New Release Spotlight: March 24, 2026

Last week’s Spotlight did not feature any picture books (no time!), so I’ve added the picture books I couldn’t get to last week to this post.

This week’s top picks:

• The Danger of Small Things by Caryl Lewis (YA dystopia)
• The Queen’s Granddaughter by Diane Zahler (MG historical fiction)
• The Ocean’s Heart: The Tiny Creatures Essential to Life by Jilanne Hoffman (informational picture book)

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

This week’s titles are #5119 – #5130 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

The whole world rested on a single bee’s wings…until that last honeybee died, and the balance of the universe tipped. Now, famine and war rage across the land. People are no longer allowed to read or create art. They are forbidden to believe in the existence of love.

Like every other girl, Jess has been taken from her home to live in a government dormitory, where they are forced to pollinate crops by hand with brushes. But unlike the others, Jess knows how to read and paint—and she knows that brushes aren’t meant for pollinating.

Jess is her mother’s daughter, with a strong streak of rebellion that even the harshest punishment can’t stamp out. She knows there is something horribly wrong with this system built on the hard labor of young girls, a system that forces them to marry and have children as soon as they are able. With smuggled paints and brush in hand, can Jess inspire a revolution?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

College freshman Silas Turner is a scientific anomaly. Thrown back in time uncontrollably, he’s forced into his pre-transition body for hours to days at a time, reliving random events in his past. Why? Every cell in his astrophysics major brain is straining to figure it out. But the “time trips” just keep on coming, disrupting Silas’s life, and he’s certain he’s a one-of-a-kind phenomenon―until brash, guitar-playing Jude Forrester barges into his life, exhibiting the same symptoms.

He claims a future version of Silas visited him, and that, according to future-Silas, they’re meant to help each other stop the time trips. If working together can really lead to finding a cure, Silas can handle Jude’s tortured-artist attitude; Jude can humor Silas’s nerdy obsession with the stars.

As they get closer to a solution, they grow closer to each other. But Jude is still grieving an old connection that broke his heart, and he can’t help but wonder if changing the past might save himself and Silas a lot of heartache. Amidst cataclysmic consequences, Silas and Jude must face the cosmic circumstances that brought them together if they hope to protect their timeline―and the future they seem destined to share.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

The Toe Beast looms large in the Barnes family lore—a tale concocted by twelve-year-old Roman’s grandpa to explain his missing toe. But Roman has never actually heard the full story, and after his grandpa dies suddenly, it seems like he never will.

That is, until Roman is tasked with clearing out his grandpa’s house, and stumbles upon some strange things. An old mason jar full of formaldehyde, a mysterious handwritten book about a girl and a pack of dogs, a rusty metal bucket with peculiar abilities. And they all tie back to extraordinary secrets from the distant past.

By unraveling even more unbelievable stories that have been hidden from him, Roman is forced to rethink how he fits into his family’s history. Now it’s up to him to see his own story through to the end. Because the Toe Beast was only the beginning…

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Twelve-year-old Blanca of Castile is the granddaughter of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, once the wife of both the king of France and the king of England. When Eleanor comes to select the girl who will marry the prince of France, all expect her to pick Blanca’s much older, and much prettier, sister. But Queen Eleanor has always loved surprises.

To meet her destiny, Blanca, along with her best friend Suna, must set out over the Pyrenees Mountains for France. But the journey there is not easy. The group, which includes knights, attendants, and Queen Eleanor herself, faces blizzards and hunger, treacherous roads and even a kidnapping.

As Blanca overcomes the many perils of the journey, she will need to learn how to protect herself and those around her — and discover what it takes to follow in the footsteps of a queen.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Jermaine is NOT destined to be popular at his new elite school. First, he’s the poorest kid in class — no phone, no cool sneakers, no chance. Second, he loves science and can’t keep himself from gushing about geology. But after being bullied at his old school, he’s desperate for the status and protection that comes from joining the “Turbo Jets”… even if that means abandoning Brody, a fellow outsider who truly wants to be Jermaine’s friend.

