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To Our Readers With today's issue, Children's Bookshelf moves to a summer schedule. For the rest of August, we'll be publishing once a week, on Thursdays. We'll resume our regular twice-weekly schedule after Labor Day.
In the News
 New Voices New Rooms Regional Conference Spotlights Children’s Books and AuthorsThe New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association and the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance kicked off the fall regional conference season together in Atlanta, held August 3–6. This year's New Voices New Rooms event offered a children’s track that focused on topics including literacy, affordable children’s book festivals, and book fair alternatives, and also featured a number of authors. more  Behind the Scenes
 Laura Amy Schlitz on the Inspiration Behind 'The Winter of the Dollhouse'In Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz’s latest middle grade novel, The Winter of the Dollhouse, the story’s main character befriends an elderly neighbor who is restoring her childhood dollhouse. Here Schlitz recalls her dollhouse from childhood and takes us inside her own efforts at restoration, which she documented with photographs. more   School and LIbrary Spotlight
 Author and Educator Dawn Quigley on the Need for Authentic Native RepresentationWe spoke with children’s author Dawn Quigley about her teaching career, what drives her to write stories featuring Indigenous characters, and why she believes there need to be a variety of voices when it comes to representation. more On the Scene
 Lauren Roberts Takes the MoundLauren Roberts, author of the blockbuster Powerless YA series and a lifelong Detroit Tigers fan, was thrilled when the Tigers chose her for Major League Baseball’s first-ever Book Club Night this past Tuesday. We spoke with Roberts about bringing together her love of romantasy and baseball for the unique event, which included a pre-game q&a and swag. more  Q & A
 James RansomeMultifaceted artist and renowned author-illustrator James Ransome returns with a new picture book, A Place for Us. The book depicts, sans words, an unhoused Black family and their daily activities in a New York-inspired city. We spoke with Ransome about destigmatizing the rising unhoused population, his advocacy for the working class, and the benefits of collaborating with his wife, Lesa Cline-Ransome. Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book? A: I want readers to engage with the book and have a discussion afterwards. The premise behind the book was this idea that homeless people don’t only live on the street or in shelters, but sometimes they are our classmates, and they could be sleeping in their car that night or they could be sleeping at an uncle’s house. They could be sleeping in a train station, and their mother and father could be working hard every day. They just can’t afford to pay for housing. more Out Next Week
 Hot Off the Press: Week of August 11 Among the books hitting shelves next week are a picture book about learning boundaries, a nonfiction book about revisionist history of the South, a YA romance about an actor falling for her co-star, and more. more
Rights Report
 Stephanie Pitts at Putnam, in an exclusive submission, has acquired world rights to Me by Jennifer Dugan (l.) (Coven; Full Shift), illustrated by Kit Seaton, a sapphic supernatural YA graphic novel about a newly turned teen vampire whose longtime crush turns out to be a slayer. Publication is scheduled for summer 2026; Sara Crowe at Sara Crowe Literary represented the author, and Ben Grange at L. Perkins Agency represented the illustrator.  Lauri Hornik at Rocky Pond Books has bought, in a preempt, My Own Kind of Person by Tim Manley, a queer coming-of-age debut about a teenage stand-up comic whose shot at a career-making contest is complicated by his spiraling mental health and a growing connection with a boy who sees through his act, pitched for fans of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and John Green. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Melanie Figueroa at Root Literary sold world rights.  Shaina Olmanson while at Lerner/Zest acquired world rights to Witness: Poems to Address the Past, Present, and Future of Policing, a YA poetry anthology compiled by McKnight fellow Ty Chapman (l.) and Pura Belpré Award-winning author Ari Tison (c.), illustrated by Damon Davis (r.). The book presents more than 30 voices including Ada Limón, Mariama Lockington, Erin Entrada Kelly, Tae Keller, Kekla Magoon, Junauda Petrus, Bao Phi, Aida Salazar, Danez Smith, Jason Reynolds, and Laura Ruby. Carol Hinz will edit; publication is set for fall 2026. Savannah Brooks at KT Literary represented Chapman, Sara Crowe at Sara Crowe Literary represented Tison, and sophie lipman represented Davis; Chapman is now represented by Sara Crowe.  