New Book Tuesday

Read on to hear about some amazing new books for children and teens hitting shelves on August 6th.

“Imaginative and hysterical, and with the sort of rare, clear-seeing honesty that will make any reader feel less alone in the world. I loved it.” —Eliot Schrefer, two-time National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author

“Emma Hunsinger is a master at revealing human emotion through comedy and absurdism. How It All Ends is a hilarious, surreal, and deeply sincere story about finding yourself in a situation that you don't feel ready to face and making your way through it anyway.” —Sarah Sax, author of Picture Day

How It All Ends felt like Emma Hunsinger's inner child asking my own inner child, 'Hey, you want to sit together?' I've never felt so healed by a book. I can't wait to give it to everyone I know.” —Adib Khorram, award-winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay

A funny, vulnerable, and disarming debut graphic novel from Emma Hunsinger, the creator of the popular “How to Draw a Horse.” How It All Ends is a book about being overwhelmed by who you are and who you might be—and all the possibilities in between. For fans of Snapdragon, The Magic Fish, Heartstopper, and New Kid.

Thirteen-year-old Tara lives inside the nonstop adventure of her imagination. It’s far more entertaining than dull, everyday life. But when she’s bumped from seventh grade directly to high school, she gets a dramatic jolt to reality.

Now Tara is part of a future she doesn’t feel at all ready for. She's not ready to watch the racy shows the high school kids like, or to listen to the angsty music, or to stop playing make-believe with her younger brother. She’s not ready to change for PE in front of everyone, or for the chaos of the hallways, or for the anarchy of an English class that’s overrun with fourteen-year-old boys.

But then there’s Libby.

Tara doesn’t know whether she’s ready for Libby. She can’t even explain who Libby is to her because she doesn’t know yet. She just knows that everything’s more fun when she and her new classmate are together. But what will happen next? How will it all end?

This debut graphic novel is a clever and candid portrait of a young girl grappling with the pressures of fitting in, finding your people, and sorting through confusing feelings. Emma Hunsinger has a pitch-perfect ear for the awkward yet endearing moments that accompany growing up, and her illustrations are downright hilarious. She brilliantly captures the humor and the horror of self-discovery and the first blushes of having a crush. How It All Ends deftly explores how unbearable—but exciting!—it is to grow up. 


From the bestselling author of the Truly Devious books, Maureen Johnson, comes a new stand-alone YA about a teen who uncovers a mystery while working as a tour guide on an island and must solve it before history repeats itself.

The fire wasn’t Marlowe Wexler’s fault. Dates should be hot, but not hot enough to warrant literal firefighters. Akilah, the girl Marlowe has been in love with for years, will never go out with her again. No one dates an accidental arsonist.

With her house-sitting career up in flames, it seems the universe owes Marlowe a new summer job, and that’s how she ends up at Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly thereafter. It’s easy enough, giving tours. Low risk of fire. High chance of getting bored talking about stained glass and nut cutlets and Prohibition.

Oh, and the deaths. Did anyone mention the deaths?

Maybe this job isn’t such a gift after all. Morning House has a horrific secret that’s been buried for decades, and now the person who brought her here is missing.

All it takes is one clue to set off a catastrophic chain of events. One small detail, just like a spark, could burn it all down—if someone doesn’t bury Marlowe first.

Hear from Maureen Johnson