literary sold world rights.  Kristin Allard at Norton Young Readers has acquired We Became Wild, a YA debut by H.D. Carver, in which two teens, reeling from the loss of the friend who held them together, flee their dangerous home lives to chase their friend's dream of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, on a journey that could change everything they thought they knew about themselves. Publication is slated for summer 2026; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret negotiated the deal for world rights.  Eileen Rothschild at Wednesday Books has bought Talons and Nightshade by debut author Jessi Ann York, a dark, queer YA fantasy of obsession, passion, and consumption in a world fighting to break free of its "eat-or-be-eaten" ethos, featuring the first human girl to study among the winged harpyia people of Chroma; when a de-feathered corpse appears in her research studio, they question if they made a grave mistake. Publication is set for winter 2027; Elizabeth Copps at Copps Literary Services sold world English rights.  Alyson Heller at Aladdin has acquired the upper middle grade novel Crash into Crush by Julia DeVillers, in an exclusive submission. In this rivals to crushes rom-com, two teens are driven to distraction as sparks fly in their driver's ed class. Publication is planned for spring 2027; Melissa Edwards at Stonesong sold world rights.  Michael Green at Marble Press has bought Glow by Nancy Stone, a magical realism novel for middle-grade readers. Cordelia and Frano are as different as storm clouds and sunshine, but it's up to them to save the last of the legendary glow storks from the massive hurricane bearing down on their Florida home. Publication is scheduled for April 2026; Ammi-Joan Paquette while at Erin Murphy Literary Agency brokered the deal for world English rights.  Whitney Leopard at Random House Graphic has acquired, in an exclusive submission, Rebecca Mock's middle grade solo debut graphic novel, Dare You to Dance, about Gracie, a young ballerina who enrolls in a prestigious summer dance workshop and struggles with being away from home. Determined to push herself, she makes a rival of one of the best dancers in class—now only if she can get that dancer, and the instructors, to see how serious she is about ballet. Publication is set for summer 2026; Chelsea Eberly at Greenhouse Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.  Julia McCarthy at Atheneum has bought No Ordinary Women: How Progressive Era Reformers Reshaped America by P. O'Connell Pearson, middle grade nonfiction about the progressive movement in the U.S. between 1890 and 1920, and the many inspiring women who drove the changes the movement inspired. Publication is slated for spring 2026; Susan Hawk at Upstart Crow Literary handled the deal for world rights.  Siobhan Ciminera at Simon Spotlight has acquired world rights to Cyndi Marko's Ghost Pouncers, an illustrated young chapter book that addresses the age-old problem facing cats when their food source is threatened by ghosts—who you gonna call? Publication is planned for summer 2027; Elizabeth Bennett at Transatlantic Agency negotiated the deal.  Jill Santopolo at Philomel has bought Lucy Ruth Cummins's Read with Me series, five silly and helpful books that use decodable text and the Science of Reading theory to teach kids to read, with one part of the story meant to be read by an adult and the other by a child. Publication is scheduled for summer 2027; Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management did the deal for world rights.  Rotem Moscovich at Knopf has acquired, at auction, Euphemia and the Nowhere Spring, a picture book by debut author-illustrator Kelsey Ó Ciardha, about an eager, stir-crazy lamb who decides to throw a birthday party for Spring to bait it out of hiding, but realizes there's someone she must say goodbye to first. Publication is slated for spring 2028; Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.  Caitlyn Dlouhy at Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books has bought world English rights to Bunny Bunny by Doreen Cronin (l.), illustrated by Brian Cronin, a mischievous romp about four bunnies who leave their cozy home in town to explore the forest. When they meet a curious bear, the group realizes they'll have to stick together if they want to win this high-stakes game of hide-and-seek. Publication is set for spring 2027; Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties represented both the author and the illustrator.  Ainslie Campbell-Schwartz at Candlewick has acquired world rights to Some Kids Are Dolphins by David Elliott (l.), illustrated by Kate Fedos, a celebration of all the kinds of creatures children can be and the marvelous creatures they already are, in the vein of Elliott's And Here's to You. Liz Bicknell will edit; publication is planned for spring 2027. Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.  Sara Sargent at Random House has bought world English rights to Scritch! Scratch!, a picture book by Teri Sloat (l.) (Zip! Zoom! On a Broom), illustrated by debut U.S. illustrator Zuzana Čupová, about a trio of siblings who hear a spooky old witch lurking in their pumpkin patch. Publication is scheduled for fall 2026; Abigail Samoun at Red Fox Literary represented both the author and the illustrator.  Anna Luketic at Sourcebooks eXplore has acquired world rights to The Flying Fire Fighters by Heather Alexander (l.), illustrated by John Joseph, in which a brave crew of planes and trucks works together to put out fires and save the day. Publication is slated for summer 2027; Elizabeth Bennett at Transatlantic Agency represented the author. and Nicole Tugeau at Tugeau 2 represented the illustrator.  