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In the News
 Berkley, Penguin Young Readers Team Up on New Imprint Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin, will join forces with Penguin Young Readers to launch Berkley XO, a new imprint for fiction with crossover appeal for both adult and YA readers. more  First Person
 Let's Help the Kids Be AlrightCarolyn Mackler is the author of many novels for young people, including the Printz Honor book The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. Here she reflects on her new middle grade novel, Right Back at You, which is partially inspired by her own experience being bullied in seventh grade. She has launched the Right Back at You Project, a pen-pal program that connects children from diverse geographic regions and encourages them to seek commonality despite differences. more
Audio News
 Stephen King to Voice 'Hansel and Gretel' Audiobook Stephen King will voice a new rendition of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, a forthcoming picture book written by King, with artwork by late renowned illustrator Maurice Sendak. more Out Next Week
 Hot Off the Press: Week of July 14 Among the books hitting shelves next week are a picture book ode to Día de los Muertos, a graphic novel about an insecure witch learning to fly, a YA fantasy about fatal phoenix races, and more. more In Brief
 In Brief: July 10, 2025Recently a New York public servant dropped by a book event, an author made an appearance on Good Morning America, and a conference welcomed an author for a presentation. more
Rights Report
 Sara Goodman at Wednesday Books has acquired a new romantasy duology by Emily Varga, The River She Became and The River on Fire. Pitched as The Mummy meets The Cruel Prince, the story follows a relic hunter searching for a way to restore magic to her world. To do so she must cross into a fae world and work with an enigmatic captain to outwit ancient curses, battle creatures born of nightmares, and find a power that could resurrect both their worlds. Publication is set for spring 2026 and spring 2027; Paige Terlip at Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world English rights.   Jody Corbett at Scholastic has bought, in a preempt, Cheer Heist, the debut YA by Choctaw Nation member Stacy Wells, developed by Bittersweet Books. Three Choctaw cheerleaders take on smugglers of stolen Native art in this adventure aimed at fans of Rez Ball and Heist Society. Publication is scheduled for 2027; John Cusick at Folio Literary Management brokered the deal on behalf of Bittersweet Books; Savannah Brooks represented the author while at KT Literary; Wells is now represented by Laurel Symonds at KT Literary.  Nancy Cooper at Annick Press has acquired an untitled middle grade debut novel by Nicholas DeShaw (Loaf the Cat Goes to the Powwow), about an Anishnaabe boy, Zaagaaso, who takes up the fight for land and water rights his mother started years ago before she was killed. When a long-disappeared manoomin crop mysteriously regrows overnight, Zaagaaso, with the help of his best friend, their history teacher, and a few supernatural beings, fight to protect their home from those who want to steal it. Publication is slated for fall 2027; Jacqui Lipton at Tobias Literary Agency sold world rights.  Siobhan Ciminera at Simon Spotlight has bought Time-Traveling Chickens: Bawk to the Future, the debut graphic novel by Geisel Honor winner Kaz Windness, in which two accidental time-traveling chickens, Nugget & Tenders, must save chicken-kind from being turned into a mindless edible army; Melissa Vogan will edit. Publication is planned for August 2026, followed by a sequel, Time-Traveling Chickens: Nugget & Tenders' Eggscellent Adventure. Timothy Travaglini at Transatlantic Literary Agency handled the deal for world rights.  Sally Morgridge at Holiday House has acquired world rights to Lions Looks by Mike Ciccotello, an early reader for the I Like to Read line about a lion pursuing a rabbit in order to find out where the rabbit got its book. Publication is scheduled for spring 2027; Rachel Orr at Prospect Agency negotiated the deal.  Mabel Hsu at Sourcebooks/Stonefruit Studio has bought Do Not Pet the Dinosaur, a picture book by author-illustrator Skylar Hogan. A T-rex oversleeps and wakes up in our modern world, but now all his friends are bones at the Museum of Natural History. Can he find himself a job, new friends, and maybe something big enough to eat? Publication is set for spring 2027; Christa Heschke at McIntosh & Otis brokered the two-book deal for world rights.  Emma Parkin at Barefoot Books has bought world rights to Bunnies Know & Grow and Puppies Know & Grow by Laura Gehl (l.) (Orson and the World's Loudest Library), illustrated by Amy Schimler-Safford (Thank You, Old Oak). Readers can learn what baby bunnies and puppies know from birth and how they develop as they grow. Publication is planned for spring 2026; Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink Literary Studio represented the author, and Marietta B. Zacker at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency represented the illustrator.  