 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
School & Library Spotlight
 The Evolving Vendor–School Library EcosystemAs a new academic year approaches, school librarians are refreshing their resources before students come through the doors. But in various states and districts across the country, restrictive legislation and book bans have made collection development increasingly difficult. more   ALA Offers Guidance on Evaluating Digital PlatformsIn addition to navigating various systems for evaluating their print purchases from vendors, school librarians face challenges when selecting vendors to provide their students’ digital materials. ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee has released a new set of guidelines. more
Fall Comics Preview Our editors highlight the season’s most exciting trends and buzziest titles for graphic novel and manga readers of all ages. Early Reader ComicsFor emerging readers, this season’s highlights include new releases by Neill Cameron, Mike Lowery, and Kaeti Vandorn, plus fresh graphic adaptations of kid-pleasers. more  Middle Grade ComicsMeg Cabot, Victoria Jamieson, Shaun Tan, and more headline a star-studded season for tween readers. more  Young Adult ComicsHorror, memoir, romance, fantasy, and all manner of genre mash-ups are in store for teen comics fans this season. more
In the News
 Eric Carle Museum Staff Seek Union Vote Workers at the Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Mass., have petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a vote on unionization via Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers. Among their grievances, staffers pointed to low wages, poor health and safety conditions, and inadequate opportunities for advancement. more  Roald Dahl’s Matilda Named Ambassador for U.K.’s National Year of Reading The literacy campaign has selected Matilda—the beloved bookworm heroine from the 1988 children’s book of the same name—as its latest fictional spokesperson, “to inspire children to be bold, brave, and a little bit mischievous,” according to a statement. more  Poetry Foundation Library Scraped for AI-Generated Educational ContentGiggle Academy, founded by crypto mogul Changpeng Zhao to offer “free language learning for kids,” has posted hundreds of copyrighted poems that appear on the Poetry Foundation website. “There’s no telling how much more is out there,” Georgia UP director Lisa Bayer said of this kind of automated infringement. more   Book News
 YA Author Alicia Wallace’s Wattpad Cinderella StoryWhat began as a paranormal romance posted by a 14-year-old on the popular online storytelling platform will now act as the writer’s traditional publishing debut a decade later. more  Literacy in Action
 Educators Dive into Summer Reading With vacation in full swing, PW spoke with three educators who are hosting summer book clubs for students and staffers. more  Cambridge Public Library Celebrates Budding Writers with Youth Poetry AwardsThis spring, for the 27th year, the city of Cambridge, Mass., presented poetry prizes to a worthy group of aspiring poets in grades K–8. The program culminated in an awards ceremony for the young winners and their families. more  Four Questions
 Speed Racer: PW Talks with Angelica Cheng The author makes her debut in The Fast Track (Simon & Schuster, Aug.), a contemporary YA rom-com about an Asian American teenage girl navigating the competitive racing world—inspired by Cheng's background in the male-dominated finance industry. more  ‘Seeking to Connect’: PW Talks with Chloe Ito Ward The Japanese American children’s author and former kindergarten teacher's latest picture book, All the Ways We Learn (Rise x Penguin Workshop), illustrated by fellow neurodivergent creator Yaroslava Apollonova, pulls from her classroom experiences to celebrate the diverse ways that children grow. more  First Person
 Julian Randall on Poetry, Basketball, and the Magic of Both The children's author and poet reflects on tapping into everyday wonder in his new middle grade novel, Shook (Holt, Aug.), which marks a transition from writing fantasy to contemporary realism in verse. more Rights Report
 Week of August 3, 2026Starting this week, Rights Report takes on a new format. Just announced deals include It's (Not) the End of the World by Jennifer Dugan (l.), in which 17-year-old Katie professes her love to her unsuspecting crush following the news that an asteroid will end civilization, only to find out the prediction was incorrect; a graphic novel adaptation of Alan Gratz’s Ground Zero, about a boy who experiences the attacks of 9/11, and the parallel story of a girl in 2019 Afghanistan; and Horchata & Hearts by Sandra Proudman, a YA romance in which a heartbroken girl spends the summer in Mexico helping her grieving grandfather's struggling café. Click through to see all of the new deals. more
IN THE MEDIA
FEATURED REVIEWS
