The Best New Children’s & YA Books of January
by the Brightly Editors
New year, new books! The most surefire way to start a new year off on the right foot is by stuffing your shelves with fantastic reads. From delightful new picture books to exciting novels for tweens and teens, here are the most exciting books coming your way this month.
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Picture Books
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On Our Way! What a Day!
A group of grandchildren travels to Gram’s house for her birthday party, looking for the perfect gift along the way. They find many interesting items and combine them to create an unforgettable gift for Gram. This upbeat, toe-tapping story has simple, rhythmic text and energetic illustrations, making it the perfect read-aloud.
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A Peek Out Your Window: My First Book of Weather
From New York Times bestselling author and TODAY Show co-host Dylan Dreyer comes an interactive board book about the weather for tiny meteorologists. Each page has a flap to lift so children can “check” the weather to see if it is rainy, sunny, or windy.
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Girls on the Rise
If you loved Change Sings and Something, Someday, you should add presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman’s newest picture book to your reading list. With vibrant illustrations from Loveis Wise, this gorgeous book celebrates girls and women, their accomplishments, and their futures.
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The Interpreter
Many children will relate to this insightful picture book about a young girl who acts as an interpreter for her immigrant parents. For the most part, she enjoys helping her parents communicate with others, but sometimes it gets overwhelming. With a little encouragement, she manages to find the right balance.
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Mixed Feelings
This unique book about feelings validates how most people experience the world — with mixed emotions. Each page presents a new situation and a child managing mixed feelings about it. Young readers will learn that it is okay to be mostly happy and a little bit sad at the same time.
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Jollof Day
A young boy and his father joyfully spend the day cooking together in this bouncy, rhythmic book. It beautifully captures the joy of passing a beloved dish down to the next generation. The rollicking text and colorful illustrations make this story perfect for reading aloud to your budding chef.
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Many Things At Once
Children from multicultural families will appreciate this tender story. A girl with a Jewish mother and a South Asian father loves listening to her parents’ stories but feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. When she sees a unique butterfly in her garden, she realizes that being different is a good thing.
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Chapter Books & Middle Grade
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A Copycat Conundrum (The Misfits)
Kids who loved The Bad Guys series or The Underdogs series when they were younger will enjoy this series. Threatening notes, bizarre earthquakes, and stolen artwork combine in the second installment featuring a group of mystery-solving misfits. This humorous and highly illustrated series will be your kid’s next favorite read!
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Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper)
Adventure and a magical mix-up combine in this fractured fairy tale. When Ella and Belle unexpectedly find themselves in each other’s fairy tales, they must act fast to correct the mistake. Both girls must escape their predicaments and find their way back to the correct stories. This novel is perfect for fairy tale fans!
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Radiant
Introduce your child to an iconic time in history with this poignant novel-in-verse from multiple Coretta Scott King winner Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. As Cooper navigates 5th grade, she deals with bullies, questions of identity, and racism. But even as terrible things happen in the world, Cooper finds hope and comfort in the good things.
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Same Page
Friendship, school government, and book bans collide in this heartfelt novel from the author of Hidden Truths. As class president of 6th grade, Bess plans to add a book vending machine to her school. But she finds herself at odds with her best friend and vice president, June, when June’s mom complains about the book selection. The girls must choose between saving their friendship or standing by their values.
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Ava Lin, One of a Kind
Ava wants to win the weekly kindness competition in her first-grade class so she can choose something from the prize box. However, Ava soon realizes that genuine kindness comes from the heart. This highly illustrated early chapter book is perfect for growing readers ages 5-8.
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Safe Harbor
Kids who enjoy reading novels in verse will want to add this book to their “to read” lists. Geetha moves to Rhode Island from India and struggles to adjust to life in the US. Although she gets teased at school, she finds comfort in writing poetry, a new friend named Miguel, and working to rescue a harbor seal. Many young readers will relate to the ups and downs of Geetha’s emotional journey.
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YA
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Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue
YA readers who love thrills and chills will want to read this companion novel to Bittersweet in the Hollow. Rowan can smell lies, so when Hadrian appears on her doorstep, covered in blood and asking for help, she doesn’t know what to think. But with a new monster prowling the Hollow, items vanishing, and everyone lying, Rowan must do everything in her power to save the town.
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The Last Bookstore on Earth
Romance, reading, and survival combine in this post-apocalyptic love story. Liz moves into an abandoned bookstore after the world ends. When another girl named Maeve breaks into the store, they form an unlikely partnership and prepare the bookstore for the next major natural disaster. As the storm grows closer, so do the girls. However, the girls’ pasts and the impending storm will put their budding relationship to the ultimate test.
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Love on Paper
Aspiring teen author Macy never expected to see her biggest rival, Caleb, at a prestigious writing retreat, much less get paired as critique partners. Sparks fly as the teens spend four weeks competing, critiquing, and flirting. If you love young adult novels about writing, rivalry, and romance, this book is a must-read!
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