BLOGS > NOVEMBER 27, 2023
Follett has partnered with Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley* to provide digital access to forthcoming titles through May 15. Get early access to readers’ favorite genres – like historical fiction, poetry, narrative nonfiction, and social issues.
By Andrea Wang
Audience: Upper Elementary
“With light prose and even pacing, Wang relays themes of identity, belonging, and acceptance, deftly communicating the feelings of both the senior campers and Squee’s newest members without minimizing their plights.”
- Publishers Weekly
From Newbery Honor-winning author Andrea Wang, this is a new middle grade novel about a Chinese American tween who attends a Boston-based Chinese cultural overnight camp – and the many ways it transforms her.
By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Audience: Middle School
In her return to the era of The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley brings a new story with a mystical twist. It explores a little-known slice of World War II history, a highly unusual friendship, and the power of choosing courage even when – especially when – there are no good choices to be had.
Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II (Operation Kinderspion, Book 1)
By Adam Gidwitz
Audience: Middle School
An exciting mixture of triumphs and perils, leading up to a cliffhanger ending that will have readers clamoring for the sequel.”
- Publishers Weekly, starred review
Max in the House of Spies is a thought-provoking World War II story with a dash of magic as only acclaimed storyteller Adam Gidwitz could tell one – fast-paced, hilarious, and filled with heart.
By Ruth Behar
Audience: Middle School
"Powerful and resonant.”
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Pura Belpre Award winner Ruth Behar’s epic novel tells the stories of four girls from different generations of a Jewish family. Spanning over 500 years’ time, follow their stories as they are forced to leave their home country and start a new life.
By Veera Hiranandani
Audience: Middle School
“A masterpiece of nuance, vulnerability, and emotional complexity. A quietly brilliant, deeply insightful story of living in uncertain times.”
– Kirkus Reviews, starred review
A hopeful and heartwarming story about finding joy after hardship by acclaimed author Veera Hiranandani, Amil and the After is a companion to the beloved and award-winning Newbery Honor novel, The Night Diary.
By Adib Khorram
Audience: Young Adult
Love is more complicated than “boy meets boy” in best-selling author Adib Khorram’s sharply funny new romantic comedy, set in the sordid world of high school theater.
By Maya Van Wagenen
Audience: Young Adult
“Compassionate prose conveys the protagonists’ experiences with care and thoughtful, complex characterizations approachably highlight life’s ambiguity.”
- Publishers Weekly, starred review
About to start high school, Dolores Mendoza is struggling to navigate changing friendships, family dramas, and her recently diagnosed interstitial cystitis. Making her fiction debut, best-selling author Maya Van Wagenen (Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek: A Memoir) tells Dolores’ story with humor, heart, and a little bit of telenovela flair.
By Parisa Akhbari
Audience: Young Adult
Told in lyrical, confessional prose and snippets of poetry, Just Another Epic Love Poem takes readers on a journey that is equal parts joyful, heartbreaking, and funny as characters Mitra and Bea navigate the changing nature of “I love you.”
By Renée Watson
Audience: Young Adult
“[A] moving, introspective poetry collection celebrating the possibilities of Black girlhood complemented by atmospheric mixed-media illustrations…A compelling ode to self-resurrection and Black sisterhood.”
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review
In this semi-autobiographical collection of poems, Renee Watson writes about her experience growing up as a young Black girl at the intersections of race, class, and gender. With full-color art by celebrated artist Ekua Holmes, this collection encourages young readers to embrace their future with a strong sense of sisterhood and celebration.
American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky
By Sherri L. Smith
Audience: Young Adult
“Accessible and buoyant…A fascinating, well-told American story full of compelling innovation.” –Kirkus Reviews
This is a thrilling and inspiring untold true story of the desegregation of the skies. Complete with black-and-white photographs throughout, American Wings brings to light a hidden history of pioneering Black men and women who, with grit and resilience, battled powerful odds for an equal share of the sky.
*NetGalley is a free online service and connection point for book publishers, reviewers, media, librarians, booksellers, bloggers, and educators. They offer digital galleys, often called advance reading copies (ARCs), to professional readers to help promote new and upcoming titles. Please see NetGalley’s privacy policy.
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