Melissa McAvoy

Milford, Kate. Rialto. Clarion, 04/2026. 480pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-1-3284-6691-4. GRADES 4–6. HIGH ADDITIONAL.           Milford, the author of the Greenglass House series, returns with a new mystery aimed at older middle-grade readers. Sisters Ivy, age [continue reading]

Andres, Silvia Romeral. Mina and the Monster. Silvia Romeral Andres, Illus. Charlesbridge, 10/2026. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $17.99. 978-1-62354-664-9. GRADES Kindergarten–1. ADDITIONAL. The storyteller’s tale of the monster in the forest does not scare Mina, [continue reading]

Sheinkin, Steve. Mind vs. Machine: The Chess Match that Changed the World. Thien Pham, Illus. Addl. Creator Maurice Ashley. Roaring Brook, 09/2026. 240pp. Graphic. PLB $22.99. 978-1-250-33477-0. Paper $14.99. 978-1-250-33476-3. GRADES 4–9. HIGH ADDITIONAL.            For [continue reading]

Martín, Pedro. Mexikid Dreams: A Graphic Memoir. Pedro Martín, Illus. Dial, 09/2026. 320pp. Graphic. PLB $24.99. 979-8-2170-0248-1. Paper $14.99. 979-8-2170-0249-8. GRADES 4–8. OUTSTANDING.      The 1971 San Fernando earthquake uproots Pedro’s family, forcing them north to [continue reading]

Hardinge, Frances. Traitors’ Nest. Amulet, 09/2026. 400pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-1-4197-9414-8. GRADES 6–11. OUTSTANDING.             Otherworldly lords, vying for power, move pieces on a board; in the real-world castles jump, upending lives. Fifteen-year-old Burr, his family and friends, made desperate by seasons of cruelty and lies, [continue reading]

Michno, Maciej. Still Water: The Wonders of Ponds, Pools, Wetlands, and More. Valentina Gottardi, Illus. Addl. Creators Danio Miserocchi. Translated from the Italian by Sylvia Notini. Eerdman’s, 08/2026. 64pp. Nonfiction. Trade $18.99. 978-0-8028-5659-3. GRADES 4–6. OUTSTANDING.     Still waters have a bad rap as places where diseases, pests and smells [continue reading]

Stead, Philip Christian. Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic: Or, Like Lightning in an Umbrella Storm, A: A Story Out of Order. Philip Christian Stead, Illus. Holiday House/Neal Porter, 04/2026. 319pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-08-2345809-7. GRADES 3–7. OUTSTANDING.      Like the unusual title itself, this [continue reading]

Stratton, L.S. Sundown Girls. Penguin Random House/Nancy Paulsen, 01/2026. 320pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 979-8-2170-0494-2. GRADES 7–9. HIGH ADDITIONAL.         Kidnapped as a baby, sixteen-year-old Naomi must come to terms with her childhood trauma and new family dynamics during an ill-fated bonding trip with her biological family. [continue reading]