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From the Editors We’ve collected some of our most-clicked-on articles from the season for you to enjoy. We’ll be back next Thursday, September 10, with plenty of news, reviews, interviews, and more of your favorite features. Happy reading, and enjoy the holiday!
In the Spotlight
 Fall 2026 Writers to WatchWe showcase the authors of three of the season’s most promising children’s and YA debuts. Their globe-spanning offerings feature an Indigenous teen bent on justice, a headstrong tween weightlifter, and a young man who becomes enthralled by the cryptic message on a dead influencer’s phone. more   Middle Grade Novels Get a Glow-Up Sprayed edges—better-known as the province of deluxe YA and adult fantasy editions—are making a colorful splash in middle grade. Publishers are giving stories for tweens premium design treatments in an effort to make books feel like objects worth coveting at a moment when the category continues to search for new readers. more  Reality Check: New YA Books Spark Awareness, Activism, and EmpathyThis year, teen fiction across a range of genres is poised to ignite conversations about the justice system, climate change, gun violence, and other timely issues. more  Authors Weigh In on Wilder’s ‘Little House’—Then and NowIn light of the new Netflix series based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books, already renewed for a second season, PW spoke with a trio of children’s authors about their connections to the controversial classic, and their hopes or concerns for the adaptation. more Roundup
 Summer Reads 2026For your last-minute beach reading, our editors' summer picks for children and teens include playful picture books, mesmerizing middle grade, and yearning young adult reads from debut and seasoned creators. more
Looking Ahead
 Children's Books for Fall: All Our CoverageOur editors sifted through thousands of submissions to highlight the season’s most noteworthy new releases, including playful riffs on established works, exciting team-ups, and anticipated returns from award-winning creators. more Book News
 New E.B. White Picture Book Continues Author’s Legacy Posthumous children’s book The Duck Can’t Sleep (Quill Tree, Sept.), based on an original poem by the late writer, features illustrations by Caldecott Honor artist Melissa Sweet and expands White’s menagerie of animal characters. more   First Look: ‘The Clockwork Menagerie’Eric and Terry Fan, the acclaimed Toronto-based duo who write and illustrate as the Fan Brothers, consider big environmental themes and human folly in their forthcoming picture book, due March 30, 2027, from Tundra. more  First Look: ‘Hope in a Classroom’National Book Award–winning author Imani Perry turns her knack for bringing history alive to a middle grade audience in her children’s debut, due out from Norton Young Readers in January 2027. more  Game On: Jennifer Lynn Barnes Closes Out Her ‘Inheritance Games’ UniverseWe spoke with the author about bringing her popular YA series, and its suspenseful spinoffs, to a grand finish in The Gilded Blade, out now from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. more  How ‘Rebecca’ by Kate Beaton Got MadeWe take a look at how the concept and art came together for Beaton's hauntingly tender picture book, which features luminous gouache and watercolor paintings by Hans Christian Andersen Award winner Sydney Smith. more
On the Scene
 This Summer, the Moomins Are Taking the New York Botanical Garden by Storm NYBG is bringing Finnish author-illustrator Tove Jansson’s idyllic Moominvalley to the real world with its Summer of Moomin exhibition, on view through September 13. It’s the latest example of the recent resurgence that Jansson’s creations have seen in the U.S. more  ‘Ed Young’s Bright Worlds’: Creating a Retrospective ExhibitionThe late Caldecott Medalist’s picture book art is the subject of an illuminating exhibit at the Museum of Chinese in America, located on New York City’s Lower East Side, open through September 13. more First Person
 R.J. Palacio on Her Lifelong Connection to the ‘Odyssey’The author of the bestselling middle grade novel Wonder reflects on the enduring power of Homer’s epic tale—newly adapted for the big screen—and why Greek mythology continues to captivate readers and writers alike. more  Julian Randall on Poetry, Basketball, and the Magic of Both The children's author discusses tapping into everyday wonder in his new middle grade novel, Shook (Holt), which marks a transition from writing fantasy to contemporary realism in verse. more  Rex Ogle on Missing School and Healing from the Hidden Shame Behind It The Printz Honor author and YALSA Nonfiction Award winner reflects on his new mixed-media middle grade novel, Absent, illustrated by LJ-Baptiste (Norton Young Readers, Sept.), and the complex issues surrounding school absenteeism. more In Conversation
 ‘Sex and Drugs and Race and Class’: David Levithan and Gabriel DuckelsIn their new YA nonfiction book, The Fight of Our Lives (Knopf), Lambda Literary Award–winning author David Levithan (l.) and scholar Gabriel Duckels provide an in-depth account of the AIDS crisis in the U.S., weaving together primary source interviews, historical and medical research, and key cultural moments. more  Past, Present, Future: Traci N. Todd and Vashti Harrison Sibert Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor author Todd (l.) and Caldecott Medalist Harrison discuss their new picture book collaboration, That You Are Here Is No Small Thing (Viking, Sept.), a poetic exploration of the history of Black Americans. more  ‘Let’s Sculpt This Together’: Matthew Burgess and Matthew ForsytheCall it a meeting of the Matthews: we brought together Matthew Burgess (l.), author of the 2026 Caldecott winner Fireworks, and acclaimed book creator Matthew Forsythe to talk about their new picture book, If the Moon (Stonefruit Studio), a spare, incantatory bedtime reverie. more Interviews