As part of a hazing ritual, the Turbo Jets dare Jermaine to break into the notorious “haunted Chase Vault” — the crypt that once housed one of the cruelest enslavers in Barbados and his family. Then they lock him inside as a “joke.”

Luckily, Jermaine makes it out unscathed. There’s just one problem.

Someone else left the crypt with him.

Someone desperate to learn how she died… and get her revenge.

Jermaine is relieved someone else can see the ghost: his ex-best friend Brody. But freeing her won’t be easy. It means ditching the Turbo Jets, teaming up with Brody, and unearthing ugly secrets from the island’s colonial past. Will Jermaine really risk everything to help the suffering spirit find peace?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

After her parents’ divorce, seventh grader Violet is forced to start all over.

Now the new kid, at a new school, in a new town, she must navigate unfamiliar territory. Luckily, Violet falls in with a new group of (maybe?) friends. But when they wind up in detention, they’re forced to join the under-attended Environmental Club―and mischief ensues. What will become of this rag-tag group?

Fans of Raina Telgemeier will love this hilarious and heartfelt story about making friends, making mistakes, and making it up as you go along―until you end up just where you were meant to be.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

The dark is for flying.
The dark is for shining.
The dark is for dreaming…

Though darkness can be scary, beauty can be found in the stillness of the shadows. And in this stunning tale filled with poetic words and gorgeous art, we celebrate the darkness. From the creatures dancing in the blackness of the deep sea to those that wake when night falls in the forest, we feel the magic come to life.

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY

Selma is no ordinary spider. Most spiders make webs to catch flies, but not Selma. She wants to capture the Splendor of the Universe. But it’s hard to reach the stars from so close to the ground!

So Selma sets off to discover just how far a humble spider must spin to become out of this world…

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Emeka’s favorite food is jollof rice. He eats it every day. “Emeka, come and try this egusi!” Mama and Papa urge. But orange rice is what Emeka knows. He doesn’t want anything different.

Then one day, Emeka comes home from school to find Mama in the kitchen waiting for him to help her cook egusi. One by one, new things go into the pot. There are so many colors and smells and sounds! And Emeka is a great helper. Could it be that trying something new might actually be…good?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Haneen’s Momma says that during Ramadan raindrops bring blessings and answer prayers. As they travel through the streets on a slow bus ride, rain drips down the window, and Haneen prays for new shoes and bright dresses–gifts she really, really wants to receive for Eid.

When they arrive at the masjid, Haneen makes Eid cards with the twins, Safa and Marwa, helps give out dates and water and spread tarps for dinner, and whispers duas–and, as she does, she begins to wish for something different. Something she wants more than anything. After all, the most precious gifts are not shoes and dresses, but the kindness of friends and the magic of faith. And, of course, the love of your Momma.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

The largest migration of animals on Earth happens every single night as billions upon billions of microscopic animals―zooplankton―paddle from the ocean’s depths to its surface. On their journey, they swim daunting distances through predator-infested waters in pursuit of a midnight feast.

Zooplankton are so small, and they live so deep, that we may never see them―but the entire food web depends upon their survival. Venture into the ocean’s twilight zone with Jilanne Hoffmann’s lyrical, evocative prose and Khoa Le’s luminous illustrations of these tiny yet magnificent creatures.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Every summer, a child and their parents leave behind the roads and houses. And with backpacks full of food and sleeping bags, they go into the wilderness.

As they climb tall mountains and explore mossy forests, they carry their supplies. And really good trail snacks.

As this child ages, they can carry more. Like their own backpack and, eventually, the map.

They learn independence and bravery. And they learn that, when everything gets to be a little too much, they can put down what they carry. They can smell the pine in the air, look up at the cliffs and trees holding them in a great big circle, and they can let the beauty of the world carry them.