New Release Spotlight: March 10, 2026

Last Friday, I attended my first event for librarians and teachers since 2014, and it was so much fun!

At the North Texas Teen Book Festival, I ran into five librarian friends that I also haven’t seen since at least 2014. I also hung out with some new reader friends from my new school district. And I got to hear from some of my favorite YA and MG authors, including Tiffany D. Jackson, Rex Ogle, Jarrett Krosoczka, Ellen Oh, Chanel Miller, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, and so many more!

I am now on the hunt for more book festivals in Texas – maybe the one in San Antonio in April? If you’ve been to that one and have feedback, please let me know!

Anyway, I am all energized with even more additions to my TBR, and once again, inspiration to try writing a middle grade novel myself. We’ll see…

This week’s Spotlight is pretty large – all three groups look great!

Canva presentation links are ready! Check your March 31, 2026 email from me, or get them immediately here.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Ramin Abbas has spent his whole life obeying his parents, his Imam, and, of course, Allah—no questions asked. But when he starts crushing on the ridiculously handsome captain of the soccer team, so many things he’d always been so sure about are becoming questions:

1. Music is haram. But what if the Wicked soundtrack is the only thing keeping you sane because you’re being forced to play on the soccer team? With Captain Handsome?!

2. A boy crush is double haram, and Ramin’s parents will never accept it. But can he really be the only Muslim on Earth who feels this way?

3. Allah is merciful and makes no mistakes. Then isn’t Ramin just the way Allah intended him to be?

And so why should living your truth but losing everything—or living a lie and losing yourself—have to be a choice?!

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

They came for our water, but they’ll settle for your blood.

On Fathom Fall‘s leaderboard, player Wyatt “DoctorDoctor” Docherty ranks at number three. In real life, he’s seen only as the privileged kid of head engineers at Hydrexo, the company that supplies 75% of North America’s water. He has easy access while others must line up to pay exorbitant prices at public water taps, and he feels totally useless.

To prove he’s more than a spoiled Water Baby, Wyatt wants to win the upcoming Fathom Fall competition and finally make a name for himself. But when he starts seeing Bluddites – the water-guzzling monsters from the game – in real life, Wyatt suspects that the tournament is about more than just prize money.

Wyatt wants to win, but as the tournament approaches, he starts to worry: Why won’t anyone tell them what’s really going on? Why would the game – the military, even – be training kids to hunt monsters for them? And how far is he willing to go to prove himself?

Set in a near-future, water-scarce Toronto, Fathom Fall is a high-octane speculative thrill ride that questions the ethics of new technology and how it defines our very reality.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Estela Morales is one of the only Latinas who tested into San Francisco’s most exclusive public high school. In her senior year, Estela just wants to keep her head down, eke out a passing grade from her racist Spanish teacher, and get into her dream college. 

But after placing second in the Latiné Heritage Poetry Contest behind a non-Latino student, Estela is thrust into citywide debates about merit, identity, and diversity.

Things only get messier when her family is threatened with eviction. As Estela’s friends organize against bigotry and her landlady increases the pressure, Estela is suffocating and finds release only in poetry and in a breathless new romance. When tensions finally reach their breaking point, Estela must find a way to undrown the community she loves—and herself.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Seventeen-year-old Eli was in a near-fatal car crash. As the anniversary looms, his therapist and his family struggle to help him deal with the fallout. The accident has left him emotionally numb, with no memory of the months following the crash.

Desperate to feel something again, Eli discovers a black market for people’s memories. Erased memories that others can watch via a virtual reality simulation.

When he enters the story of a boy called Jack, he discovers a dark truth…a mind-blowing secret that sets him on a dangerous journey that could lead his heart back to where it belongs, or shatter his life forever.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Tsultrim Dolma, born in a tiny village in the stunning mountains of eastern Tibet, always knew there had to be more than the life expected of her: More than no education, because her family was poor. More than being married off at a young age, because she was a girl.

More than barely getting by under oppressive Chinese occupation, because she was Tibetan. When she was sixteen, Tsultrim found more, joining protests for the Tibetan independence movement, the call for her beloved country’s liberation from the People’s Republic of China. Shortly after, she was arrested and sent to Gutsa Detention Center, notorious for its brutal torture of political prisoners like Tsultrim.

This young adult memoir follows Tsultrim’s courageous coming of age through her time at Gutsa, being heavily surveilled by the government after her release, and, ultimately, her escape to the U.S. It also underscores the bravery it takes to speak up, and the power to be found in sharing one’s story.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Nadine loves stories and her mother loves to tell them—all but one. Nadine would give anything to learn about her family’s history in Armenia and Turkey—where they came from and how they came to America—but it is just too painful for her parents. All Nadine knows is that they were caught up in the Armenian genocide.

Until one day the dam bursts. And through that flood of stories and memories, and a trip back to their people’s homelands, Nadine discovers a key to unlocking her own heritage and the courage to speak up when injustice rears its head again. 

