It’s a new Spotlight week, and WOW, do we have some great ones! All titles have been added to the Canva presentations. Since today is the last Tuesday of February, the Canva presentations for February are now complete. I do not plan to add any new titles to the Canva presentations, which are all linked in each section below.
Next week, we will start the new month with 3 new Canva presentations of the new books!
But first, some highlights from this week’s list:
Canva presentation of New Release Spotlight for all of February (YA books)
Click the link above, save a copy in your own Canva account, and edit from there. Canva presentation links for middle grades and picture books are included in those sections below.
Author: Emily J. Taylor
Genre: dark fantasy, mystery
Setting: three fantasy worlds called Leyland, Inverly, and Barrow; the three worlds are connected by "Written Doors"
Themes: identity, justice, truth vs. deception, false accusations, legacy, belonging, power of writing, magic, found family, resilience, scriptomancy ( magic that uses inked words), worldbuilding
Protagonist: female, age 18, white, red hair
Recommended for: Grades 7+
Starred reviews: SLJ, Kirkus, Booklist, Publishers Weekly
The Otherwhere Post clocks in at 416 pages and includes intricate fantasy worldbuilding. This is best for strong readers who love fantasy worlds (I can think of several students I would give this to). It got four starred professional reviews and would make an excellent choice for a fantasy genre book club.
SUMMARY: A letter claiming her father’s innocence shatters Maeve Abenthy’s carefully hidden life, sending her to the Otherwhere Post, where magic and writing intertwine.
Disguised as an apprentice, she seeks the truth about her father’s past while dodging those who want secrets buried. As danger mounts, Maeve uncovers dark mysteries, forbidden magic, and unexpected allies.
Author: Tony Keith, Jr.
Genre: poetry, memoir
Themes: identity, toxic masculinity, police violence, racism, prejudice, generational trauma, liberation, self-discovery, Black masculinity, LGBT+, healing through language
Protagonist: Black male narrator
Recommended for: Grades 9-12
Starred reviews: Publishers Weekly
Notes: Includes black and white illustrations.
Give this poetry memoir to teen readers who love All Boys Aren’t Blue (Johnson), Punching the Air (Zoboi), or Dear Martin (Stone).
SUMMARY: In this powerful poetry collection, Keith reclaims the label “knucklehead” to affirm the strength and resilience of Black boys and men often marginalized by society. Combining memoir, inspiration, and the healing power of language, Keith explores topics like toxic masculinity, police violence, and his personal journey as a Black gay youth.
Author: Taylor Robin
Genre: graphic fiction, thriller, supernatural, horror
Setting: early 20th Century; onboard a luxurious cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean
Themes: cruises, boats, vampires, survival, social class, evil plans, secrets, capitalism, greed
Protagonist: two best friends who live on a luxury ocean liner; one is teen female, Indian; the other is teen male, white
Recommended for: Grades 8-12
Starred reviews: Booklist and Publishers Weekly
SUMMARY: Neeta and Emery dream of their futures aboard the SS Lark, but the ship’s new owner, Mr. Honeycutt, has terrifying plans. As first-class passengers transform into something inhuman, vampire investigator Wick Farley must uncover the truth—before an insatiable hunger for power consumes them all.
Canva presentation – February 2025 – Middle Grade New Releases
Click the link above, save a copy in your own Canva account, and edit from there. Canva presentation links for middle grades and picture books are included in those sections below.
Author: Gordon Korman
Genre: realistic fiction, humor
Setting: small town, mainly at a middle school and a retirement village
Themes: individuality, belonging, flaws in the education system, intergenerational friendships, nonsensical rules, homeschooling, old fashioned good manners, war veterans, trouble at school
Protagonist: male, age 12, white
Recommended for: Grades 4-8
Starred reviews: Publishers Weekly
I missed this new middle grade title from Gordon Korman back in January, but I definitely want to include it on Spotlight list! I love the commentary about nonsensical school rules in this book. For example, the protagonist faces expulsion when he tries to fix a school vending machine with a Swiss army knife.
SUMMARY: Twelve-year-old Dexter has been homeschooled for six years by the elderly residents of The Pines Retirement Village, where he lives with his grandmother.
When a truant officer forces him to attend middle school, his old-fashioned habits make him an outsider until a strict zero-tolerance rule gets him suspended. As his classmates rally in protest, Dexter must decide where he truly belongs.