 Writing Out Loud: Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton We spoke with the prolific mother-daughter duo about their new picture book, Shy (Abrams), inspired by Andrews’s real-life poodle, who had a hidden talent for music to match her owner’s. more  With ‘Heartstopper Forever,’ Alice Oseman Writes Their Happy Ending In the last decade, the author-illustrator’s Heartstopper webcomic has evolved into a hit graphic novel series and TV show that have inspired LGBTQ+ teens around the world. Now, they’re saying goodbye with the final volume and film. more  ‘You Keep Learning’: Rajani LaRocca The author and physician has three children’s titles forthcoming in 2026, including her YA debut, Such Great Heights (Quill Tree). We spoke with LaRocca about pivoting to YA and showing care as a doctor and writer. more  ‘Living in a Parallel Universe’: Jen St. JudeThe author follows up their debut, If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come, with a new time-bending speculative YA novel, Where You’ll Find Us, centering queer community. more  Together, Apart: Jaque JoursWe spoke with the Mexican author and illustrator—and designer of this year's Brooklyn Book Festival poster—about her solo picture book debut, The Muéganos, inspired by her search for autonomy within a big family. more Out Next Week
 New Kids’ and YA Books: Week of September 7, 2026Among the books hitting shelves next week are a picture book appreciation for eels, a middle grade novel about bickering sisters navigating a dangerous snowstorm, a dual timeline YA novel about two teens and their relationship to Cuba, and more. more
Rights Report
 Justin Chanda at Simon & Schuster has acquired Siobhan Vivian’s The Boys of Wildhaven, a darkly romantic thriller pitched as a YA version of The Sopranos, following a love triangle between the bad boy son of a mafia dynasty, the strait-laced son of a local cop, and a sheltered girl from the suburbs during a summer at the Jersey Shore when all three teens begin to see themselves—and their families—in a new light. Publication is planned for spring 2028; Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management did the six-figure deal for North American English language rights.  Allison Cohen at Running Press has bought world rights to The Blooming Year, a contemporary YA reimagining of The Secret Garden as evil, by Nikki Van De Car (The Invisible Wild). Publication is scheduled for fall 2027; Faith Lane at Sara Crowe Literary brokered the deal.  Callie Hansen at Shadow Mountain has acquired world English rights to A Heart Bound in Ivy by Ashley Bustamante, a cozy YA fantasy pitched as Ella Enchanted meets Howl's Moving Castle, about 18-year-old Ceryn, who is cursed to obey any command given to her, and the roguish wizard she enlists to help break the spell—only to discover he carries a dangerous curse of his own. Lisa Mangum will edit. Publication is slated for fall 2027; the author was unagented.  Janine O'Malley at Farrar, Straus & Giroux has bought North American rights to The Quicksilvers by Pari Thomson (Greenwild). This first book in a middle grade fantasy series centers around Quicksilver House, a magical sanctuary offering refuge to those in need, and Sam Quicksilver, who is drawn into a deadly mystery when he discovers that the fate of magic—and perhaps the world itself—may rest in his hands. Publication is set for fall 2027; Pete Knapp at Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management did the deal.  Jin Soo Chun at Atheneum has acquired A Missing Piece of Night by Amelia Giudici, a twisty middle grade speculative novel about a girl's search for her vanished mother, which leads her to a mysterious light above the ocean and a dark secret that forces her to uncover the truth about everything she thought she knew. Publication is planned for fall 2027; Liz White at Andersen Press negotiated the deal for North America and territories rights.  David Saylor at Scholastic and Emily Nguyen at Graphix have bought world rights to graphic novel Super Shy by City of Dragons co-creator Vivian Truong, pitched as a cross between Raina Telgemeier's Guts and Jerry Craft's New Kid. In the book, a painfully shy half-Chinese girl starting a new school must battle her anxious inner voice, and her fear of friendship, to find her people and the courage to be heard. Publication is scheduled for fall 2029; Mark Gottlieb at Trident Media Group brokered the deal.  Michelle Williams at Chicago Review Press has acquired world rights to Missing and Presumed Dead: The Search for an Extinct Giant Bee by Erin Teagan (The Friendship Experiment; Survivor Girl). This middle grade nonfiction work follows a team of scientists on an expedition to search for Wallace's giant bee, and the scientists and everyday people scouring the planet for the many plants and animals that haven't been seen for decades or centuries, before they are gone for good. Publication is slated for summer 2027; Marie Lamba at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency sold world rights.  Emily Feinberg at Fifth Color Press has bought world rights to Hello, Pumpkin! by Maria Gianferrari (l.), illustrated by Justine Gilbuena. This picture book is an autumnal celebration of how pumpkins, and kids, grow. Publication is set for spring 2028; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Aevitas Creative Management represented the author, and Molly O'Neill at Root Literary represented the illustrator.  Nicolás Ore-Giron at Fifth Color Press has acquired world rights to the picture book Attack of the Dust Bunnies by Kris DeCaro (l.), illustrated by Abigail Rajunov. The dust bunnies in Rowan's room are so floofy and adorable; surely such cute little bunnies couldn't be plotting anything evil, right? Publication is planned for winter 2028; Stephanie Winter at KO Media Management represented the author, and Aliza Hoover at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.  Cindy Loh at Scholastic has bought world English rights, at auction, to Australian picture book author-illustrator Anna McGregor's Dear Humans, We Stole Your Crayon, about two aliens who stumble upon a mysterious Earth artifact called a "crayon," that reads minds and transfers thoughts onto paper. Publication is set for summer 2027; Allison Hellegers at Stimola Literary Studio did the deal on behalf of Miriam Rosenbloom at Scribble in Australia.  Jennifer Stokes and Karen Boersma at Owlkids Books have acquired world rights to Linda Booth Sweeney's What to Do with a Harumph, a playful nonfiction picture book about the wild ways animals deal with stress, and what we can learn from them. Publication is scheduled for spring 2029; Janna Morishima at Janna Co. negotiated the deal. | ||||||