Kate Fletcher at Candlewick has bought, in a preempt, world rights to We Used to Be Friends by Marcy Campbell (l.), illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. This picture book explores what happens when a friendship has run its course and the range of emotions experienced during the healing process that follows. Publication is planned for fall 2026; Steven Malk at Writers House represented the author, and Andrea Morrison at Writers House represented the illustrator.  Rotem Moscovich at Knopf has acquired world rights to Home, Sweet, Apple by Kate Hoefler (l.), illustrated by Breanna Carzoo, a picture book about a bug who invites his friends over for a housewarming party, but things go topsy-turvy when his new apple home falls from a tree. Publication is scheduled for fall 2027; Steven Malk at Writers House represented the author, and Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.  Karen Smith at Workman Kids has bought world rights to Zenguin, a picture book by Bank Street Award-winning author Danna Smith (l.), illustrated by Sydney Hanson, a story set in a busy and hectic Antarctic, where Penguin learns to control his anxiety with his own Zen techniques—going from Penguin to Zenguin. Publication is slated for January 2026; Tracy Marchini at BookEnds Literary Agency represented the author, and Justin Rucker at Shannon Associates represented the illustrator.  Alisha Niehaus Berger and Alex Robertson at NorthSouth/NorteSur have acquired Fabulous Creatures: Legendary Animals from Around the World by Cornelia Funke (l.) (the Inkheart series), illustrated by debut illustrator Ruby Warnecke, a picture book of fascinating imaginary creatures from across the globe. Publication is planned for spring 2026 in English and Spanish simultaneously; the author and illustrator represented themselves.  Michael Yuen-Killick at Red Comet Press has bought world rights to One Word by Andrew Hacket (l.), illustrated by Kirk Parrish, about the power of words and how they can change community, especially with regard to building friendships. Publication is set for spring 2028; Dan Cramer at Page Turner Literary Agency represented the author, and Justin Rucker at Shannon Associates represented the illustrator.  Sarah Rockett at Sleeping Bear Press has acquired world English rights to A Puppy Like Yours, a picture book by Frank Murphy (l.) and Carla Murphy (c.), illustrated by Kayla Harren (r.), which celebrates all the puppies out there and the ways they change our lives for the better. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; the authors represented themselves, and Marietta B. Zacker at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency represented the illustrator.  Carolyn Yoder at Astra/Calkins Creek has bought world rights to Fashioning Fame: John Singer Sargent and His Portrait of Madame X by Sarah Albee (l.), illustrated by Stacy Innerst, a nonfiction picture book about the sensational relationship between the painter John Singer Sargent and Madame Gautreau, the subject of his most famous portrait, as well as the controversial public reception to the painting. Publication is set for spring 2028; Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Hannah Mann at Writers House represented the illustrator.  Alex Aceves at Holiday House has acquired world rights to Trading Trash for Trees by Jacqueline Johnson (l.), illustrated by Remi Jose, for the Books for a Better Earth collection. This nonfiction picture book is about an organization in Kenya that collects plastic containers littering the local beaches and repurposes them as nurseries to propagate mangrove seedlings. Publication is slated for spring 2027. Jennifer Harrington while at Harvey Klinger represented the author, and Aliza Hoover at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.  Karen Chan at Gloo Books has bought world rights to A Bike Is Just a Bike by Brenna Jeanneret (l.), illustrated by Michelle Pereira. This picture book explores the bicycle as a symbol of freedom and defiance for women in the 1800s and a celebration of movement—toward independence, empowerment, and a world where every girl can ride free. Publication is planned for spring/summer 2026; Shannon Belcastro at Belcastro Agency represented the author, and the Jacky Winter Group represented the illustrator.  