Author: Meredith McClaren
Illustrator: Jamie Green
Genre: graphic fiction, magical realism
Setting: bakery
Themes: cooking, magic, friendship, desserts, recipes, death of a loved one (aunt), grief, loss, family businesses, kids with jobs
Protagonist: tween female, white; her best friend is Korean and gender nonconforming
Recommended for: Grades 2-7
Starred reviews: Kirkus
Notes: Includes recipes.
SUMMARY: Emily, her mom, and her aunt, who can magically bake emotions into the desserts sold at their family bakery, have a rule against baking bad feelings; but when Aunt Gina is killed in a car accident, Emily bakes her grief into a crumble and discovers the reason behind the rule.
Author: Aubrey Hartman
Genre: animal fantasy
Setting: a cozy realm called Deadwood Forest, where is it perpetually autumn
Themes: afterlife, death, feeling unworthy, self-acceptance, fear of the unknown, compassion, loneliness, grief, healing, foxes, badgers
Protagonist: undead silver-tailed fox that guides souls to the afterlife
Recommended for: Grades 3-8
Starred reviews: Booklist, Publishers Weekly, BCCB, and Kirkus
FOUR starred reviews for this new middle grade animal fantasy from the author of The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor (2023).
The plot summary is easy to explain, making this a great choice for upper-elementary and middle school booktalks. Give this to fans of Foxheart (Legrand), 2016) or The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Barnhill, 2018).
SUMMARY: In Deadwood Forest, undead fox Clare serves as an Usher, guiding souls to their afterlives. His routine is disrupted when a persistent badger named Gingersnipes repeatedly returns, unable to find her place.
As Clare uncovers a prophecy about his own fate and grapples with his past, he must confront his fears, his loneliness, and the possibility of change.
Author: Maryrose Wood
Illustrator: Giulia Ghigini
Genre: animal stories, adventure, chapter book
Setting: cozy seaside cottage
Themes: friendship, badgers, seagulls, missing friend, stepping outside one's comfort zone
Protagonist: anthropomorphic badger
Recommended for: Grades 1-5
Starred reviews: Kirkus and Booklist
Notes: Includes pencil drawings.
A great choice for readers who love the Frog and Toad series (Lobel), Skunk and Badger (Timberlake), or The Wind in the Willows (Grahame).
SUMMARY: Septimus, a badger who feels out of place due to his love of opera, seaside living, and his spotted snout, finds comfort in his friendship with a seagull named Gully.
When Gully mysteriously disappears, Septimus must step outside his comfort zone to find his friend – and embrace his true self.
Canva presentation – February 2025 – Picture Books New Releases
Click the link above, save a copy in your own Canva account, and edit from there. Canva presentation links for middle grades and picture books are included in those sections below.
Author: Carole Lindstrom
Illustrator: Aly McKnight
Genre: historical fiction, picture book
Setting: early 1880s, Central USA prairies
Themes: Indigenous culture, Native Americans, buffalo, hunting, life on the prairie, First Nations, US history
Protagonist: young female, Métis-Ojibwe, and her family
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Starred reviews: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Booklist
If you have readers who love the Little House books, they will love this picture book! It tells the other side of the story…one about Native Americans who hunted buffalo on the prairie and how the white settlers affected their lives.
SUMMARY: After days of no buffalo sightings, Rose, a young Metis-Ojibwe girl, defies instructions to stay at camp, dons her father’s wolf skin, and successfully tracks a herd of buffalo.
Author: Caroline McAlister
Illustrator: Jamie Green
Genre: picture book biography
Setting: California, USA and a Japanese internment camp in Arkansas, USA; 1940s
Themes: Japanese internment camps, prison camps, WWII, Pearl Harbor, artists, sculptors,
Protagonist: Ruth Asawa (1926-2013), a female wire sculptor, Japanese American
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 6
Starred reviews: Kirkus, BCCB, and Booklist
SUMMARY: Ruth Asawa, a Japanese American artist, grew up navigating invisible cultural lines. When she is imprisoned in an incarceration camp during WWII, she discovers her love for art.
Author: Linda Sue Park
Genre: picture book
Setting: one day from waking up to bedtime; home, school, neighborhood
Themes: identity, community, inclusion, wonder, noticing small details of life, observation, empathy, kindness, compassion
Protagonist: young child, East Asian; secondary characters present with diverse skin tones
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Starred reviews: SLJ and Publishers Weekly
Pair this rhyming, rhythmic picture book with Eyes That Kiss in the Corners (Ho, 2021) or They All Saw a Cat (Wenzel, 2016).
SUMMARY: A young child explores their vibrant community, noticing how eyes express emotions, connect people, and help them experience the world.
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