New Release Spotlight: June 30, 2026

Welcome to the last Spotlight of June 2026! I’ve featured 51 new titles this month,

You can see all 51 books on the June 2026 New Release Spotlights here. This is an Amazon Affiliate list that keeps everything together in one place. It also helps support the Spotlight because if you make a purchase on Amazon, even if it is not the books on this list, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.

This week’s top picks – all three top picks this week are YA! I don’t think that’s ever happened on the Spotlight before!

• Game of Oaths by S.C. Bandreddi (YA fantasy) – This reminds me of a cross between The Hunger Games, The Greatest Showman, and Night Circus!

• Thornbird by E. Kennedy (YA psychological thriller) – The teenage daughter of a convicted serial killer moves back to the town where he committed his crimes.

• Winners & Liars by Aleema Omotoni (YA Adventure) – Give this one to students who love The Inheritance Games, but with a bookish twist!

Canva links for the June Spotlight will be sent out Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 6:15am, CST. If you are already on my email list, check your email for the three free Canva links. If you are not on the list and would like to receive them, click here to get them sent to your inbox now.

This week’s featured books are #5293 – #5302 on The Ginormous Booklist.

As a quick reminder, this is the last Spotlight for a few weeks! I have a very busy July schedule, and I’m taking a little break to visit friends and family and prepare my shop for back to school.

Jump to:

• YA Books (Grades 7-12)
• Middle Grades (Grades 3-8)
• Picture Books (usually Grades K-5)

YOUNG ADULT (GRADES 7-12)

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Derin’s acceptance into Cambridge University is the end of an era—just not the one she expected.

When she and her ultra-competitive Uni prep group, the Kenfield Set, were first invited to Professor Darnley’s summer ball, they planned on celebrating the group’s success, surrounded by the riches of his historical Kenfield estate—not kicking off the festivities with the professor’s will reading.

But when the Darnleys’ aristocratic children are disinherited, the students are offered the opportunity of a lifetime: compete in a Victorian, literary-inspired inheritance competition to be named the new heir—winner takes all!

For Derin, it’s a chance to help her working-class family. But the remaining Darnleys won’t take losing their stately home and its multimillion-pound inheritance lying down. And added to the mix, a mysterious note is slipped under Derin’s door alluding to a dark family secret lying in wait.

Now Derin must balance the cutthroat games; scheming relatives; and a cute Kenfield intern amid her dawning realization that the history of this inheritance might be soaked in lies . . . and blood.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Ten years after her father—the infamous serial killer Gabriel Thorn—was caught, Ryan Shipley is back in Starling, Tennessee, trying to lay low. No one can know who she really is. No one can know the truth about her past.

But as fresh eyes dig deeper into the case, old secrets refuse to stay buried. Cryptic texts, eerie coincidences, and a chilling note leave everyone wondering—does Ryan know more than she’s letting on? As the truth unravels, one thing becomes clear: in a town full of secrets, Ryan might be the biggest mystery of them all.

The world is hunting for answers. Now get ready for a thriller packed with twists you won’t see coming.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

One hundred years have passed since the last heir of Gyldan fell into eternal slumber and doomed the once-mighty kingdom to poverty and invasion. At least, that’s what the fairy tales claim.

Corin is a jaded thief who doesn’t believe in fables, even when she searches Gyldan’s underground tunnels to find her younger sister, Elly, who ran away to find the sleeping princess in hopes of a better life. Corin’s conviction is challenged when she discovers the ruins of the ancient castle, maintained by beings from the kingdom’s golden age, who protect a hidden portal into Princess Amelia’s subconscious. Following Elly’s voice, Corin jumps in the portal and seals the entry behind her.

Inside the lush world of Amelia’s dreams, the sisters reunite for a new adventure as they meet Briar Rose, Amelia’s whimsical alter ego, and Malicine, a sharp-tongued demon with a gift for magic. But as they explore ice castles, sunflower mazes, and star-filled oceans, Corin suspects Briar Rose is hiding darker secrets behind her “perfect” paradise—and that there are some things her subconscious can’t bury forever.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

It’s 1896. Beneath a hotel in the heart of Paris is the famed le Cirque des Ombres, led by ringmaster and Enchanteur Jean-Pierre. But behind the dazzling spectacles, the circus performers are bound by magical contracts, also making them potential players in the annual Game of Oaths, an underground bloodthirsty tournament watched by the wealthy elite. Twelve will compete. Eleven will die.

