September 22, 2026 by Bloomsbury Children's Books
Copy provided by the publisher
Celie and her family are back from their adventures to put Castle Glower to rights, after Tuesdays at the Castle (2011), but run into all sorts of complications involving portraits being created as gifts, all of the food for celebrations, and decorations for the holidays. This is a short book (144 pages) that was originally a novella available through the author's web site. It would make a great holiday gift for a fan of the series. It reminded me, in an odd way, of L'Engle's The 24 Days Before Christmas, which gives us a holiday glimpse of the Austin family.
September 15, 2026 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Pira Morand moves around a lot as her moms investigate crimes. The newest one is in Cindy's hometowen of Eyrewood, but no one is giving Pira any information. The town was the scene of a horrific fire thirty years ago that burned down just about everything but a defunct paper mill, and was rebuilt with boxy, ugly buildings. The Morands are staying in a run down hotel managed by Jackie Ludger parents. Jackie isn't all that friendly, immediately information Pira of the "rules" of the town-- don't go into the woods, and don't try to light a fire. Nothing burns in Eyrewood anymore. At least Baffy, the son of the local candy shop owner, is friendly, and shows up to walk Pira to school. He also invites her to join the Firefighters, even though Jackie has told him not to. Jackie has a good reason for her mood; her older sister is the last in a long line of people who have gone missing in the woods, and the local police have given up, which is why Mira's moms are investigating. After passing an initiation test, Pira is let in on some of the local lore, and the group visits the local history museum to try to gather more information. What they find is rather fantastical. With the help of Grizz, who has manned the fire watch tower for the last thirty years, will they be able to defeat a local monster and solve the mystery of the missing citizens?
This was definitely a fantasy book, and it had the same sort of vibe that Condie's The Darkdeep or Cole's The Empty Place did. I still haven't seen Stranger Things, but The Burn Beast seems along those lines; supernatural elements are bedeviling a town, and only tweens can save the day. This had some decent scary scenes, but there was something about the history of the town that seemed a bit off. Averling's The Curse of Eel Grass Bog doesn't circulate as well as I would like, so I may pass on this one, especially since the covers are very similar.
This was definitely a fantasy book, and it had the same sort of vibe that Condie's The Darkdeep or Cole's The Empty Place did. I still haven't seen Stranger Things, but The Burn Beast seems along those lines; supernatural elements are bedeviling a town, and only tweens can save the day. This had some decent scary scenes, but there was something about the history of the town that seemed a bit off. Averling's The Curse of Eel Grass Bog doesn't circulate as well as I would like, so I may pass on this one, especially since the covers are very similar.
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August 25, 2026 by Aladdin
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Josie loves to dance, and her father (now a software engineer) was a dancer who met her mother while she was in a jazz band. Her best friend, Patrick, also dances, and the two are excited when they are accepted to the Star Fire Academy in New York. It's hard to leave California, but both are excited to continue their training. The Fire Bird Academy was founded by a descendent of a Russian prince, who is rumored to have had an actual fire bird; there's a statue of one in the front hall of the school, named Izzy. The owner, Peter Komarov, is the great grandson, but is threatening to seel the school, since it is on prime real estate. Josie is excited to learn from the famous Martine Halston, who is also Black, and excited when she tells Josie she should audition for a principal role in the upcoming school production of Stravinsky's The Firebird. There is relatively little drama at the school, although Sienna Halston is a blonde "Queen bee" who has uncanny hacking abilities. There are also some odd supernatural occurrences that Josie experiences. There are some growing pains when she isn't always able to dance with Patrick, and when she sees him blossom while dancing with other girls. She's a bit homesick, but is helped when her sister Billie shows up. When Josie gets an e mail with the wrong time for callbacks for The Firebird, she is assigned to be the understudy for Sienna, who has won the Firebird role. When Sienna becomes ill, Josie has to step in. This is clearly the first book in a series, and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.
I have a lot of students who dance, and there are relatively few middle grade books about dancing. If this were realistic fiction, like Ziegler's The Audition, I would definitely buy it, but the mix of fantasy and ballet would be a hard sell to my students. There are also a lot of plot holes, and the fantastical elements don't make as much sense or align with the introductory story of the Russian prince as much as I would like. Readers who enjoyed dance related fantasies like Adrian's Nutcracked, Mendez' The Reel Wish, Smith's The Toymaker's Apprentice or Sutton and Hannuniemi's The Song of the Swan might want to pick this up.
September 15, 2026 by Penguin Workshop
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Riley lives with her Aunt Hayley in Scarlettsboro, Virginia, where they run the Level Up escape room. When a famous children's author who has just moved to town, Richard Rillardson, comes to the facility, Riley is excited, since her Dungeons and Dragons playing best friends, Kayla and Mateo, are big fans. During the course of the game, the lights go out, Rillardson disappears, and blood is found on the floor. This is a big problem for the business, but Riley, who has a few magical powers, decides that she will solve the mystery as well as the mystery that took place the day she was born. Her aunt has never told her what happened to her parents, and whether or not the fact that they are not around is tied to a famous gemstone theft. With the help of Detective Buckley, will the kids be able to solve the mystery? The next book in the series is titled Haunted and Wanted, and will tell us more about the note that Riley has from her parents, telling her she is in danger.
The magic didn't get quite the coverage it deserved, and the mystery wasn't as well developed as I had hoped. It's a good choice for readers who liked mysteries mixed with some paranormal elements like. Russell Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave or Strange's The Island at the Edge of Night.
September 8, 2026 by Candlewick
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
I loved the spin on Arabian Nights, the range of different authors contributing stories, and the connection to immigration tales, but at almost 500 pages, it would be tough to get my students to pick this up. If Gratz's Refugee is a book your teachers use for a class unit, this might be a good choice for some reason alouds.
From the publisher:
In the mold of Arabian Nights, this groundbreaking YA anthology—featuring sixteen Muslim women writers—links together fantastical stories that a group of refugees tell one another within a riveting frame story.
On her way across the desert, fleeing the soldiers who have destroyed all she knows, one refugee meets another. And another and another. As they travel together, on a journey in search of safety, they take turns telling one another stories—stories woven in the imagination; tales with echoes of the reality they face now. Tales of young people stolen away by jinn and tales of siblings rescuing one another; tales of lands encroached on by settlers and abandoned by rain; tales of magic found in caves, deserts, mountains, lakes, and, above all, in people, community, and faith. With a frame story written by Nafiza Azad and Intisar Khanani interwoven with stories from fifteen additional authors of various backgrounds, drawing on the mythologies and legends of their cultures, this extraordinary collection will appeal to lovers of fantasy and to those looking for books that center refugees and diverse narratives.
In the mold of Arabian Nights, this groundbreaking YA anthology—featuring sixteen Muslim women writers—links together fantastical stories that a group of refugees tell one another within a riveting frame story.
On her way across the desert, fleeing the soldiers who have destroyed all she knows, one refugee meets another. And another and another. As they travel together, on a journey in search of safety, they take turns telling one another stories—stories woven in the imagination; tales with echoes of the reality they face now. Tales of young people stolen away by jinn and tales of siblings rescuing one another; tales of lands encroached on by settlers and abandoned by rain; tales of magic found in caves, deserts, mountains, lakes, and, above all, in people, community, and faith. With a frame story written by Nafiza Azad and Intisar Khanani interwoven with stories from fifteen additional authors of various backgrounds, drawing on the mythologies and legends of their cultures, this extraordinary collection will appeal to lovers of fantasy and to those looking for books that center refugees and diverse narratives.
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