New Book Tuesday

Read on to hear about some amazing new books for children and teens hitting shelves on February 13!

Maggie Smith, bestselling author of the viral poem “Good Bones” and the memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful, delivers a lyrical and reassuring picture book perfect for calming active minds at bedtime (or anytime).

A Today Show Spring Pick!

At bedtime, when lights go out…sometimes thoughts stay on.

Scary things and worries flutter and flap around. It’s so hard to sleep!

But a little imagination (and a lot of love) can create a cozy nest for happy thoughts—and sweet dreams for little ones.


This exquisite and deeply moving picture book by two-time Caldecott Medal–winning artist Chris Raschka explores concepts of friendship, growing up, generosity, empathy, love, and time. Tomorrow’s Lily is a perfect gift book for readers of all ages, as well as a terrific choice for bedtime.

A daylily blooms for just one day, opening when the sun comes up and closing when it sets. In Chris Raschka’s extraordinary garden, seven daylilies bloom for others during the course of a sun-drenched week—for example, Monday’s lily blooms for the baby, and Saturday’s lily blooms for friends. The lovely and lyrical text underscores the value of living in the moment, caring for those around you, and being mindful of nature.

Two-time Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka introduces young readers to the concept of time—the days of the week, the span of a life—as well as to more spiritual and emotional concepts such as friendship, empathy, generosity, caring for others, and love. With a soothing text and stunning illustrations, this gentle, innovative, and educational picture book is an excellent choice for story-time sharing as well as gift giving.


Pearl—a little gosling who loves to sing—joins the quaint world of Olivier Dunrea's Gossie & Friends in this preschool-friendly picture book about finding your voice.

Pearl sings sleeping songs, slurping songs, quietly, and loudly, all over the farm—all day long. Pearl loves, loves, loves to sing! But what will she do when she loses her voice? Olivier Dunrea lends his signature charm to another preschool conundrum and shows how the support of friends can help us get over a rough patch.


“A delightful tongue-in-cheek twist on fairy tales and the magic school genre. Mixing the modern with the magical, author Alex London skewers popular fairy-tale tropes with a sharp wit and a loving, lighthearted touch, telling an empowering story where princesses learn to be their own fairy godmothers.” —Soman Chainani, author of The School for Good and Evil

“A slick, sly, and clever love letter to fairy tales. The Princess Protection Program is a celebration of changing the narrative to fit the person you are and not the person people want you to be. It's the fairy tale we need.” —Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of Aru Shah and the End of Time

“A clever and laugh-out-loud tale of friendship, magic, and princesses—and a prince—who learn to rewrite their own stories. Absolutely charming.” —Sarah Mlynowski, New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After and Best Wishes series

“A fast-paced, fun, and whimsical read about defining your own destiny.” —Claribel A. Ortega, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlings series

Where can a princess hide if her Ever After isn’t all that Happy? Bestselling author Alex London turns classic fairy tales on their heads in this fast-paced, funny fantasy about embracing change and taking control of your own story. For fans of the School for Good and Evil and the Chronicles of Never After series.

Every fairy tale ends with its characters living happily ever after, right? A valiant prince quests long and hard to reach the castle where the sleeping princess lies. And with a kiss, he awakens her.

But what if the princess does not think a kiss from a stranger is a very pleasant way to wake up? Yuck!

When Rosamund flees her prince, a Door of Opportunity opens, and she steps through it to the Home Educational Academy (the HEA for short). Rosamund has found the Princess Protection Program, where fugitive fairy-tale princesses escape unwanted affections, untimely ends, and all the other perils of their stories.

But the longer Rosamund lives in the real world, the more questions she has. Does anyone ever graduate from the HEA? Why doesn’t anyone seem to remember the former students? Is the kindly fairy headmistress all she appears to be? Is anyone? And the most important question of all: Can Rosamund change her story?

Acclaimed and bestselling author Alex London weaves together several beloved fairy tales in this fast-paced, funny, and slyly subversive adventure about finding your place in the world. 


From the bestselling, award-winning creator of Almost American Girl comes an epic new graphic novel fantasy—a queer, feminist reimagining of the Fox Maiden legend from Korean mythology. Perfect for fans of Nimona, Squire, and The Prince and the Dressmaker.

Kai Song dreams of being a warrior. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her beloved father, the commander of the Royal Legion. But while her father believes in Kai and trains her in martial arts, their society isn’t ready for a girl warrior.

Still, Kai is determined. But she is plagued by rumors that she is the granddaughter of Gumiho, the infamous nine-tailed fox demon who was killed by her father years before.

Everything comes crashing down the day Kai learns the deadly secret about her mother’s past. Now she must come to terms with the truth about her identity and take her destiny into her own hands. As Kai desperately searches for a way to escape her fate, she comes to find compassion, and even love, in the most unexpected places.

Set in sixteenth-century Korea and richly infused with Korean folklore, The Fox Maidens is a timeless and powerful story about fighting for your place in the world, even when it seems impossible.


A charming romantic comedy about a South Indian American teen girl who makes a wish upon a flower for her perfect boyfriend…and then a new boy moves in right next door. With love triangles, prank wars, and a sizzling sweet romance—this is perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon and Jenny Han.

There’s only one item left on Deepa Josyula's high school bucket list: finding the perfect boyfriend. But when her meticulously planned Homecoming proposal crashes and burns thanks to Vik Mehta—both neighbor and long-term nemesis ever since he started their neighborhood prank war—she’s not sure how she’s going to finish the list. To make things even worse, she’s stuck working with Vik on a Student Council committee. So when her grandmother gifts her a jasmine flower and tells her to make a wish, Deepa doesn’t see the harm. She wishes for her dream boyfriend, just like she had imagined when she was younger. The next morning a new neighbor moves into their cul-de-sac, and Rohit D’Souza crosses off everything on her ideal boyfriend wish list down to a tee: thoughtful, handsome, and romantic as hell.

She can hardly believe it. But according to her grandmother, the wish is only the beginning. To earn it, to complete it, the wish must be sealed with a kiss. But Rohit is quickly becoming the most popular new guy both in school and in her friend group, and Deepa hasn’t kissed a boy since freshman year. The more Deepa plans the perfect kiss with Rohit, the less sure she is of what her heart truly wants. Is it the perfect boy brought by magic—or the uncertainty of the boy who’s always been next door?