New Release Spotlight: March 3, 2026

Welcome to March! We had a very busy weekend with an ER visit and a dog with a very serious medical issue (who needs a lot of attention at the moment). There were several more picture books I wanted to spotlight this week but didn’t get to, so I will work those into other Spotlights over the next few weeks.

Picture books look really, really great this week!

You can see a cumulative list of all books so far for March here. This list also includes the other four picture books I didn’t have time to feature this week.

This week’s titles are #5086 – #5096 on The Ginormous Booklist.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

1918. Orcas Island, Washington.

Lucy Nowhere has spent her eighteen years working on the vast estate of the eccentric shipbuilder who took her in after she washed ashore in a green canoe as a baby. But she has long wished for a life off the island, and in a matter of days, she is set to leave for college—and, for the first time, choose her own future.

Then she finds her employer’s severed head on the beach. Rumors swirl that a mischievous spirit and its minions, the sea wolves, have struck again. Lucy doesn’t believe in myths. She knows that a human—a human murderer—killed him. And when she is unexpectedly named heiress to the estate, she understands the next target is her.

Her closest friend, the estate’s vigilant young guard, begs her to escape while she can. But Lucy knows the only way she can discover who she is, and free the island of its curse, is to find the real killer—before she becomes the next victim.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Welcome to the weird and welcoming world of skating; the sport which has become a way of life for so many across the globe.

In his latest graphic novel, In Waves creator AJ Dungo and writer Brandon Dumais join forces to explore this life-changing sport from their personal journeys and the history of skateboarding, showing how skating empowers people, reclaims seemingly desolate spaces, and includes everyone from all walks of life.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

In a world where dragons soar through the skies and magical abilities are an elite privilege, the ruling family of Ailm’s Keep is on a knife-edge: Can their son Ionáin prove that he can channel magic, or will his entire family be cast out in disgrace?

Éadha, a servant girl who loves Ionáin, is shocked to discover shortly before the test that she can wield magic herself. It’s extremely rare for a girl to have this talent, especially outside the few great Families. At Ionáin’s moment of truth, when it’s clear he is about to fail, Éadha makes a desperate gamble to save him from humiliation by pretending her magic is his, forfeiting her own claim to power.

Her decision sends them both to an academy of magic, where she must shield her secret from every grim Master and scheming apprentice—especially the handsome but enigmatic Gry. As Éadha enters this whirlwind of patriarchy, class, heartache, and jealousy, she also learns about magic’s terrible cost—the human price that Channellers willingly pay to maintain their power.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Harper’s life has just exploded. Her parents are getting a divorce. And she suspects her best friend, Cat, may have known the reason for it long before she did. Now Harper and her mom are starting over in a cramped house, in a new town, where everything feels unfamiliar, including the riding barn next door. Harper’s never been around horses before. And no, she does not want to learn to ride—

Until a truck dumps a starved and neglected horse right in Harper’s yard.

Harper has no idea what to do with a live horse, let alone a nearly dead one. But one look at this horse’s huge eyes and skinny body, and something inside Harper unlocks. The horse is named Phoenix, she decides. And she will not give up on him. Neither, it turns out, will Phoenix give up on her. She doesn’t know it yet, but this is Harper’s first step—toward new friends, new challenges, new adventures. Toward riding.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

All the best stories and adventures start with a knock at the door… Or the thwump of a dragon’s tail at the entrance to her cave, in the case of Emba Oak.

But then nothing about Emba’s story is normal; from the scales on her arms and legs, to the shocking discovery that she hatched out of a dragon’s egg.

Even more shocking is the news that an evil sorcerer is after her dragon blood and will do anything to get his hands on it. Can Emba keep herself safe or will her loved ones pay the price?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Finnegan is a rescue dog with a broken heart.
Chase is a newly orphaned cheetah cub.

The two animals couldn’t be more different. But one day, they are brought together for the unlikeliest of reasons: Finnegan must help Chase gain the confidence she needs to perform as part of an educational program for children at a zoo.

Finnegan and Chase have each suffered losses and have trouble trusting. Yet somehow, they are just what the other needs. But if Finnegan isn’t able to help Chase overcome her fears, he won’t just be letting Chase down―he could be risking his new home as well.

Inspired by true stories from zoos across the country, award-winning author Jasmine Warga creates a heartwarming tale about how the power of friendship can transcend anything―even species.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

My tiger didn’t like sitting in the waiting room, climbing onto the dentist chair, or being told by the dentist what to eat. Especially when she said no more cake!

What’s a tiger supposed to eat?

A bossy adult is made to look silly and a charming tiger wins the reader’s heart in this subversively funny story about a love of cake and the pull of natural tiger instincts.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Dzovinar (“zill-ven-ar”) lives with her family in Armenia, where the hillside is dotted with sheep and the apricot trees bloom every spring. She loves her home—but one day, soldiers storm her village, and she returns to an empty house.

Their parents gone, Dzovinar and her sister are forced to flee. Afraid and alone, they journey across the desert, then over the ocean: first to France and then to America, where they hope a new future will bloom. Changed but not lost, Dzovinar takes root in a new land…forever a rose by the sea.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Everyone says NO sometimes.

Bartleby says, “I prefer not to.”

He says it a lot.

Bartleby does things his own way, in his own time.

And that’s what makes him extraordinary.

Matt Phelan’s Bartleby is an endearing, adorable, and humorous celebration of being yourself even when you stand out–sure to delight readers everywhere.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Grownups say they’re harmless, but kids know the truth: vegetables are dangerous!

Deep in the dark of the refrigerator, they make their devious plans. Spinach will try to smother you. The radishes are ready to rumble. The kale is clutching cutlery.

And of all the evil veggies, broccoli is the worst. If you let it out of the vegetable drawer, it will attack before you can say “I want mac and cheese instead!” Your dad won’t listen, anyway, and hiding under the table won’t work, either. There’s only one thing left to do…

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Why are feathers so light? Why do woodpeckers drum? What should you do if you find an injured bird? Acclaimed picture book author Will Hillenbrand has the answers that are sure to make readers’ imaginations soar!

In these pages you’ll meet North America’s most fascinating birds, like nature’s drummers (the woodpecker) to its most dynamic dancers (the sandhill crane) and flashiest fliers (the blue jay), and more.

Colorful maps explore the bird’s habitats, and bright, accessible infographics invite readers to experience every part of the birds’ world, from the brown pelican’s seven-plus foot wingspan to the light waves that make bluebirds so blue. In this vibrantly-illustrated nonfiction picture book, the sky’s the limit on what there is to learn.