July 2026 list by K. Pearson |
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Bad Guys #2: Moving on Up
by Maria S. Barbo
The Bad Guys have finally started to get traction on their quest to become the most infamous criminals around. They need bigger heists, badder scores, and better loot. Are they up for the task?
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Casting April
by Wendy Lu
Sixth grader April Xue lives and breathes all things Broadway. When she builds up the courage to audition for the lead role in the school play, she thinks she's knocked it out of the park -- until she finds out that she's been assigned to the stage crew. April is devastated--it seems like the curtain is closing on her dream of being an actor. A day later, April overhears that the theater director, Ms. Rooney, decided not to cast her because she's disabled. With the help of her best friend, a sneaky student reporter, and her spirited castmates, April learns to confront her own insecurities as a performer and proves to everyone (including Ms. Rooney) that she deserves a fair shot -- all in time for opening night.
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The Cursed Spotlight: Adventure Stories for K-Pop Fans #2
by Mina Finch
Every year, one trainee is chosen for the coveted Spotlight Solo, but legends say every winner is cursed. When Nari is selected, her anxieties spiral as shadow demons twist the superstition into a weapon. The group fractures under fear until Taeyang uncovers the truth behind the curse. To protect Nari, they must rally together and prove that friendship shines brighter than fear.
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Dog Meets Dog: Framed in Paris!
by Dan Yaccarino
When siblings Betsy and Bones travel to Paris, Betsys carefully planned visit is upended after they accidentally help steal the Mona Lisa, sending them on a thrilling adventure to catch the thief and clear their names before saying adieu to the City of Light.
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Fairies Welcome: A Sweet Secret!
by Bea Jackson
Fairies love celebrations So, when Lily, Sky, and Jasmine see Willow and her grandmother making yummy cupcakes one day, Lily comes up with a festive idea for her mother's birthday. Why not ask Willow if she can help Lily and her fairy friends bake a delicious treat for her mother's special day? It will be risky to sneak into Willow and her grandma's kitchen, but aren't all surprises worth taking a chance?
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The House with Chicken Legs Runs Away
by Sophie Anderson
Marinka loves living in the house with chicken legs that carries her around the world, allowing her to perform her duties as a Yaga, shepherding souls from the land of the living to the land of the dead. It's a huge responsibility and an honor to celebrate the lives of the recently deceased, serve them comforting tea, and send them off through the gate that leads to the stars. But the house is acting... strange. Almost as if it's ill. And soon, bits of it are being destroyed by the mysterious force beyond the gate. Even more troubling, souls are having trouble passing through. With the balance of the universe on the line, Marinka goes on a quest to find a legendary healing stone that might be able to set the house to rights and get the gate working again. But the magic requires a great sacrifice to work -- an act of immense bravery even noble Marinka might not have the courage to perform.
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The Island at the Edge of Night
by Lucy Strange
Faye Fitzgerald does not remember what she's done to land herself at the Auk Island School. She remembers so little about the night that changed her life. Growing up surrounded by nature with her botonist father in the Forest House, she can't cope with the bleak and treeless island where the school sits in seclusion. Where she and the other children are treated more like prisoners than pupils. While her fellow students begin to defy the horrible headmaster within the walls of the school, something is begging for Faye's attention on the outside. The Knife, the only mountain on the island, is calling for her. And it will draw her into a web of secrets that she could have never thought possible.
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Lightmare
by Lauren Magaziner
Still grieving and in hiding, Fiora and her Inc, the Thistles, plan to fight back against the sorcerer, but a shocking revelation and a teammates devastating choice forces the team to confront fractured loyalties and the blurry line between good and evil.
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Lydia Cooper Is a Lie
by Meaghan McIsaac
For as long as Lydia can remember, it's been her and her dad against the world. But while she loves him, her dad is so overprotective. Well-versed in the dangers of the internet from his job in cybersecurity, he refuses to let Lydia be online without heavy parental controls, and social media is out of the question. One day, when all Lydia's friends are invited to a movie night at her crush's house--except her because she's not in the group chat--Lydia gets fed up with her dad's rules and makes a social media account. Then an armed intruder shows up at her home. Clearly, there's more to her family's past than she knows.
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Magic Gems #3: Race to the Floating Islands
by Payal Doshi
A little sparkle goes a long way! Friendship is power. No one knows that more than the Gems, a magical community of kids who get their powers from sparkling gemstones. Imara is an Air Gem who helps care for animals who fly. When a young bird needs Imara's help to reunite with its family, she jumps at the chance to prove herself. But can she do enough to earn her pink moonstone?
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Minecraft: Battle of the Block
by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Ever since her family moved to the suburbs and Nzinga started middle school, she’s been really lonely. Her only consolation has been working on Phantasy Philly, a special build she and her team will present at a huge Minecraft convention in just a few weeks. Nzinga, her brother Samir, and her cousin Jannah have decided to recreate and reimagine a blocky version of their old Philadelphia street. Now that summer is here, Nzinga can’t wait to return to the old neighborhood and finish their build.
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Perfect Enough
by Meg Eden Kuyatt
Selah is a dragon. Or at least, she feels like one. And she finally figured out how to spread her wings and soar. Armed with her sensory tools, her notebooks and poems, and her newfound knowledge about her autism, Selah is heading to writing camp for the summer. She's excited to work on her writing, perform at the final showcase, and to meet more kids like her. Things aren't so simple though. As soon as she arrives, she realizes that her bully from home is there too. Ezra is chaotic, attention-seeking, and always teasing her. Selah is determined not to let him ruin her summer.
