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From the Editors We’ve collected some of our favorite and most-clicked-on articles from the spring and summer for you to enjoy. We’ll be back next Thursday, September 4, with plenty of news, reviews, interviews, and more of your favorite features. Happy reading!
In the Spotlight
 Spring 2025 Flying StartsWe spotlight the authors of five of the season’s most promising children’s and YA debuts. more   We Need Diverse Books More Than Ever: PW Talks with Ellen OhPW spoke with the cofounder of WNDB about the group’s beginnings, its accomplishments, the impact of book bans, and what people can do to combat censorship. more  2025 YA Trends: Bouncing Between the Dark and LightWe asked agents and editors what’s on the horizon for YA, and found that several trends seen in recent years are still holding strong. Take a look at some of the upcoming releases—from vacation romances to dark academia and high-stakes heists—that capture the moment. more  The Sneaky Gender Bias in Picture Books: Animal CharactersMelanie Walsh, an assistant professor at the University of Washington, uses data to analyze contemporary culture. Here she shares her investigations into the subtle gender imbalance often at play in picture books featuring animal characters. more  Turning the Tide on Middle Grade "Middle grade is dead!” the press proclaims. And while it’s true that a 2024 report from Circana BookScan showed that print unit sales of middle grade books fell 5% in the first half of 2024 from the same period in 2023, publishing executives are more optimistic than headlines would suggest. We spoke with movers and shakers of five newish imprints that are aiming to reinvigorate the category. more  Breaking Boundaries: YA Authors Crossing Over into Adult FictionAs young adult authors are venturing into the adult market in higher numbers, we surveyed several of the biggest names to find out more about how they're navigating the transition. more   Looking Ahead
 Children's Books for FallClick through for our comprehensive A-to-Z listings of publishers’ titles for young readers due out in the fall season. more  Spring 2026 Sneak PreviewsSee highlights of the children’s and YA titles due out next spring—including highly anticipated debuts, follow-ups to bestselling novels, and collaborations between favorite authors and illustrators—in our exclusive roundup. more Book News
 Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants Makes the Leap to Manga The latest entry in Scholastic’s Graphix manga line brings a familiar face to a new medium: Dav Pilkey is adapting his bestselling Captain Underpants chapter books into manga. Graphix will publish Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga, written and adapted by Pilkey and illustrated by the Japanese manga artist Motojiro, next April. more  Alan Gratz Goes for the GoldRiding the wave of interest in middle grade historical fiction, Alan Gratz returns to Nazi Germany with a fast-paced Olympic thriller, War Games, and releases a graphic novel adaptation of a backlist bestseller. more  Fantasy Middle Grade Series Dragonborn Set for October Launch Scottish author Struan Murray’s new fantasy series Dragonborn, originally scheduled to begin in spring 2026, is now slated for publication this fall, due to strong in-house buzz. Murray said inspiration for the story came from a chance encounter in Oxford with a scholar who specialized in the study of dragons. “This got me thinking: what if dragons exist, but have found a cunning way to hide themselves?” more In Memoriam
 Children's Book Creators and Publishers Remembered We pay tribute to the authors, illustrators, and publishing professionals we have lost this year. more Interviews
 Laurie Halse AndersonAstrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Laurie Halse Anderson's new middle grade novel, Rebellion 1776, explores the chaotic time of the start of the American Revolution in Boston through the eyes of a servant girl. Anderson spoke with us about her fascination with disease and history, and what draws her to continue writing about that era. more  Amar ShahSet in the mid ’90s, Wish I Was a Baller by Amar Shah, illustrated by Rashad Doucet, is a graphic memoir that follows the author’s experiences as a teen sports journalist covering the golden era of the NBA. In a recent interview, Shah discussed sports-focused fiction, researching a memoir, and resurging ’90s nostalgia. more  Tae KellerTae Keller—author