Deidra Purvis at Free Spirit has acquired world rights to A Suitcase Full, a picture book by debut author Maryam Kia (l.), illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett, and based on the author's childhood. A girl travels across the globe after her family is forced to leave Iran with little notice; leaving everything else behind, she holds onto her beloved grandmother's suitcase and fills it with stories that she can share. Christine Zuchora-Walske and Alison Behnke will edit; publication is set for summer 2026. Mona Kanin at Great Dog Literary represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.  Kristin Zelazko at Magination Press has bought world rights to As You Are: A Hope for Black Sons by Kimberly A. Gordon Biddle (l.), illustrated by David Wilkerson. In this picture book written in free verse, a mother shares her wisdom that she hopes her child carries with him always―to embrace the world when it is kind, to know that he is worthy when the world is not, and to remember that her love will never waver. Publication is slated for spring 2026; Deborah Warren at East/West Literary Agency represented the author, and Robbin Brosterman at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator. IN THE MEDIA
FEATURED REVIEWS
 Don’t Eat Me! The Almost True Story of BelladonnaKate Finney, illus. by Esmé Shapiro. Enchanted Lion, $19.99 (56p) ISBN 978-1-5927-0434-7 Known by most creatures as “that delicious shrub on the hill,” Belladonna—a sylph-like plant with dark berries, graceful flowers, and thoughtful eyes—worries about her legacy. If animals keep eating her, how will she ever propagate? Counseled by other flora and fauna, Belladonna realizes that the way to protect the future of her species is to slowly evolve into a poisonous plant. more  Ghoul SummerTracy Badua. Storytide, $18.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-06-334705-2 Twelve-year-old Barnaby Vargas is resigned to spending the summer helping pack up his grandfather’s beachfront home and the project becomes a certified nightmare when he realizes that his family’s nearby summer rental is haunted by perpetually 11-year-old Maxwell Warner, who died in 1984 and has been stuck in the residence ever since. The pair strike a tentative truce: if Barnaby helps Maxwell complete his unfinished business, Maxwell will stop tormenting Barnaby. But the longer it takes to discover what Maxwell’s unfinished business is, the more likely it becomes that Barnaby will be haunted forever. more  King of the Neuro VerseIdris Goodwin. Atheneum, $19.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-6659-7312-0 In danger of falling behind, rising high school senior Pernell, who has ADHD, must attend summer school under the tutelage of bullying English teacher Ms. Harding. While decompressing in the school cafeteria during breaks between classes, Pernell participates in impromptu rap battles known as cyphers. Then cyphers are shut down by school administrators for becoming “disruptive,” and Pernell is suspended for apparent insubordination, further jeopardizing his fate. more   Angelica and the Bear PrinceTrung Le Nguyen. Random House Graphic, $24.99 hardcover (224p) ISBN 978-1-9848-9267-6; $17.99 paper ISBN 978-1-9848-9266-9 Burnout overacheiver Angelica takes solace in anonymously messaging the social media account of a local theater mascot, Per the Bear, who dresses like a prince. Happily, landing an internship at the same theater company puts Angelica in the mysterious bear prince’s path. But as she navigates her new internship responsibilities, the demands of her restaurateur parents, and the beginnings of a crush, grief over her late grandmother and a former friend she lost contact with years ago begin to emerge. more  FlipNgozi Ukazu. First Second, $25.99 hardcover (320p) ISBN 978-1-250-17951-7; $18.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-17952-4 Texas private school scholarship student Chi-Chi yearns to be noticed by her popular—and unattainable—classmate Flip. After being knocked unconscious in a rainy-day fall, Chi-Chi wakes up the next morning to learn that she and Flip have somehow traded bodies. Though the first switch is short-lived, the two seniors keep inexplicably swapping places. And as they attempt to determine how to change back permanently, each subsequent flip lasts longer than the prior one. more |
July 10, 2025
  
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ICYMI ALA 2025: Librarians Chart a Course for the Future Amid ‘Existential Threat’more Flying Starts more more more 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 Follow Us  Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram! Bookshelf Archives Looking for a previous issue of Children's Bookshelf? Click here for our archives page! CONTACT US
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Children's Bookshelf
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