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Spring Comics Preview PW's editors select the season’s most promising comics for young adults, middle graders, and early readers. Young Adult ComicsLove is in the air as romance dominates spring’s teen comics, alongside stories of characters pursuing such passions as music and skateboarding. more   Middle Grade ComicsKwame Alexander, Faith Erin Hicks, Maia Kobabe, and more headline a stacked season for tween readers. more  Early Reader and Elementary Comics This season’s offerings for emerging readers include titles by notable creators such as Dan Santat, Jarett Sitter, Lewis Trondheim, and more. more In the News
 PEN America, Publishers, Authors Join Together to Support Twin Cities StudentsPEN America is doubling down on its support for young people in the Twin Cities by co-hosting with Just Us Books and Penguin Random House a virtual event on March 10 that will feature live readings by a group of children’s authors from the 2018 anthology We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices. The collection was published by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson of Just Us Books. more   First Person
 Author Naja Lund Aparico on Portraying Her Native Greenland as It Really IsNaja Lund Aparico is a Greenlandic Inuk author with a background in international relations. Here, she breaks down the enduring myths surrounding Greenland—which has been much in the news—and discusses how she aims to offer more authentic representation through her new picture book, Seasons by the Lake, illustrated by Alex Nees. more Milestones
 HarperCollins Celebrates a Century of Children’s PublishingThe myriad characters who have headlined titles published by HarperCollins Children’s Books since its 1926 inception reads like a who’s-who of fictional luminaries. As the division marks its centennial, PW asked Rich Thomas, SVP and executive director of publishing, what distinguishes the company among the ranks of children’s publishers, and what lies ahead. more On the Scene
 Winter Institute 2026 in PhotosChildren’s booksellers, authors, and publishers were out in full force among the approximately 1,400 Winter Institute attendees—many of whom braved extreme weather—who gathered in Pittsburgh last week. Click through to see our roundup of highilghts from the conference, including author signings, panel discussions, and a keynote by actor and literacy advocate LeVar Burton. more Four Questions
 Ernesto CisnerosA blast from the past gives a boy the opportunity to get to know his father and grandfather in a new light in Ernesto Cisneros’s third middle grade novel, Queso, Just in Time. Twelve-year-old Queso is still grieving the death of his father when a wish to see him again is granted via a time-travel adventure to 1985, where he befriends his father as a tween. Longtime teacher and author Cisneros shared how watching his own parents age inspired this story and how he offers advice for navigating loss throughout the novel. Q: Why was time traveling the vehicle you wanted to utilize for a story about grief? A: First of all, I was a big fan of Back to the Future. I’ve always been a daydreamer since I was a little kid, and I just can’t help but think, “what if?” I think if I had any wish, I’d want to go back in time just to see my family and where we came from and our history. more Out Next Week
 Hot Off the Press: Week of March 9 Among the books hitting shelves next week are a picture book following a child navigating Ramadan, a middle grade novel about tweens who are determined to sabotage their parents’ relationship, a speculative YA novel about a teen living with depression, and more. more In Brief
 In Brief: March 5, 2026Recently, an SNL star filmed a read-aloud of his picture book, middle grade authors came together for an event, a graphic novel character came to life for a launch, and guests welcomed a graphic novelist. more
Rights Report
 Carolina Mancheno Ortiz at HarperCollins/Avon A has acquired world rights to Matcha & Matches by Cara Tanamachi. The YA novel follows a girl's summer in Japan at her estranged father's matcha café battling his golden‑boy protégé to prove she's his rightful heir—until her sabotage backfires and she starts falling for her rival instead. Publication is scheduled for winter 2027; Deidre Knight at the Knight Agency brokered the deal.  Holly West at Feiwel and Friends has bought Tea Leaves and Fate Strings, a cozy YA fantasy by C.B. Lee (Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe). When a magical accident reveals strings of fate, a wandering mercenary demon finds herself learning the art of peace as she and her soulmate struggle to revive a floating teahouse. Publication is set for spring/summer 2027; Thao Le at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency sold world rights.  Sarah Barley at S&S/Sarah Barley Books has acquired Karen Foxlee's middle grade fantasy Dragon Skin, in which 10-year-old Pip finds solace from her troubled home life in caring for a baby dragon she finds by the creek. As the dragon grows, Pip finds her friendships—and her courage—growing, too. Publication is planned for summer 2027; Catherine Drayton at InkWell Management negotiated the deal for North American rights.  Brian Geffen at Henry Holt has bought world rights to the graphic novel adaptation of Dan Gemeinhart’s (l.) middle grade novel The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, adapted by Gemeinhart and illustrated by Joanna Cacao, which tells a story of family, friendship, and the meaning of home. Publication is scheduled for spring/summer 2029; Pam Pho while at D4EO Literary Agency represented the author, and Laurel Symonds at KT Literary represented the illustrator.  Amy Fitzgerald at Lerner/Carolrhoda has acquired Goalball Dreamers, a middle grade novel by Catherine Laudone (l.) and Paralympic goalball medalist Matt Simpson. As 10-year-old Shawn loses his eyesight to a degenerative disease, he rediscovers his confidence and builds new friendships through the sport of goalball. Publication is slated for fall 2027; Dorian Maffei at Kimberley Cameron & Associates brokered the deal for world rights.  Sarah Alpert at Norton Young Readers has bought, in an exclusive submission, Laura G. Lee's picture book, The Red Thread, a reimagining of an ancient East Asian myth, told as a celebration of sisters and their special bond. Publication is planned for winter 2027; Lori Kilkelly at LK Literary Agency did the deal for world English rights.  