of the Newbery Medal-winning middle grade novel When You Trap a Tiger—makes her picture book debut in We Carry the Sun, illustrated by Rachel Wada. The nonfiction work chronicles the history of solar energy and humankind’s relationship with the sun. Keller talked about pursuing new ideas and using her skills to engage a new audience. more  J.E. ThomasAuthor J.E. Thomas explores social-emotional themes of loneliness and belonging through a contemporary sci-fi lens in her newest middle grade novel, The AI Incident, about a school’s AI program gone rogue. more  Caroline O’DonoghueIrish author Caroline O’Donoghue’s first YA novel, All Our Hidden Gifts, was a bestseller. The Rachel Incident, her first novel for adults to be published in the U.S., is in development for a Netflix series. And her pop culture podcast has more than 11.5 million downloads. But O’Donoghue’s new time-shifting YA fantasy, Skipshock, may well be her most ambitious project to date. more  Shifa Saltagi SafadiShifa Saltagi Safadi follows up her National Book Award-winning middle grade novel Kareem Between with the new chapter book series Amina Banana, featuring a STEM-minded protagonist who solves everyday problems using the scientific method. We spoke with Safadi about the origins of her titular protagonist and her sunny optimism. more  Rory PowerIn Rory Power’s latest YA psychological thriller, Kill Creatures, her first non-speculative novel, a missing teen resurfaces, to the immense surprise of her murderer. Power spoke with us about exercising new writing muscles, unlikable female characters, and the allure of the whodunit genre. more In Conversation
 Erin Entrada Kelly and Rebecca SteadWe invited Erin Entrada Kelly (l.) and Rebecca Stead to discuss their Newbery-winning books, The First State of Being and When You Reach Me, both of which were inspired by another Newbery winner, Madeleine L’Engle's 1964 classic A Wrinkle in Time. more  Julie Murphy and Jonathan van Ness Dumplin’ author Julie Murphy (l.) and Queer Eye star and writer Jonathan Van Ness chatted about their new YA novel Let Them Stare, as well as queer history and the joys of collaboration. more  Arriel Vinson and Leah Johnson Arriel Vinson's (l.) YA debut, Under the Neon Lights, is a novel-in-verse about young Black love and coming of age in Indianapolis. Vinson spoke with her friend Leah Johnson, a fellow author and Indiana University alumna, and Vinson’s mentor through the Reese’s Book Club LitUp Fellow program. more  Jen Calonita and Alyson Gerber Author friends Jen Calonita (l.) and Alyson Gerber's latest middle grade mystery-adventure novels were released just a week apart. PW asked the duo to discuss the evolution of their friendship and their mutual support as critique partners. more  Chelsea Lin Wallace and Thyra Heder Author Chelsea Lin Wallace (l.) and illustrator Thyra Heder spoke about their new book, On Our Way with Mr. Jay, starring an intrepid school bus driver, which kicks off a series of picture books celebrating school heroes. more First Person
 Horror Offers Young Readers Safe Spaces in Scary Times Taylor Hunsberger is a culture writer, poet, and children’s librarian at the East Flatbush branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Here, she reflects on the ways that horror stories provide children with a vital testing ground to face their real-life fears. more  Why Reimagining Classic Literature as Modern Graphic Novels Is So Important for Young and Reluctant ReadersRex Ogle is the author of more than 100 books, comics, graphic novels, and memoirs—some under the pseudonym Rey Terciero. In an essay, he explores how graphic novel retellings like his new book Dan in Green Gables, make stories more accessible. more  Longtime Teacher Shares a Lesson in Inclusion in Debut Picture BookDan Gill taught middle school social studies for more than five decades. In his picture book debut, No More Chairs, illustrated by Susan Gal, Gill draws from a childhood encounter with racism that inspired him to set aside an empty chair in his classroom as a sign of welcoming all. more  Christina Wyman on Why Children’s Books Can Be the First Line of Defense Against CrueltyChristina Wyman’s middle grade debut, Jawbreaker, and her sophomore novel, Slouch, tackle tough topics including bullying, self-esteem, and boundaries. Wyman addresses why it’s important to represent the reality of painful experiences for young readers. more Out Next Week