  Momma’s Christmas GiftKao Kalia Yang, illus. by Jacqueline Tam. Kokila, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 979-8-2170-0630-4 A working parent’s steadfast love conjures holiday magic in this tender picture book. Each morning, Momma goes to work at the factory before her kids awaken, leaving “three bowls of rice, each with a boiled egg on top for breakfast,” and returning at night to cook dinner. Though the family doesn’t have a Christmas tree, reminders of the holiday surround them. When Momma heads out on Christmas Eve and returns with one present each for the children, the gifts represent an opportunity to appreciate Momma’s care. more  A Snowy Hanukkah for LuzRuth Behar, illus. by Marjorie Priceman. Quill Tree, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-0633-3416-8 Abuelita and Abuelito throw a Hanukkah party every year, and their granddaughter Luz assists with the preparations—a job that buys her plenty of unhurried time with the grandparents she adores. Soon, family and friends gather in joy with foods from both Ashkenazi and Sephardic cuisine and watch as Luz, born on the eighth night, lights all the candles by herself. It's a cozy, love-filled portrait of a family’s Jewish heritage. more  Starring SophieAshley Quach. Orchard, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5461-8604-5 Tired of being cast as a rat with the other littlest dancers, pale-skinned Sophie dreams of being the Rat King, wondering “how a ballet could have six whole dances about candy and only one about a king with a cape and a whip.” After curiosity leads her to try on the villain’s costume during the performance, her exuberant backstage choreography turns public when she accidentally lands onstage, wiping out the Nutcracker. A raucous improv performance ensues. more  Tom and MomoAkiko Miyakoshi, trans. from the Japanese by Shana Rieko Shimizu. Kids Can, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5253-1447-6 Holiday errands bring together a couple of lonely kindred spirits in Miyakoshi’s quiet tale about two new neighbors who “live so close to each other, but they have never met.” Impressionistic city scenes frequently show the duo within each other’s orbit but passing like ships in the night. On Christmas Eve, the protagonists both accompany their caregivers to a cake shop and spot each other at last. Following an identical path home, the duo discover their shared residency, and an impromptu playdate promises burgeoning friendship. more  Stealing Saint NickM.T. Anderson. Dutton, $20.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-593-69954-6 Research about Nicholas of Myra, the fourth-century Anatolian bishop turned saint who gave rise to contemporary Santa Claus mythology, provides the basis for Anderson’s scholarly narrative nonfiction work about the genesis and continuation of legend. Across three parts teeming with macabre factoids, the author chronicles “bizarre, fantastical, and sometimes grotesque” tales about Saint Nicholas that span 1,700 years. It’s a meticulously researched volume that shows, through one recognizable figure, how individual tellings can warp details over time. more |
August 4, 2026
 
E-mail not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
People  TvS Media Group has one new hire. Terry Borzumato-Greenberg has joined as VP, school and library marketing, bringing more than 40 years of experience in children's book marketing and publicity. Most recently, she served as VP at Holiday House from 2005 to 2025, continuing through its Candlewick/Holiday House/Peachtree partnership. In the Winners' Circle  The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators has announced the winners of the 2026 Crystal Kite Awards. The annual peer-selected honors recognize outstanding children’s books created by SCBWI members across 15 international regions. For the complete list of winners and honorees, click here. On-Sale Calendar  Summer is in full swing and the new releases just keep coming. On the docket for August are exciting new picture books such as If the Moon by Matthew Burgess, illus. by Matthew Forsythe; Gifts from Crows by Gideon Sterer, illus. by Shadra Strickland; I Am a Leaf by Angelo Mozzillo, illus. by Marianna Balducci, trans. by Denise Muir; Owl by Myself by Pete Oswald; and Shy by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton, illus. by Eva Byrne. Graphic novels continue to be popular among the children’s set with releases such as Bite Me by Jennifer Dugan, illus. by Kit Seaton; The Boxcar Children Graphic Novel by Gertrude Chandler Warner, adapted by Meika Hashimoto, illus. by Giovanni Abeille; Raise the Bar by Fernanda Frick H.; and Stepping Up by Kiara Valdez, illus. by Diana Tsai Santos. On the YA front are Alchemy of Souls by Adriana Mather, Find My Way Down to You by Julian Winters, Killing Sadie by Rachel Peterson, and Wings of Reverie by Anna Bright. For more books releasing in August, check out PW's On-Sale Calendar here. Bestsellers  Children's Frontlist Fiction#1 The New Prophesy (Warriors Graphic Novel #1) by Erin Hunter. Click here | ||||||