Nicolás Ore-Giron at Roaring Brook has acquired, at auction, When Palestine Is Free, a picture book by Hannah Moushabeck (l.), illustrated by Aya Ghanameh, a hopeful vision for the future of Palestine where refugees are allowed to return home, children can walk safely to school, and families can enjoy a beautiful day at the beach—and a call to action from two Palestinian creators. Publication is set for winter 2028; Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Anjali Singh at the Anjali Singh Agency represented the illustrator.  Danielle Collins at S&S/Beach Lane Books has bought, in an exclusive submission, world rights to Beats at the Block Party by Rekha S. Rajan (l.), illustrated by Ken Daley, the team behind That Swingin' Sound. This rhyming picture book follows the activities and sounds at a boy's first neighborhood block party, culminating in a celebration of community. Publication is slated for summer 2028; Lilly Ghahremani at Full Circle Literary represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator. IN THE MEDIA
FEATURED REVIEWS
 Farm SharkBill Canterbury, illus. by Maddie Frost. Doubleday, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-5939-0078-9 In an antic barnyard comedy, the sudden arrival of an enormous shark tests the limits of a farm’s hospitality—and the reader’s ability to keep a straight face. The other animals have no sooner identified the upright-standing behemoth as a Farm Shark than he begins eating them. But nobody’s gone for good—the creatures, more piqued than panicked, simply take up residence in “Stomachville”. more  The Upside Down GirlKeith Negley. Clarion, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-311983-3 A child literally flips convention on its head in this tightly paced picture book from Negley. Leaping right to the heart of the premise, early pages reveal a protagonist climbing into a tree, then hanging upside down by her knees from a branch. Despite mounting pressure from a chorus of townsfolk, the heroine remains inverted with no explanation. more  Found SoundMeg Wolitzer and Charlie Panek, illus. by Ceej Rowland. Dutton, $17.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-101-99462-7 In this mother-son collaboration, when camp is canceled the summer after his older brother Dylan leaves home, Felix dreads having nothing to do and no one to spend time with. Relief arrives in the form of neighbor Marigold Tanizaki-Weathers, whose combat boots and multicolored hair match her devil-may-care personality. When the pair unearth a mysterious box in Felix’s bedroom containing a field recorder and the first of several sound-based clues, they set out to uncover the truth behind the cryptic message. more  RV There Yet?Suzanne Nelson. Knopf, $17.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-593-56705-0 Twelve-year-old writer Cricket, 11-year-old aspiring naturist Flossie, and quiet seven-year-old Parker Merrivale are just getting used to living with their two new stepbrothers when their parents announce that the whole family is driving to Yellowstone National Park on a vacation that will “fuse us with some great forever glue.” It turns out, however, that piling two adults, five children, and a very large dog into an ancient motor home makes for cramped quarters. more  Styx and StonesGary D. Schmidt and Ron Koertge. Clarion, $18.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-06-338097-4 After spending years in the underworld, 12-year-old Simon of Lacedaemon, who died trying to defend his village from the Spartans, finally escapes. He emerges from a portal in present-day St. Paul, Minn., and finds himself in the seventh grade boys’ bathroom of St. Nikolaos Academy, where he meets social outcast Zeke Tripps. As the two become fast friends, Zeke offers to take temporally displaced Simon home with him, even as memories of Simon's previous mortal life continue to haunt him. more  Wombat WaitingKatherine Applegate, illus. by Jen Bricking. Storytide, $19.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-06-322117-8 In this wholesome verse novel by Applegate, based on a true story, a small stray dog scrapes out a living in a local park when Santa Ana winds ignite a devastating wildfire that sets the canine on a collision course with a similarly affected human family. Though instinct urges the dog to flee from the fire as it approaches the park, “a voice, soft and sure,” draws her toward the blaze. Meanwhile, tween Henry Cooper, his two mothers, and his younger sister are forced to evacuate their home for a shelter. As fate nudges boy and pooch toward each other, both must decide whether they are ready to trust. more |
March 5, 2026
 
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People Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has four promotions. Liz Kossnar has been promoted to executive editor, from senior editor. Samantha Gentry has been promoted to senior editor, from editor. Roddyna Saint-Paul has been promoted to assistant editor, from editorial assistant. Melanie Rapoport has been promoted to publicist, from associate publicist. In the Winners' Circle  The National Council for the Social Studies and the Children’s Book Council have announced the 2026 Notable Social Studies Trade Book Awards. Established in 1972, the awards list highlights exceptional K–12 titles for use in social studies classrooms, focusing on historical figures and events, which were selected by social studies experts and educators. To check out the list, click here. Mark Your Calendar  The National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., will host its third annual The Big Draw, a free day-long festival welcoming visitors to discover the power of drawing, on March 14. Caldecott Medalist David Macaulay will lead a live drawing demonstration along with guided workshops. Guests can see Macaulay’s book Rome Antics featured in a special gallery within the museum’s exhibition Building Stories, which showcases how architecture, engineering, construction, and design have been featured throughout children’s literature. For the complete lineup of events, click here. Sneak Previews  Take a look ahead at some of the big titles for children and teens due out this fall, from picture books to YA novels, in our exclusive roundup. MORE In Case You Missed It Jason Low Issues Call to Action Against Book Bans more more | ||