Seventeen-year-old trapeze artist Falan Sunkara is out for revenge. After her sister ended up as one of the unlucky eleven last year, Falan wants nothing more than to make Jean-Pierre pay for her death.

When she’s chosen to compete in this year’s tournament, Falan is not above playing dirty and forging unlikely alliances. But to be the last one standing, she has to determine whom to trust and whose motives to question. Vengeance on top of survival is a dangerous gamble—and in games like this, the house always wins.

Jump to:

• YA Books (Grades 7-12)
• Middle Grades (Grades 3-8)
• Picture Books (usually Grades K-5)

MIDDLE GRADES (Grades 3-8)

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Sixth grader April Xue lives and breathes all things Broadway. When she builds up the courage to audition for the lead role in the school play, she thinks she’s knocked it out of the park — until she finds out that she’s been assigned to the stage crew. April is devastated—it seems like the curtain is closing on her dream of being an actor.

A day later, April overhears that the theater director, Ms. Rooney, decided not to cast her because she’s disabled. With the help of her best friend, a sneaky student reporter, and her spirited castmates, April learns to confront her own insecurities as a performer and proves to everyone (including Ms. Rooney) that she deserves a fair shot — all in time for opening night.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

A country torn apart. A staggering gulf between rich and poor. Rampant inequality. The United States in the 1800s sounds a lot like it does today. But the actions taken by everyday citizens back then can empower us now.

Through grassroots movements, people remade American society and government from the ground up. These activists were the Progressives, and thousands of them were women—even though women did not yet have the right to vote.

From every part of the country and from every background, women set about seeking reforms—broadening democracy, moving American society from the perspective of me to us, and ushering in a new way of thinking about our responsibilities to one another. The result was sixty years of political, economic, and social national achievement.

All Americans have the power to create equity and justice. After all, the people at the forefront of this movement were just ordinary women—who did something extraordinary.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

When an eldest sibling is locked out of the house by his younger twin brothers during his very first time babysitting, four Band of Bigs agents—including a new recruit—are on the case.

But their job is complicated by three League of Littles agents defending the younger siblings inside. When siblings go head-to-head, things are bound to get a little messy. Okay, maybe a lot messy.

Jump to:

• YA Books (Grades 7-12)
• Middle Grades (Grades 3-8)
• Picture Books (usually Grades K-5)

PICTURE BOOKS

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

A fuzzy brown bear and a fluffy pink hare disagree.

About hair.

Neither wants to go bare!

Will they be able to share?

With a few words used masterfully, and funny, expressive art, author illustrator Jeff Mack has created a pure delight of a picture book.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

The world’s first roller coaster
was invented almost entirely by mistake.

Bear calls it the Honey Runner and builds it as a quick and easy way to get to his beehives. It is a bit steep. The corners take some getting used to. And it is way too fast.

So imagine Bear’s surprise when a gaggle of curious neighbors ask to try it out. Then another. And another. Before Bear knows it, foxes fly, squirrels squeal, and hedgehogs howl through the dips and turns. Bear cannot understand it. His invention is incredibly fast and not at all fun… Why is everyone lining up for more?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

These fourteen neurodivergent activists began their work when they were young and continue it now, changing systems, politics, policies, and more. The book features poems written by poets who have something in common with each activist.

Fourteen poems by CooXooEii Black, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, Liv Mammone, Lyn Miller-Lachmann, K. A. Reynolds, and others honor activists from all over the world and the United States. Additional text goes into detail about each activist’s life and how readers can get involved.

Activists introduced:

• Connor DeWolfe by e.E. Charlton-Trujilo
• Helena Donato-Sapp by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
• Billie Eilish by Devin Murphy
• Mia Armstrong by Fiona Morris
• Sadie McCallum by Liv Mammone
• Adam Wolfond by Hannah Emerson
• Liam Garner by Jen Malia
• Ly Xīnzhèn M. Zhangsūn Brown by A. J. Sass
• Jazmine Wildcat by CooXooIee Black
• Andy Smith by Lyn Miller-Lachmann
• Molly Seidel by Jeanette Bradley
• Dara McAnulty by Sally J. Pla
• Mollie Davis by Jordan Scott
• Cillian O’Conner by K. A. Reynolds

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Bear can’t find Pierre! Can you find him in this fun search-and-find picture book?

It’s Bear’s birthday and he can’t wait to spend it with his best penguin friend, Pierre. But there’s a problem . . .
WHERE IS PIERRE?

Featuring one missing penguin and a whole lot of silliness, this irresistible rhyming picture book is packed with search-and-find fun! Can you help Bear find Pierre in time for the big birthday party?