New Book Tuesday

Read on to hear about some amazing new books for children and teens hitting shelves on February 27!

This is a comprehensive and accessible picture book biography of Marie Curie, the groundbreaking scientist and two-time Nobel Prize winner, from an acclaimed author and illustrator duo.

Before Marie Curie was the first woman in France to earn the highest degree in physics,

before she discovered two new radioactive elements,

and became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize (and then the first person to win two!)—

she was a little girl named Marie Sklodowska who dreamed of being a scientist—and was determined to make that dream come true.

This is an accessible and compelling homage to Marie Curie, whose life and legacy continue to inspire to this very day.


In this engaging and moving middle grade novel, Saadia Faruqi writes about a contemporary Pakistani American girl whose passion for journalism starts a conversation about her grandmother’s experience of the Partition of India and Pakistan—and the bond that the two form as she helps Dadi tell her story.

When her grandmother comes off the airplane in Houston from Pakistan, Mahnoor knows that having Dadi move in is going to disrupt everything about her life. She doesn’t have time to be Dadi’s unofficial babysitter—her journalism teacher has announced that their big assignment will be to film a documentary, which feels more like storytelling than what Maha would call “journalism.”

As Dadi starts to settle into life in Houston and Maha scrambles for a subject for her documentary, the two of them start talking. About Dadi’s childhood in northern India—and about the Partition that forced her to leave her home and relocate to the newly created Pakistan.

As details of Dadi’s life are revealed, Dadi’s personal story feels a lot more like the breaking news that Maha loves so much. And before she knows it, she has the subject of her documentary.


From the critically acclaimed author of The Adventures of a South Pole Pig comes a heartwarming middle grade animal adventure story about Frank, the odd one out in a family of ducks, who discovers both his courage and unique identity as he braves the unknown to save his family from an invading fox. 

Between his unusually giant feet and early hatching, Frank is notably different from his siblings Darryl and Darlene.

Determined to make his mom proud, Frank strives to be the best duckling he can be. Despite his efforts, Frank seems drawn to unduckly pursuits and doesn’t understand why certain rules exist, such as not speaking to the friendly turtle who moonlights as a rock.

When the pond community is threatened by a fox, Frank is the one to venture into the forest where danger—and discoveries—lurk at every turn on his quest to save his home. 


The unmissable follow-up to the award-winning The Last Bear—perfect for fans of Rosanne Parry and Sara Pennypacker.

April Wood has returned home from her adventure on Bear Island. But even though it's been a whole year, she can’t stop thinking about Bear.

When April hears that a polar bear has been shot and injured in Svalbard, she’s convinced it’s her friend and persuades her dad to travel with her to the northernmost reaches of the Arctic. So begins an unforgettable journey across frozen tundra and icy glaciers.

But along the way, she discovers much more than she bargained for—a tiny polar bear cub, desperately in need of her help. In freezing temperatures, April must navigate the dangerous Arctic terrain and face her deepest fears if she’s to save him.

Beautifully illustrated by Levi Pinfold, Finding Bear is a stunning story of survival and a heartwarming tale of love that shows us how hope is born from the smallest of beginnings.


“A true fantasy masterpiece." —Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Since Victoria Aveyard launched the instant #1 New York Times bestselling Realm Breaker, the series has taken readers by storm. Now the finale is here to continue this epic fantasy series.

Change your fate—or kneel to it.

The Companions are scattered and hopeless, torn from each other. After Corayne barely escapes with her life, she must forge on alone, leaving her blade broken and her allies behind her. Her only consolation: Corayne now has Taristan's sword, the only Spindleblade left in existence. Without it, he can’t rip open any more Spindles. Without it, he can’t end the world.

But Taristan and Queen Erida will not be defeated so easily. Both will burn the world to bring down Corayne—and bring forth their demon god, What Waits, ready to claim the realm of Allward for his own. 

In a final clash between kingdoms and gods, all must rise to fight—or be destroyed. 

Everything has come to this. Prepare for a larger-than-life, unforgettable finale to the instant New York Times bestselling Realm Breaker series, where a shattered alliance must rise from the ashes to make their final stand against a ruthless enemy…and the demon god who looks to shroud the entire world in darkness.

