New Release Spotlight: November 25, 2025

As it’s Thanksgiving week, there are only a handful of new books releasing this week. To make the Spotlight a little more robust, I have added a couple of titles that didn’t make the Spotlight earlier in November.

Next week’s Spotlight will be the last of 2025! There are very few titles released in December, so as I do every year, I will write only one Spotlight for all of December.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

With World War II on their doorstep, the children of Greenwich, England, are being evacuated. But on the train meant to take them to safety, four of them decide they aren’t ready to leave home. They climb out the carriage window just in time, forging an unlikely friendship.

With their school taken over by the fire service, they spend their days trying to be useful. Lawrence is building a secret machine. Gemmy searches bombed-out homes for things of value―only to find an adorable mutt she can’t even give away. Franklin wants to join the fire service, even if it means lying about his age. Olive looks after her father, haunted by the deaths of his fellow firemen.

Together, the four friends roam the streets of London, discovering their resilience amongst the secrets of the city. But as the Blitz unleashes a barrage of bombs, turning the sky ragged with flame, can they keep one another safe?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

At sixteen, Kyra is still haunted by the horrors she saw growing up with her drug-addicted mother. She doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere—and disturbing dreams come to her at night.

When a new party drug makes its way to her high school, Kyra’s life becomes an actual nightmare. A video challenge spreads among the students—and though she doesn’t participate, Kyra can’t escape the inexplicable side effects.

Everyone around her seems to be mysteriously changing, including the people she loves the most. Her brother has a new personality overnight. Her best friend suddenly feels like a stranger. The only other person who seems to notice the eeriness is Logan, the new boy at school. Like Kyra, he has steered clear of the party scene.

When the strangeness begins to feel sinister—or unnatural—Kyra is determined to find out exactly what is behind the mysterious drug. As she and Logan get closer to the truth, the line between Kyra’s past and present blurs . . . and she will need to face the terrors inside herself, or lose everyone she loves.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

For most of the year, Summer reigns peacefully over Alderland. Then, for six brutal weeks, Winter rages, obliterating towns and wreaking casualties. Magicians bond with powerful wands of Summer to defend the nation, a duty that costs many their lives.

Domenic Barrow never wanted such responsibility—but destiny hasn’t granted him a choice. The greatest Summer wand has awakened for the first time in a century, warning that an icy cataclysm looms on the horizon. And despite his reputation as the least suited of his classmates, the wand Chooses Domenic to wield it.

Ellery Caldwell spent years striving to be a perfect Summer magician—and burying her fears of her own power. But her worst suspicions are proven true when she accidentally creates the first ever Winter wand.

Now, as the unprecedented Chosen Two, Domenic and Ellery must thwart the oncoming cataclysm together. And in trying to fulfill their destinies, they wonder if they were brought together for a second fate: to fall in love.

Until they discover the unthinkable truth. The Chosen Two aren’t fated allies, but eternal rivals, and the only way to save their home is for one of them to slay the other.

This is no love story. It’s a tragedy.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Eighteen-year-old Cam bounces between houses in Texas and Scotland and has always thought that’s why she doesn’t feel at home in either place.

A recent Autism diagnosis followed by a fight with her mothers adds an extra layer of real-life stress, only amplifying her struggle to belong. However, things take an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with members of the Otherworld deep in a Scottish forest.

With the Gaelic wisdom from her Granaidh (Grandma), Cam understands that she has been noticed by the Fair Folk, and that this means that her life is suddenly in grave danger.

Cam must make a choice: face the danger or join the Others and never see her family again. With her human ties fraying even further, the allure of the Others’ acceptance tugs at Cam’s heart, but is she ready to say goodbye to her family forever?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Did you know there is an entire ecosystem right beneath our feet? Have you ever heard of the “poop loop”? This graphic nonfiction title will both educate and excite young readers about the wonders (and creepiness!) of animals that live underground, including worms, beetles, armadillos, badgers, and even the tiniest of protozoa.

Author and illustrator Lindsey Leigh continues her popular and humorous trilogy by introducing critters of all sizes in this fact-filled book about the dirt-dwelling creatures that contribute to the soil food web and are crucial to the health of the world. Join her on this graphic and grimy deep dive into The Dirt!

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Here’s something to remember: Even a rug can be a precious thing.

One morning, a young boy is woken up early by his grandmother. It’s time to make a new rug for the family. Together, they wash and dye the wool. When it’s time to knot the threads, the young boy grows nervous.

He wants to make it perfect. But why aren’t the colors right? And why can’t he weave as swiftly as his grandmother?