New Release Spotlight: March 17, 2026

It’s Spring Break!!! I thought I would devote all this extra downtime to working on MrsReaderPants, but nope! I’ve been spoiling myself with frothy coffee, romance novels, and well…cleaning and taking my dog to the vet, LOL. At least our weather here in North Texas is cool and beautiful! It’s been a very needed break for us all, to be sure.

My personal break means that picture books have once again been left off this week’s Spotlight. As I’ve done in the past, I will balance that out by featuring this week’s picture books on the March 24th Spotlight next week.

I’m loving the male protagonists this week! So many YA and middle grade books are female protagonists, so I was happy to find some great picks featuring the perspectives of young men.

You can see a cumulative list of all books so far for March here.

This week’s titles are #5111 – #5118 on The Ginormous Booklist.

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

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

For five years, Caroline Chua has lived in exile from her home and family in Malaysia at a magical academy in New York City–far enough away that she can’t hurt the people she loves. That is until she is abruptly summoned home in an emergency—her beloved older brother, Aaron, who is next in line to become the Protector of the Island, has vanished. And now back in Penang, she can’t help but notice that things don’t feel the same as they once did and it’s unclear if she’s changed, or the island.

Despite her family’s desire to keep her close and the Council’s explicit instructions to stay out of trouble, stubborn, self-sufficient Caroline is hell-bent on saving her brother with or without anyone’s help. But when it turns out that Aaron has been kidnapped by vengeful ghosts with a centuries-old grudge, even Caroline must admit she’s in over her head and will need the help of the friends she had abandoned, including her first love, J.J.

The ghosts’ goals are simple: break the barriers between the ghost and mortal realms during the Hungry Ghost Festival using Aaron to take the island’s magic, and cement their rightful place as the true—albeit dead—rulers of the island. With only seven days before the barrier weakens, Caroline is in a race against time to save her brother. But as enemies stack up, always one step ahead, Caroline can’t help but wonder if she’s strong enough for this battle. Or is she doomed to repeat the mistakes that sent her away all those years ago?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Freshmen Dayton and Farshid couldn’t be more different―or so it seems.

When Dayton takes a dare and shouts the f-slur at a visiting author during a school event, it sets off a chain reaction that forces both boys to face parts of themselves they’d rather ignore.

Dayton, grappling with the fallout of his actions, faces rejection from his friends, disappointment from his parents, and a growing awareness of the harm he’s caused. Meanwhile, Farshid is left to untangle his own feelings―about himself and about the quiet struggle of coming to terms with his queerness in a world steeped in heteronormativity.

As their lives unexpectedly intersect, Dayton and Farshid must reckon with what kind of men they want to become and whether they have the courage to defy toxic masculinity and societal expectations.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Sylvie Castellano is used to goodbyes. Every summer, her friends leave to vacation at faraway beaches and her parents jet off to work on a luxury yacht, dumping her with her tia Vivian. Sylvie may love her aunt Viv, but just once, she wishes the summer held a big adventure for her, too.

When Sylvie scores the thrift find of a lifetime-a vintage gold watch worth thousands-she thinks maybe her luck is turning around. Then a turn of the watch’s dial summons a ghost boy. With no idea who he is or why he’s attached to the watch, and only his name to go off of-Penn-Sylvie offers to help him unravel the mystery of his death.

Sylvie’s summer is suddenly full of road trips, beach bonfires, and ferris wheel rides as she and Penn try to piece together the life he lost. But soon, Sylvie begins to imagine a future together-a future they can never have. Then a devastating discovery brings everything crashing down. The watch’s secrets extend far beyond Penn, and it’s not only Sylvie’s heart at risk, but her life.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Anton Charles and his friends are the kings of the school, and they rule with an iron fist, intimidating classmates and maintaining a reputation built on fear. 