Sydnee Monday at Kokila has bought Look to the Sky: The Genius of Maurice White by debut author Glenn Hightower (l.), illustrated by Lance Evans, a picture book biography of Maurice White, the musician and creator of the band Earth, Wind, and Fire. Publication is set for fall 2027; the author represented himself, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.  Catherine Laudone at S&S/Beach Lane Books has acquired world rights to Living Stars, a narrative nonfiction picture book about a family that works together to turn their backyard into a firefly sanctuary, by Britt Crow-Miller (l.), illustrated by Josée Masse. Publication is planned for spring 2027; Sally M. Kim at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Claire Morance at Painted Words represented the illustrator.  Dena Neusner at Apples & Honey Press has bought world rights to Under the Rubble by Emmy Award-winning journalist Elisa Boxer (l.) (Hidden Hope), illustrated by Oksana Drachkovska, a picture book about how the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto buried canisters full of letters and artifacts about their daily experiences, which were found after the Holocaust. The book is set for spring 2026; Steven Chudney at the Chudney Agency represented the author, and Amy Milligan at the Illo Agency represented the illustrator.  Deidra Purvis at Free Spirit has acquired Santiago and Great Bear: A Friendship Written in the Stars by debut author-illustrator Lisa Johnston Hancock. In the picture book, Santiago, a boy who feels lonely after moving to the countryside, wishes on Ursa Major for a friend—and the Great Bear falls from the sky. Cassie Labriola-Sitzman and Cathy Hernandez will edit; publication is slated for summer 2026. Ana Crespo at East West Literary Agency sold world rights. IN THE MEDIA
FEATURED REVIEWS
  Cat NapBrian Lies. Greenwillow, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-0626-7128-8 When a gray kitten snoozing atop a sofa suddenly spots a mouse, the latter escapes by leaping into an “Egyptian Antiquities” exhibition poster from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The chase subsequently meanders through centuries’ worth of Met-housed artworks—from an Egyptian tomb panel to an abstracted Georgia O’Keeffe landscape. more  Little RebelsYuyi Morales. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8234-4754-1 Emphasizing that “there is more than one/ way of doing anything,” Caldecott Honoree Morales describes tenets of living in the world with love, curiosity, intuition, and tenderness in this values-based picture book. Multimedia illustrations both playful and serious depict a lush natural world, showcasing animals and plants alongside the children throughout an engaging, emotionally-secure-feeling telling that offers a powerful message. more  The Incredibly Human Henson BlayzeDerrick Barnes. Viking, $17.99 (272p) ISBN 978-1-984836-75-5 Despite being in middle school, Black 13-year-old Henson Blayze is tapped to play on his hometown’s high school football team, prompting residents of his mostly white, sports-obsessed community to begin treating him like a celebrity. But when his friend, Black fifth grader Menkha, is brutalized by state troopers, and Henson vacates the football field mid-game in response, the townspeople’s idolization sours. Henson finds himself in the middle of a citywide scandal that exposes the town's history of tokenism and systemic racism. more  A World Without SummerNicholas Day, illus. by Yas Imamura. Random House Studio, $19.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-593-64387-7 Day and Imamura chronicle the story of Mount Tambora’s 1815 volcanic eruption in this intense accounting. Across four parts, engaging, sardonic-feeling text traces the disaster’s initial shockwave through the Indonesian islands and the global consequences of the eruption, which caused weather anomalies that contributed to disease, drought, famine, and civil unrest. Graceful b&w drawings add personality to at-times graphic depictions of catastrophe. more  FirebloomsAlexandra Villasante. Penguin/Paulsen, $19.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-5255-1405-3 Leaving Papá and Abuela in San Marcos, 17-year-old Sebas boards a Greyhound bus to New Gault, a city run by TECH, a privately owned technological corporation that also funds the local high school. Student ambassador Lu informs Sebas that the only way to succeed academically is to opt into TECH’s network, which grants societal privileges in exchange for constant surveillance and monitoring but Sebas’s refusal rattles Lu and simultaneously sets the stage for the novel’s central, slow-burning romance. more  Split the SkyMarie Arnold. Little, Brown, $19.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-316-58287-2 Fifteen-year-old Lala Russell possesses a generational gift for premonition, passed down through the Black women in her family. When she has a vision of a Black Alliance student being killed, Lala resolves to prevent it, but her grandmother warns that if she interferes, she could potentially derail “the next nationwide Civil Rights Movement.” Now Lala must decide if sacrificing one person for the betterment of others is worth the progress it would bring. more |
June 17, 2025
  
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To Our Readers Because of the Juneteenth holiday, we won't have an issue of Children's Bookshelf on Thursday. We'll be back in your inboxes next Tuesday, June 24. People Candlewick Press, Holiday House, and Peachtree have two new hires. Maggie Salko is joining as marketing manager, consumer; most recently she was marketing and publicity manager at Little Bee Books. Lailah Jackson has joined as marketing assistant, school and library. In Case You Missed It Former Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden Speaks Out on CBSmore | ||||