 Hot Off the Presses: Week of September 1 Among the books hitting shelves next week are a picture book retelling of a classic from an all-star lineup, a creepy chapter book series spinoff, a YA fantasy debut about a teen’s investigation at a palace, and more. more
Rights Report
 Foyinsi Adegbonmire at Feiwel and Friends has acquired, in an exclusive submission, in a seven-figure deal, The Heirs and an untitled novel by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (Ace of Spades; Where Sleeping Girls Lie). Pitched for fans of Knives Out and The Inheritance Games, The Heirs is a YA mystery whodunit about a wealthy family of teen geniuses brought back together for their father's annual prodigy ball during which he is murdered. Publication is set for June 2026; Molly Ker Hawn at the Bent Agency did the two-book deal for North American rights; the author is now represented by Chloe Seager at Madeleine Milburn.  Kate Prosswimmer and Nicole Fiorica at McElderry Books have bought Dread Chaser, the start of a post-apocalyptic speculative series by Lauren Thoman, in her YA debut, pitched as The Last of Us meets The Mandalorian. A teenage bounty hunter must team up with his rival as they pursue the target of a lifetime in a chase that unravels everything they thought they understood about the world they live in. Publication is planned for spring 2027; Holly Root at Root Literary sold world rights in the two-book deal.  Nick Magliato at Penguin Workshop has acquired Love with a Twist by Suzanne Nelson, an escapist chose-your-own YA romance set in Sorrento, Italy. The reader will navigate an internship working at the lemon groves of Villa Limonsole alongside three potential love interests. Publication is scheduled for summer 2027; Ammi-Joan Paquette while at Erin Murphy Literary Agency handled the deal for world rights.  Bria Ragin at Delacorte has bought, in an exclusive submission, When Evil Lingers by Melissa Blair (A Broken Blade), a debut YA speculative thriller in which a 17-year-old Anishinaabe girl, Cheesh, finds herself on the side of the living as a ghost after dying at a residential school decades before. When a murder spree begins the same day she appears, she teams up with Giiwedin, the granddaughter of a respected community Elder, to not only catch the killer but to get Cheesh back home to her ancestors. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Danielle Burby at Mad Woman Literary Agency sold world rights.  Lauri Hornik at Penguin/Rocky Pond has acquired, in a six-figure deal, The Broken Edge of the World by Alena Bruzas (To the Bone). In this romantic fantasy, 17-year-old Sylvie, who battles OCD, takes a summer job at a remote prairie preserve, and finds that the stark beauty of the prairie disguises a mysterious curse—a curse that leaves her torn between the stunning shepherd boy she's been warned against but can't resist, and Jack, a strange-looking and strangely gentle coworker. Publication is planned for summer 2026; Susan Hawk at Upstart Crow Literary sold North American rights.  Alice Jerman while at Mayhem Books bought The Killing Rules by Bree Despain, a YA novel pitched as Teen Wolf meets Dexter, where a teen cheerleader, cursed to become a bloodthirsty monster and murder predatory men, discovers that her crush is investigating the death of her first victim—who happens to be his father. Lydia Sharp will edit; publication is slated for summer 2026. Jordan Hamessley at JABberwocky Literary Agency did the two-book deal for world rights.  Charlotte Greenbaum at Abrams Fanfare has acquired world rights to author-illustrator Beno Meli's debut YA graphic novel Daughter of Snakes, in which a 17-year-old girl, born half-Gorgon, half-human, and living in modern-day Mexico, sets out to save her mother from a long-buried past—unraveling ancient truths, embracing the power she was taught to hide, and discovering love in the most unexpected of companions. Publication is set for fall 2029; Jemiscoe Chambers-Black at Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the deal.  Julia Patrick at VIZ Media has bought, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, an untitled series by co-creators Wishroomness (l.) (Nice to Meet You) and Keon Tan. In this YA sci-fi manga series, a young woman finds herself stranded in the wrong galaxy after an alien kidnaps her cat (who just so happens to have a secret genetic mutation that can cure his affliction). Publication is scheduled for 2027; Britt Siess at Britt Siess Creative Management sold world rights. | ||