But at home, Mum reigns supreme, and after one too many detentions, she cuts off Anton’s internet and decides it’s time for a serious change. She signs him up for the Happy Campers, a local activity group, and Anton’s worst nightmare becomes a reality: Matthew, the school’s biggest dork, is in it too.

Anton can’t imagine anything worse than spending weekends sewing and singing campfire songs with Matthew and his band of geeks—how will he ever keep his reputation intact if anyone finds out? But after Matthew unexpectedly saves Anton’s life, everything changes. 

As the boys strike up an unlikely friendship, Anton finds himself questioning everything he thought was true. Maybe there’s more to life than what his friends think of him? Maybe it’s time to rethink what being a “man” really means? 

And maybe there are some things more important than being king.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Celeste Muldoon is alone when the Big One finally hits, because, for the first time ever, her best friend stood her up after school. Nicky and Celeste share a birthday, matching tattoos, an obsession with the upcoming Mars mission, and pretty much everything else. So why did he ghost her on the day she needed him most?

As the quake’s death toll rises and days pass, Nicky and Celeste’s parents fear the worst. But Celeste doesn’t buy it. He couldn’t be dead. Nicky’d spent their senior year selling essays to rich kids and was about to get caught. He’d told Celeste about his plan to vanish, to reinvent himself and escape the disaster he’d created. The quake would be perfect cover.

But she can’t convince anyone that he could still be alive. Only Meo, a mysterious stranger who was somehow mixed up with Nicky, seems to believe, but Celeste has every reason to distrust him—even if her heart races whenever Meo shows up.

When Celeste finds Nicky’s notebook, it sends her and Meo on a quest across the broken city, up the coast through towns sheltering quake refugees, and eventually all the way to Florida, where the mission to Mars is about to lift off.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Adventuring isn’t just in the Lionhart family’s blood—it’s the family business. Grammy and Baba Lionhart were once a famous questing duo—slaying dragons and fighting monsters, they were legends throughout the land.

Now, their daughter, Lenna, has taken over the business, questing under the famous Lionhart name with her husband, Gerard, and their young sons, Alder and Flynt, are desperate to be included!

When their parents go missing after accepting an unusually high–paying job from a mysterious woman, the boys set out to find them, eager to prove they’re ready to carry on the family legacy. Nothing can shake a Lionhart, right? But Grammy and Baba know better and swiftly catch up with the boys, who have already gotten themselves in heap of trouble.

Along the journey, Alder and Flynt tackle big challenges and discover new skills, but as they get closer to finding their parents, they also unearth a secret that could tear their family apart and, even worse, bring the Lionhart name to ruin. From Mike Lawrence, creator of the Star Scouts series, comes book 1 in a fast-paced and adventurous middle-grade graphic novel duology sure to appeal to fans of Lightfall, 5 Worlds, and Dungeon Critters.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

It’s the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, and Lionel Messi―one of the greatest players to ever take the field―is one match away from victory. Despite his many awards and accolades, Messi has never been able to add a World Cup trophy to his collection.

If Argentina wins, this would be a historic moment not just for the country, but for the entire legacy of soccer on the international stage.

Travel back in time to learn how the World Cup began and see the incredible players―from Maradona to Mbappé―who built it into the global phenomenon we know today.

This exciting new graphic novel series offers a portal to the past, putting young readers in the middle of the most epic moments in sports history.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Seventh grade has just started, but Olivia Gray already knows this year is different. Her brother ignores her for his crush, and all her friends talk about is who likes who, something Olivia has never cared about—even when Robbie, the most popular boy in school, asks her to the fall formal.

After unknowingly rejecting him, Olivia goes viral on the social app KruShh. As the chatter about Robbie and dating grows, Olivia starts to feel left out to the point of feeling invisible—literally.

Seen only by her new librarian and a friendly kid named Jules, Olivia flickers in and out of sight whenever the topic of romance comes up. As she begins to realize she might be asexual, Olivia struggles to actually use the label because of the negative perception behind it. All she wants is to be normal, but can she really fit in without disappearing completely?