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Really Rubie
by Maddie Frost
Hello, summer! Eleven-year-old Rubie Fox can’t wait to go to sleepaway camp for the very first time. She and her best friend Riley Swisher will go away for an entire month TOGETHER, and they’ll even be able to spy on Riley’s crush Owen, who will be across from Camp Pineview, over at the boys’ camp, Moose-Ridge. But when Riley drops a bomb—she can’t go to camp because she broke her ankle—Rubie has to go by herself. Which sort of makes her feel RAGE…how can she go to camp without Riley?! But her mom has already paid for it, so she’s stuck with her plushie chicken Jim the Duck and a cabin full of girls she doesn’t know.
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Sawyer Lee and the Quest to Just Stay Home
by Zach Weinersmith
Sawyer Lee descends from an endless lineage of absolute go-getters: astronauts, scientists, champion athletes, spies, and other assorted people of action. To this heritage, he says "thanks, but no." His life's goal, if we must use that word, is to spend his days on his best friend Gary's couch, with roughly the ambition of a barnacle with the flu. The problem is that Sawyer lives in the town of Ovelaville, where everybody (including his aunt Celia and other best friend Angela) is obsessed with doing whatever it takes to win the grand prize at the annual gourd festival, celebrating nature's dullest vegetable.
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Sleepless
by Gordon Korman
The story of five kids who are up all night every night... and desperate to find out why. There's not enough time in the day. How often have Mickey, Skye, Levi, Cyrus, and Thea thought that? Well, now they have plenty of extra time... because they no longer need to sleep. None of them knows why this is happening to them. All they know is that they have to keep it a secret from their families and their friends. And while they keep it a secret, they can use their extra hours to become better than everyone else. Each of them thinks they're alone in their sleeplessness. But once they find each other, they know it can't be just an accident. Suddenly they're forced to ask: What's keeping them awake at night?
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Sneaks
by Amy Tern
Valory has developed an unfortunate reputation as a thief—primarily because she steals things—though she has resolved to change her ways. Rook is a total asparagus-eater (a.k.a. a good kid), but he likes to spy on his neighbors. Nobody's perfect, right? The twelve-year-olds form an unlikely alliance when they encounter suspicious behavior in an "empty" apartment across the alley from Rook's house. While agoraphobia keeps home-schooled Rook trapped on his property, confident and street-smart Valory can roam the scene undetected. Their opposite personalities might, in fact, be key to their success.
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The Thing about Giants
by Christopher Galvin
Jacq Dyer is the daughter of two renowned giant hunters, although she's never had much stomach for what they do. In a city built from giants' bones, people rely on hunters to keep them prosperous and safe, and everyone knows that giants are violent, senseless creatures . . . aren't they? But when an accident leaves Jacq lost and injured in the wilderness, she ends up face-to-face with Corman, a frightened young giant. Corman has just lost his dad to hunters, and he and Jacq must learn to trust each other if they're going to find their ways home.
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The Tiger's Eye: Adventure Stories for K-Pop Fans #5
by Mina Finch
Moving into the trainee dorms brings new independence and new dangers. Hana and her friends begin seeing animal avatars: a gentle, watchful tiger and a mischievous little bird. At first, the bird seems harmless, but as the group prepares for their debut music video, its true nature as a shadow spirit emerges. To protect their music--their strongest weapon against the darkness--they must trust the tiger and their instincts.
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Venus Washington and the Birthday Blowout
by Maisha Oso
Her boring baby brother Zion is about to have his first birthday party, and Mama and Daddy said Venus could help with decorations. But Venus knows she's basically in charge. Her plan is perfect: - Invite her classmates (even the annoying ones) and their pets - Make sure everyone brings a present for her or they can't get into the party - Set up a secret VIP room for the Very Important Presents - Save Daddy from getting his arm and leg chopped off by the party clown Can Venus throw the party of the century--and protect Daddy's limbs? Or will Zion's first birthday turn into the biggest blowout out all time?
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Wicked, Great and Small
by Will Taylor
Ava is getting a little tired of told when to use her magic... and when to leave it to the adults. Case in point: When a helpful curse is broken, her friend Henry goes physically from being a small boy to being a big giant. And, even worse, he's in the cafeteria at the time, and he's now stuck inside, too big for any of the doors. Ava wants to help -- but the head of the School for Wicked Witches tells her and her friends to let the teachers figure it out. This isn't good enough for Ava. She, Crow, and Tinabella are going to do whatever they can to help Henry. They've even found an ally in an older girl named Angelica, who Ava thinks is really cool... and who Tinabella doesn't trust. When Ava's magic wobbles at the exact wrong time, she and her friends are suddenly in more trouble than ever. But will the way out be a good one... or will it lead to something wicked?
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Wonka
by Roald Dahl
Ever since he was a child, Willy Wonka had dreamed of making chocolate and sharing it with the world. As a young man, he arrives at the world-famous Galeries Gourmet, determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time. But hounded by a trio of jealous chocolatiers, and tricked into a lifetime of washhouse drudgery, Wonka will need a little luck and a whole lot of magic--along with some help from a few friends--to fulfill his destiny. Because if you're lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.
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