Our Graphic Novel Preview series invites readers to look inside new graphic novels! This month, we’re highlighting a futuristic middle grade graphic novel, The Space Cat by Nnedi Okarafor and illustrated by Tana Ford—on sale August 12th!
Look inside The space cat→Browse all of our May new releases, including new picture books, middle grade, young adult, adult, graphic novels, and paperback books!
Watch our MacKids School & Library Fall 2025 Preview Event, where we previewed upcoming picture books, middle grade, young adult, and adult titles! You’ll hear from talented creators Kevin Maillard and Rafael López (And They Walk On), Craig Kofi Farmer (A Method for Magic and Misfortune), and Deborah Heiligman (Loudmouth: Emma Goldman vs. America (A Love Story)).
Plus, author María Dolores Águila introduced her middle grade debut novel in verse, A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez, based on the true story of one child’s courage to stand against segregation. You’ll also hear from the Newbery Medalist and bestselling author Rebecca Stead! She was in conversation discussing her new fast-paced coming-of-age novel (with aliens!), The Experiment, which asks universal questions about how we figure out who we want to be, and whether it’s ever too late to change.
And, don’t miss our exclusive cover reveal of a new book by Newbery Honoree and #1 New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Warga!
The Song of Orphan’s Garden
By Nicole M. Hewitt
Ages 8-12
On Sale Now!
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Combining the gentleness of Miyazaki, the wintry wonderland of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and the whimsicality of Newbery winner The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Nicole M. Hewitt’s debut middle-grade novel, The Song of Orphan’s Garden, is an enchanting fantasy tale with all the makings of a new classic.
In an arctic world that’s getting colder every day, Lyriana’s only hope of survival is to get her little brother Zave and herself to the fabled Orphan’s Garden. It’s rumored to be the one place in the world not controlled by deadly Winter Spirits or ruled by the tyrant Giant king. In Orphan’s Garden, healing trees will melt away Winter’s pains, and Lyriana and Zave can live safely in the warmth of Spring. If the garden exists, they must find it. They won’t live much longer without it.
Brob, a Giant boy, also needs sanctuary. When the Giant king banishes his family to the Winter Blight, it’s a death sentence. Orphan’s Garden is his family’s only hope, and as far as Brob’s concerned, it belongs to him. After all, he was the one who accidentally used an ancient magic to grow the garden years ago. He has no intention of sharing his haven with pesky humans, who will just use up its magic and ruin it.
When it becomes clear that Orphan’s Garden is in danger of being destroyed, Lyriana and Brob are the only ones who can save it—but only if they can put the ages-old battle between Humans and Giants aside and find a way to work together.
dOWNLOAD THE dISCUSSION gUIDE FOR The song of orphan’s garden hERE →
Onyx & Beyond
By Amber McBride
Ages 8-12
On Sale Now!
A National Council of Teachers of English Notable Verse Novel
Praised as “a story of perseverance and love” in a starred review by Kirkus, here is a story about keeping dreams alive.
Onyx lives with his mother, who is showing signs of early-onset dementia. He doesn’t want to bring attention to his home — if Child Protective Services finds out, they’ll put him into foster care.
As he’s trying to keep his life together, the Civil Rights Movement is accelerating. Is there anywhere that’s safe for a young Black boy? Maybe, if only Onyx can fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut and exploring space, where none of these challenges will follow him. In the meantime, Onyx can dream. And try to get his mom the help she needs.
Based on her own father’s story of growing up in the 1960s and facing the same challenge with his own mother, award winner Amber McBride delivers another affecting depiction of being young and Black in America.
dOWNLOAD THE EDUCATOR’S GUIDE FOR ONyx & beyond hERE →
Browse a catalog of our state award winners and nominees for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 and add these books to your TBR! Highlights include:
Click the image below to browse!
These books for kids and teens sensitively deal with tough topics and big emotions. Perfect for SEL units, these stories normalize mental health issues, promote the importance of self-care, and provide more resources for young readers who are struggling to process big emotions like anger, sadness, anxiety, and loss. Share these stories with young readers to let them know they are not alone.
Find books for Mental Health Awareness Month here →
Together, a Forest: Drawing Connections Between Nature’s Diversity and Our Own
By Roz MacLean
Ages 4-8
On Sale Now!
Explore a forest with a curious classroom in this breathtaking new picture book by the author of the beloved More Than Words, and experience the essential beauty of diversity in humanity and nature.
Joy and her peers are eager to visit a nearby forest for a class trip. But Joy’s excitement quickly turns into anxiety when she is asked to choose one thing in the area for a school assignment.
Seeing her classmates connecting with the natural environment, Joy discovers how each of their choices reflect the ways they relate to and interact with the world.
Together, a Forest begins as an exciting journey into nature and blossoms into a meditation on how our unique personalities and ways of being help create a more vibrant and beautiful world. The forest reveals that everyone—including those of us with disabilities and neurodivergence—belong to nature. There is no one right way for a mind, body, or person to be.
Perfect for classrooms and home libraries with accessible social-emotional and STEM themes, this picture book highlights the importance of interdependence, inclusion and celebrating diversity in our communities.
dOWNLOAD THE Activity Kit FOR Together, a Forest →
Odder: An Otter’s Story by Katherine Applegate; illustrated by Charles Santoso
Ages 3 to 6
A stunning picture book from acclaimed author Katherine Applegate, adapted from the #1 bestselling middle-grade novel that spent over 52 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list!
Odder spends her days playing underwater and learning life lessons from her mother. But when Odder’s life takes a dramatic turn, she is rescued by humans. The people are kind, and introduce Odder to other rescues. Soon, it’s clear that Odder has a talent for teaching other pups how to otter. Adapted from Katherine Applegate’s bestselling novel of the same name (with over 80 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list!), and inspired by the true story of a program that pairs orphaned otter pups.
Continue reading
Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe
By Steve Sheinkin
Ages 12-18
On Sale Now!
A Sydney Taylor Honor Book
From three-time National Book Award finalist and Newbery Honor author Steve Sheinkin, a true story of two Jewish teenagers racing against time during the Holocaust—one in hiding in Hungary, and the other in Auschwitz, plotting escape.
It is 1944. A teenager named Rudolf (Rudi) Vrba has made up his mind. After barely surviving nearly two years in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, he knows he must escape. Even if death is more likely.
Rudi has learned the terrible secret hidden behind the heavily guarded fences of concentration camps across Nazi-occupied Europe: the methodical mass killing of Jewish prisoners. As trains full of people arrive daily, Rudi knows that the murders won’t stop until he reveals the truth to the world—and that each day that passes means more lives are lost.
Lives like Rudi’s schoolmate Gerta Sidonová. Gerta’s family fled from Slovakia to Hungary, where they live under assumed names to hide their Jewish identity. But Hungary is beginning to cave under pressure from German Nazis. Her chances of survival become slimmer by the day.
The clock is ticking. As Gerta inches closer to capture, Rudi and his friend Alfred Wetzler begin their crucial steps towards an impossible escape.
This is the true story of one of the most famous whistleblowers in the world, and how his death-defying escape helped save over 100,000 lives.
dOWNLOAD THE EDUCATOR’S GUIDE FOR IMPOSSIBLE ESCAPE hERE →