Don’t miss Victoria Aveyard’s New York Times bestselling Red Queen series, a sweeping tale of power, intrigue, and betrayal, where the only certainty is betrayal. Perfect for fans of George R. R. Martin and Leigh Bardugo. 

“A true fantasy masterpiece." —Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Since Victoria Aveyard launched the instant #1 New York Times bestselling Realm Breaker, the series has taken readers by storm. Now the finale is here to continue this epic fantasy series.

Change your fate—or kneel to it.

The Companions are scattered and hopeless, torn from each other. After Corayne barely escapes with her life, she must forge on alone, leaving her blade broken and her allies behind her. Her only consolation: Corayne now has Taristan's sword, the only Spindleblade left in existence. Without it, he can’t rip open any more Spindles. Without it, he can’t end the world.

But Taristan and Queen Erida will not be defeated so easily. Both will burn the world to bring down Corayne—and bring forth their demon god, What Waits, ready to claim the realm of Allward for his own. 

In a final clash between kingdoms and gods, all must rise to fight—or be destroyed. 

Everything has come to this. Prepare for a larger-than-life, unforgettable finale to the instant New York Times bestselling Realm Breaker series, where a shattered alliance must rise from the ashes to make their final stand against a ruthless enemy…and the demon god who looks to shroud the entire world in darkness.

Don’t miss Victoria Aveyard’s New York Times bestselling Red Queen series, a sweeping tale of power, intrigue, and betrayal, where the only certainty is betrayal. Perfect for fans of George R. R. Martin and Leigh Bardugo. 


From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a stand-alone fantasy set against a war-ravaged world where kindling warfare—the use of elite, magic-wielding teenage soldiers—has been outlawed. In this rich and evocative novel, seven kindlings search for purpose and identity as they prepare for one final battle. For fans of the classic films Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven.

Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist

ALA Rainbow Round Table Top Ten Title for Teens

Kirkus Best Book

SLJ Best Book

Booklist Editor’s Choice

Indigo Best Book

Chicago Public Library Best Book

New York Public Library Best Book

Four starred reviews!

Once, the war was fought with kindlings—elite, magic-wielding warriors whose devastating power comes at the cost of their own young lives.

Now the war is over, and kindlings have been cast adrift—their magic outlawed, their skills outdated, their formidable balar weapons prized only as relics and souvenirs.

Violence still plagues the countryside, and memories haunt those who remain. When a village comes under threat of siege, it offers an opportunity for seven kindlings to fight one last time. But war changed these warriors. And to reclaim who they once were, they will have to battle their pasts, their trauma, and their grim fates to come together again—or none of them will make it out alive.

From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a gut-wrenching, introspective fantasy about seven lost soldiers searching for the peace they once fought for and the future in which they’re finally daring to believe.


From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Book Is Anti-Racist and The Antiracist Kid, Tiffany Jewell, this YA nonfiction book, highlighting inequities Black and Brown students face from preschool through college, is the most important, empowering read this year.

From preschool to higher education and everything in between, Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School focuses on the experiences Black and Brown students face as a direct result of the racism built into schools across the United States.

The overarching nonfiction narrative follows author Tiffany Jewell from early elementary school through her time at college, unpacking the history of systemic racism in the American educational system along the way. Throughout the book, other writers of the global majority share a wide variety of personal narratives and stories based on their own school experiences.

Contributors include New York Times bestseller Joanna Ho; award winners Minh Lê, Randy Ribay, and Torrey Maldonado; authors James Bird and Rebekah Borucki; author-educators Amelia A. Sherwood, Roberto Germán, Liz Kleinrock, Gary R. Gray Jr., Lorena Germán, Patrick Harris II, shea wesley martin, David Ryan Barcega Castro-Harris, Ozy Aloziem, Gayatri Sethi, and Dulce-Marie Flecha; and even a couple of teen writers!

Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School provides young folks with the context to think critically about and chart their own course through their current schooling—and any future schooling they may pursue.