Told in interwoven historical, contemporary, and fantastical sequences, Armaveni is a gripping graphic novel debut and a much-needed historical document.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Quetzalcóatl Castillo—Queso for short—has had an ache in his heart that won’t go away ever since his father’s death. More than anything, he wishes he could spend time with his dad again.

After whispering that wish one night under the light of the moon, Queso wakes up the next morning in 1985. With twelve-year-old Pancho—the kid who will grow up to be his dad.

Even though he has no idea what to do, Queso is just happy to be by his dad’s side again. But while Pancho is confident when scoring on the foosball table or standing up to bullies, he doesn’t think he’s smart enough to reach for his dreams.

If only Pancho believed in himself the way Queso does, who knows what his story could be?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Rose, her family, and the Métis people have lived on the land for generations. She spends afternoons tracking rabbits and gathering roots with her best friend, Ambroise, and her little sister, Delia. She loves to watch the ferry arrive, delivering goods and the latest news to their remote community.

But then Rose’s parents start speaking in hushed tones, discussing whether they should “join the Resistance.” When she learns that the government wants to push the Métis off their land again, Rose feels angry. This is the home they love–and the land they tend to with care and respect. Determined to help preserve their way of life, Rose sets out on an adventure that will test her bravery more than she ever expected.

Set amid the Northwest Resistance of 1885, where the Métis people fought to defend the land, this powerful historical tale by New York Times bestselling author Carole Lindstrom illuminates the often forgotten side of life on the prairie.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Through trials and tribulations, hardships and disasters, the bond between twin sisters Friedel and Gina Rosenthal was unshakable. They were only nine years old when the Nazis came into power in Germany. When the girls were fourteen, they, along with their family, were deported to a refugee camp in Poland.

After the Nazis invaded Poland, the family suffered even more heartache…and Friedel and Gina soon found themselves alone.

Through the atrocities that followed – the ghetto and the concentration camps – they helped each other stay alive. They grieved their losses and learned to survive…together.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Ellis Starr likes learning about active volcanoes. She does not like having acne that resembles them. But it’s not just cosplaying as a pepperoni pizza that has Ellis on the verge of erupting. Her mom’s hot-and-cold moods have the two of them butting heads nonstop—especially now that her mom is dating for the first time since her parents’ separation.

Then there’s Ellis’s best friend, Aggy, whose own life—and skin—seems perfect. And who could forget that Ellis still needs to decide on a research topic for a big school project.

With eighth grade proving to be every bit as pesky as a new pimple, Ellis’s only bright spot is the time she spends with her aunt Lydia, whose adorable puppy, Rocco, is a natural stress reliever. (And perhaps the perfect subject for her project.) Maybe this season of breakouts can lead to a breakthrough about what Ellis needs to truly feel good in her own skin.

Rising star author Christina Wyman takes on a quintessential middle-school experience—acne—with her trademark humor, honesty, and heart. Breakout is a must-read for kids ages 8-12 who love Raina Telgemeier, Terri Libenson, Kelly Yang, Gordon Korman, and other endlessly funny and deeply heartfelt books that tackle big topics and universal coming-of-age experiences alike.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

What happens when a government decides which books are “too dangerous” for its people to read? When it polices not only the creative output of its citizens but also their very thoughts?

As author Jonah Winter describes the Nazi book burnings of the 1930s, Gary Kelley’s atmospheric paintings communicate a sense of ominous foreboding that lingers past the closing lines: And what happened in Germany could happen anywhere. It could even happen in America.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

THANK YOU
to our custodians
who care for our school
and fix everything.

Join kids across the country as they go to school and thank each person that helps them during their day. Each page of this collection features a poem from a child to someone who helps them during their day. From bus drivers to custodians to librarians to teachers of all kinds, everyone’s job is important.

Perfect for back to school or end-of-year gifts, Thank You School celebrates the unsung heroes in children’s lives. And for young readers it is perfect for starting conversations about gratitude and focusing on positivity of even the smallest things in their day.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

This big kid is wearing his first pair of big-kid shoes, the kind with laces! Even though they’re a little on the roomy side—shoes to grow into, of course—he knows he can take care of them. Except they keep falling off!

Not to worry, he’ll just tie them up again, because he knows how to tie those loops! But wait a second, where did that darn shoe go?

Nothing is ever truly easy when you’re just starting something new; but, just like with any stage in childhood, whether it’s making your first steps, or going down the really big slide, with persistence, doing anything scary or overwhelming quickly becomes a piece of cake! And before you know it, you’re a BIG KID!

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Have you heard them singing in the wind, above the final fields?
Have you ever been so happy in your life?

Mary Oliver, winner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, is one of America’s most beloved poets. Introducing her unforgettable words to children for the very first time, her poem “Goldfinches” joyfully observes the power of the natural world as only Mary Oliver can.

Illuminated by the exquisite mixed-media artwork of Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet, Goldfinches fills the reader with wonder for the beauty around them and gratitude for the ability to bear witness to it.