New Release Spotlight: November 18, 2025

It’s another “chill” week of new book releases! This slow-down in new book releases is normal for mid-November.

Some of the titles this week were actually released earlier this month. Sometimes, I have to keep my eye on books I think look amazing because my most vital criteria for the Spotlight is that every book have at least two positive professional reviews in Titlewave.

Some libraries require two positive professional reviews in order to add books to the collection, so it’s an important requirement that I adhere to closely.

Sometimes though, there is only one review in Titlewave when the book is published. When this happens, I check back on certain books for another couple of weeks in case another review pops up. This week was already pretty small for new releases, so I added some early-November releases to round it out.

I’m still planning to release a Spotlight next Tuesday, but it will likely be short. There is at least one new elementary graphic nonfiction title that needs a mention!

This week’s titles are #4957-4966 on The Ginormous Booklist.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

This collection of unforgettable and uncanny stories could only come from the mind of award winner Neal Shusterman. Compiled for the first time in one epic volume, these stories both classic and brand-new will stretch your imagination from terror to the sublime and back again.

Explore a world where bats block out the sun, where soup is a trap for your soul, or where the life-force of a glacier can bring back the dead. Journey to a place where the wind can be captured, time can be crafted into infinite attic space, or a hot tub can house an ancient monster. And revisit the Arc of the Scythe universe for two all-new tales of gleaning.

In this collection, the only thing that is truly certain is nothing is certain.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Morgan “Moose” Shaker barely survived the fire that killed her fathers in their beloved roller rink in small-town Utah. Now she has to move to Portland, Oregon to live with her much older half sister, Eden.

Eden’s doing her best, but she’s hardly ready to be a parent to a sixteen-year-old she hasn’t seen in years. Plus, barely-out-of-the-closet Moose worries that she’s not ready for super-affirming, rainbow-flags-everywhere Portland. Her anxiety and frustration are at peak levels.

Fortunately, Moose finds an outlet for her emotions and a surprising group of friends in roller derby. Her teammates help her grieve her dads and confront her queer imposter syndrome. And even though it’s against league rules, she might be falling for a teammate.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Fallon is a fixer. From planning prom to organizing her college applications, she’s got it all figured out…except for when her younger sister comes to her with very basic questions about sex. Shocked that she knows so little—and her fellow classmates even less—Fallon decides some practical education is in order. And Fallon isn’t above practicing a little civil disobedience by creating a secret underground off-campus group.

Shelby is a fighter. Having her nose broken is nothing new in her semiprofessional career…but this time it’s her boyfriend who threw the punch. Now her phone is blowing up with texts from a new guy who tells her she’s perfect, she’s special, she’s everything he’s ever wanted…except for a few small details. Shelby’s happy to adjust for him, because isn’t that what a healthy relationship is about?

Jobie is a failure. She doesn’t have enough followers and her posts never go viral, no matter how hard she crushes challenges and applies exactly the right filter. But a friendly DM from a good girl just like her points her in the direction of a whole new audience of admirers. Guys who just want to talk. Guys who give her the attention she’s always wanted. 

The lives of all three girls intersect in Fallon’s secret class, rumors of which have parents up in arms. Fallon needs to keep herself anonymous, Shelby needs to keep her new boyfriend happy, and Jobie needs to keep her followers…who keep asking for more. Each girl finds herself trapped in an inescapable situation—that will leave one of them dead. 

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Hattie Murphy thinks the universe hates her.

She has a secret: she has the same genetic eye disease as her father and is slowly going blind, just like he did. Nobody knows. Not her friends. Not her family. As if that weren’t hard enough, Hattie’s good friend Mason drowns unexpectedly, leaving their friend group shattered.

After Mason’s death, Hattie isn’t ready to let go. There are too many things left unsaid between them. But while it’s hard for her to find her seat in the dim light of the church at Mason’s funeral, Hattie finds that she can see something no one else can: Mason’s ghost. And when he speaks, teasing her the way he always did, it’s clear their chemistry hasn’t changed. Sometimes, when Mason visits her, Hattie can pretend that everything is how it used to be.

