Debut author Yuvashri Harish's KILL YOUR DARLINGS, where two teens accidentally unleash the monsters of their favorite horror stories, and the witch who wrote them, on their small town, pitched as Hocus Pocus meets Madeleine Roux. The book will be published by Putnam Children's.

Pushcart Prize-nominated author A. D. Sui's THE IRON GARDEN SUTRA, about a death monk on a mission to perform final rites and a group of academics sent to explore a thousand-year-lost generation ship found floating across the galaxy, only to discover that not everything on the ship has passed. The book will be published by Erewhon in early 2026.

Katie Abdou's A PRINCE AMONG PIRATES, pitched as Our Flag Means Death for fans of F.T. Lukens and Aiden Thomas, with the irreverent voice of MY LADY JANE, in which a foppish nobleman accidentally joins a pirate ship and falls for its debonair captain. The book will be published by Atheneum in summer 2026.

K.A. Reynolds, Eric Smith, and Jazz Taylor's THE ADOPTED KIDS' GUIDE TO SURVIVING SEVENTH GRADE, a multi-POV story about the varying experiences of adopted kids, by adopted kids, and the joy that can be found in community, speaking up, and even—gasp!—talking about your feelings. The book will be published by Crown Children's in summer 2026.

Joshua Cenyaotl Herron's debut TEAMO PRIMO, about three primos who become fast friends thanks to a big move across the country, and must learn to navigate the challenges of middle school alongside the complicated dynamics of their extended familia without sacrificing their friendship. The series will be published by Knopf Books for Young Readers in summer 2027.

MOTHER OF SHARKS and SEA OF CONSTELLATIONS author Melissa Cristina Marquez's LEO'S LOBO, about a little boy adopting his first pet, only to discover it's an alebrije, a fantastical creature inspired by Mexican folklore, illustrated by Maria Gabriela Gama. The book will be published by Penguin Workshop in Spring 2026.