New Book Tuesday

Read on to hear about some amazing new books for children and teens hitting shelves on June 18th.

A lyrical and affirming ode to Black girls. An ideal next read for fans of I Am Enough and the perfect gift for mothers and daughters, baby showers, and graduation.

Be, Black Girl, Be

Breathe in your truth. And never let anyone dull your shine.

With poetic text and exuberant artwork, this book is a wish from one generation to the next: that every Black girl knows and celebrates her own worth.


Caldecott Honor–winning artist and Coretta Scott King Award winner Brian Pinkney explores sibling rivalry with humor, love, and emotional depth in this action-packed story about Brandon and his new baby brother. Perfect for readers of Julius, the Baby of the World, by Kevin Henkes, as well as families welcoming a new sibling.

Brandon loves his special blanket, but he isn’t too sure about his new baby brother. When it’s time for supper, a bath, and bed, the baby steals all the attention. Brandon is not happy. In fact, he’s very, very angry. Luckily, Brandon’s blanket (or is it Brandon?) has a few ideas to make everything better.

From Caldecott Honor–winning artist and Coretta Scott King Award winner Brian Pinkney, this exuberant, emotionally true, and insightful picture book celebrates a young child’s imagination, being a big brother, and welcoming a new family member. With an expressive, pitch-perfect text and bold, energetic illustrations, Brandon and the Baby is a standout choice for families, classroom sharing, and for social and emotional learning.


The second title in a delightful new Level 2 I Can Read! series from acclaimed author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and illustrator Lydia Mba, starring Makeda, an exuberant seven-year-old "maker" and problem solver who loves to create.

Perfect for readers who love Rosie Revere, Engineer and Reina Ramos Works It Out.

Makeda is excited to bring Subway, the class guinea pig, home for the weekend. But Subway seems S-A-D—so Makeda and her friend Glory decide to make him an F-U-N new cage to cheer him up. But what if what is fun for Makeda is not fun for Subway? 

This Level 2 I Can Read! book features an engaging story, longer sentences, and language play perfect for developing readers.


Yellowjackets meets House of Hollow in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley’s gripping and magical YA thriller following a group of young women as they face the stress of harsh elements, a mysterious monster, and an unraveling of secrets after their yacht is wrecked off the coast of North America.

Liv Whitlock knows she doesn’t belong there. But after years of stumbling between foster homes, often due to her own self-destructive tendencies, Liv desperately needs to change the trajectory of her life . . . so she steals her perfect sister’s identity.

Liv starts to rewrite her story, winning a prestigious internship on a movie set filming in Alaska, and finds herself on a luxury yacht alongside pop star Paris Grace, actress sisters Effie and Miri Knight, Olympic gymnast Rosalind Torres, and social media influencer Celia Jones. Liv tries to find common ground with her famous companions, but just as the group starts to bond, a violent storm wrecks their vessel, stranding them on an island in the North Pacific Ocean.

Among the threats of starvation and exposure, they learn there is a predator lurking in the forest, unlike anything they’ve seen before—until they begin to see it in themselves. Every injury they suffer on the island causes inexplicable changes in their bodies. With little hope for rescue and only each other as their final tether to humanity, can the girls endure the ominous forces at work on the island? Or will they lose themselves to their darker natures?