Catherine Laudone at S&S/Beach Lane Books has acquired world rights to Piper and May Take a Breath by author-illustrator Sarah Noble, a picture book about two fox friends: one who has anxiety and is more cautious, the other who is more carefree and goes with the flow. Publication is scheduled for summer 2027; Maria Vicente at P.S. Literary Agency negotiated the deal.  Krestyna Lypen at Post Wave has bought author-illustrator Caroline McPherson's Little Mouse's Star and a second unnamed book. A tiny mouse sets out into a vast and treacherous world to claim a star of his very own, only to discover that each star he encounters is just out of reach, until a touch of Christmas magic and a shift in perspective show him that he's never too small to dream big. Publication is set for fall 2026; Kelly Dyksterhouse at Tobias Literary Agency sold world rights.  Susan Pi at Rebel Goose Books has acquired world rights to The Last Tiger, a wordless picture book by Yunyi Dai in which a solitary tiger lands on a mysterious island of black and orange cats, hoping to find another like her. Publication is planned for spring 2027; Elisa Leung at Marlena Agency did the deal. IN THE MEDIA
FEATURED REVIEWS
 Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? A Hard-Boiled Mystery Brianna Caplan Sayres, illus. by Mark Fearing. Holiday House, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5827-1 Exactly six years after her hatching, self-proclaimed inspector H. Poulet has just hung out her detective-agency shingle when three hen friends arrive demanding answers to the titular question. Evasive about their motives, they set the feathered detective, who’s decked out in a noir-style fedora and trench coat, on a barnyard-wide investigation. more  Robot IslandCary Fagan. Tundra, $17.99 (280p) ISBN 978-1-774887-28-8 Willis, who lives with his cold and demanding uncle Tod, is assigned a new task—reading to wealthy local Mrs. Shorthouse. The youth isn’t expecting to enjoy the experience, yet he comes to relish his time with the kind widow. One day, Willis stumbles upon a lake island where all the work is done by robots. Willis’s joy about his discovery is short-lived, however, as Uncle Tod demands that Willis steal rare books from Mrs. Shorthouse for him to sell. more  HazelthornC.G. Drews. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-25037-629-9 Orphaned 17-year-old Evander spends his days sequestered within the Hazelthorn estate—owned by his reclusive guardian Byron—who forbids Evander from leaving the mansion, entering the gardens, or interacting with Byron’s grandson, heir apparent Laurie, who tried to kill Evander years ago. But when Byron seemingly dies of poison, and his death is brushed off, Evander determines to uncover the killer. His mission is complicated, however, when Bryon’s money-hungry relatives descend upon the manor, and Evander must unravel the mystery of Byron’s murder and navigate Hazelthorn’s increasingly fraught social politics. more  The Prince of MourningJenn Bennett. Simon & Schuster, $21.99 (464p) ISBN 978-1-6659-7155-3 Orphaned 18-year-old Molly O’Rinn is determined to make her way as an independent woman working as a trainee nurse at Bellevue Hospital. Molly’s plans are derailed when she is suddenly whisked away to Tarrytown to act as a live-in nurse for Charles Voss, a wealthy young heir dying of tuberculosis, and finds a corporeal young man chained within an occult circle. She finds herself intensely attracted to the stranger, whom she learns is a death god called Nin, the Prince of Mourning, who is trapped in the mortal realm. more  When We Were MonstersJennifer Niven. Knopf, $20.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-524713-02-7 For eight lucky high schoolers—including the novel’s primary protagonists Effy and Arlo—attending an intense three-week writers’ workshop led by enigmatic, controversial author Meredith Graffam at a remote New England manor seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Even more coveted than learning the art of the trade from Graffam, though, is the opportunity to win $15,000 and obtain life-changing connections with professional creatives for their future careers. Each student must decide if a shot at fame and fortune is worth rising to Graffam’s horrifying—perhaps even deadly—challenges. more |
August 7, 2025
 
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People Saskia den Boon has been promoted to marketing coordinator, school and library for Candlewick Press, Holiday House, and Peachtree, from marketing assistant, school and library. ICYMI Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants Makes the Leap to Mangamore more more more Sneak Previews  Take a look ahead at some of the big titles for children and teens due out next spring, from picture books to YA novels, in our exclusive roundup. | ||
