Class 203 is “in a braiding CRAZE,” which poses a problem for Noah (white). “Noah has short hair. All the ponies are taken. His shoes don’t have laces.” Intrepid Ms. Morena has an idea: She cuts up a whiteboard rag, and Noah gets to braiding. “Left over center. Right over center. Left over center.”
2026 books
And Then We Saw the Bag…
Two siblings return home from a weekend away with Grandpa. Their parents are happy and relaxed, which immediately unsettles the children. Mom and Dad are pleased that the clutter has been tidied and that there is a fresh smell in the home. But the siblings are suspicious. And then they see it: a big black plastic bag in the corner.
Beyond Seven Forests
This slim, taut novel set in occupied Galicia during the thick of World War I wastes no words and packs a powerful punch. The only remaining member of her immediate family, 18-year-old Polish countess Renia lives alone in her family’s partially destroyed mansion and treats wounded soldiers at a nearby hospital. Her recent actions—harboring two escaped Russian POWs—have led to her arrest; now Renia is giving her testimony of events at her military tribunal.
The Secrets Below (The Whispering Sea Mysteries)
This moody and atmospheric thriller follows twelve-year-old Tuva (white) in the aftermath of a missing classmate in the forest of her small island school.
Same Time, Next Week?
This offbeat and quietly tender picture book about star-gazing friends is a nocturnal ode to expectations and acceptance.
Hometown
Shaun Tan’s brilliance as an artist and storyteller is on full display in this illustrated work of fiction. Hometown has a straightforward construct: a visual tour of a girl’s hometown as she sees it. But while the meaning of home and belonging might be universal, this place is utterly unique and unforgettable.
Suffer a Witch: A Memoir
Author and playwright Joy McCullough recounts her experience of the abuse she endured by her youth pastor in the church led by her father, the senior pastor, when she was a 15-, 16-, and 17-year-old girl. McCullough’s memories are told chronologically through raw, sharp poems. Her precise, insightful, and informative writing is a masterpiece in verse. Yet the reckoning of her truth, brilliantly executed, is also a horrifying marvel of power and pain.
The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan
An unlikely pair of animals finds healing, companionship, and courage in this touching novel inspired by a real-life animal-rehabilitation program. Chase, a baby cheetah, is devastated when her mother dies during a visit to the veterinarian at the zoo where she was rehabilitated after being injured in the wild.
The Faraway Forest: Hester’s Big Dream
Finding friends can be challenging when everyone seems to be out and about during the day while you follow a nocturnal schedule. Night owl Hester keeps busy with cake decorating, living-room exercise routines, work on her novel, and sewing projects, but sometimes she’s “a bit lonely.” So Hester concocts a plan to stay awake until the sun rises, when she’ll go out and meet others.
Navigating Night
Inspired by Leung’s own childhood, this story centers on a Chinese American girl who helps her father, Baba, deliver the takeout orders from their family’s Chinese restaurant. In a time before smartphones and GPS, the girl uses a notebook of addresses and a foldout map spread across her lap to navigate. On one rainy night, their dynamic plays out in a variety of impactful ways.