But the longer Hattie keeps her secrets, the harder it is to deny the truth. Her eyesight is getting worse, and she’s mourning not just Mason, but the life she thought she’d have. Hattie’s sick of being told that the only way to heal is to move on…because how can she move on if it means losing Mason forever?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Aerimanders are extinct. Or so the government would have you think. Centuries ago, the Kingdom of Glaucus decreed the destruction of these dangerous, dragon-like creatures whose deadly flame could level entire cities and upend world orders.

But when twelve-year-old Eva Alexander, a wealthy chemistry student in the city of Porttown, walks into a fashionable department store and walks out (accidentally) with the world’s last aerimander egg, everything changes. Suddenly, Eva is the target of unwanted attention—including from the Thieves’ Union, a mysterious organization with a rebellious streak and fingers in every pie in Porttown. The Union orders its youngest member, the orphaned dairy delivery boy Dusty St. Ichabod, to steal the egg from Eva. Which is far easier said than done.

When Eva and Dusty meet one autumn night under extraordinary circumstances, an epic game of cat and mouse unfolds across the Kingdom.

Initially at odds, the unlikely pair must come together to navigate a maze of sinister crime syndicates, elite boarding schools, and an incredibly slow getaway pony named Gourd—all while fighting to keep the egg out of the hands of power-hungry Eoin Parnassus, Director of Kingdom Secrets.

As the duo races against time, their fates and that of the whole world are at stake. Because there’s one question no one dares to ask: What happens when the egg hatches?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

A sudden roaring noise rips through the twilight. When the silence returns, a father toad is left lying on the pavement. Gathering his last ounces of strength, he carries his eggs to the salvation of a nearby pond―and from the only unharmed egg hatches an orphan tadpole, Alyte.

Barely born and already a survivor, Alyte is forced to escape from birds, bears, and other gods of the river.

Along the way, however, he encounters new friends in nature, each of whom teaches him about the world in their own way, awakening him to all of its beauties.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Seventh grader Bag loves to read. It doesn’t come easy to her, thanks to her dyslexia, but she’s determined, and she spends every afternoon after school at the library. It’s a ritual she refuses to miss.

Then a new career opportunity for her mother means Bag will no longer have a ride to her cherished library. Instead, Bag will have to wait for a ride at school. With her sister, Minerva. At cheerleading practice.

Bag is uncoordinated and completely uninterested in school spirit. But she is curious about what her sister has been hiding. Minerva has been acting stranger than usual, and Bag has been noticing.

So while cheerleading practice may be the last place Bag wants to be, she’s going to use her time wisely and get to the bottom of Minerva’s secrets.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Art is for everyone! From found objects to sidewalk chalk, from homemade instruments to breakdancing, from building with blocks to molding clay, art is natural and healing.

Readers will be encouraged by the invitation to create anything, anywhere, with any materials.

Inclusive and expansive, Ejaita portrays a wide cast of characters exploring their own feelings and ideas, accompanied by a poignant, yet easily understood, text.

This deceptively simple and stunningly composed picture book offers children a sense of what art can be, and the ways in which it adds beauty to our lives.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

I have a tricycle. Daddy has a big car. And Mama has a Mama Car.
 
Mama’s wheelchair can take you on adventures, big and small. Even going to the kitchen for breakfast might become an exciting expedition.

But the very best part about the Mama Car is…it has Mama! And she’s always there when you need her.

This sweet story from writer and wheelchair user Lucy Catchpole and illustrator Karen George portrays a mother’s wheelchair as a wonderfully normal part of family life.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Many, many years ago, a man was immensely curious about the sky, his curiosity as big as the sky itself. He would spend all day looking up, his eyes reflecting clouds or stars.

But as time went on, his gaze was brought to earth, and he joined his neighbors in looking down, putting one foot in front of the other—until the passing days became a mysterious labyrinth that opened before him, leading him somewhere secret.

With the power of a myth and the finesse of a watercolor, Look Up opens up the worlds within worlds that only careful attention can reveal.

Award-winning author and artist Azul López welcomes us into subtle and immersive acrylic paintings in a tale of wonder lost and found, and of the courage required to turn one’s gaze in another direction.