The Best New Children’s & YA Books of April
by the Brightly Editors
Spring is a time of new beginnings — and new books! Whether you need a cuddle-worthy picture book to read with your little one or a novel to keep a tween or teen entertained, you’ll find it here. Animal lovers, sports enthusiasts, and graphic novel gurus will find plenty of new books to enjoy this month. Here are the best titles for children and young adults coming to bookstores in April.
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Picture Books
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Grumpy Monkey Mom for a Day
Available from:Jim Panzee offers to babysit in the newest addition to the New York Times bestselling Grumpy Monkey series. At first, Jim thinks babysitting will be a piece of cake, but it doesn’t take long before he gets overwhelmed and burned out. Thankfully, his mother is close by to help him out.
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Mommy Love
Available from:In this beautiful picture book, mindfulness teacher Susan Verde shares her wisdom with new parents. With breathing exercises, self-care, and plenty of love on each page, this book is the perfect snuggle-time read for a new mom and baby.
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Mistaco
Available from:Anyone who suffers from perfectionism will appreciate this hilarious picture book about a girl having the worst day ever. Izzy’s day has gone from bad to worse as she makes one mistake after another. Thankfully, her loving, supportive family helps her see the humor in her day. With their help, Izzy learns that mistakes happen to everyone and that it’s far better to laugh about them than dwell on them.
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Piggle the Pig: The Perfect Pigsty
Available from:Piggle’s parents are coming for a visit, but his house is a pigsty! He tries to clean up piles of dirty laundry, dishes, cobwebs, and trash before they arrive. It’s a big job for any pig, and with plenty of distractions and mistakes, Piggle has his work cut out for him. Humor-filled illustrations and simple text make this picture book an excellent read for anyone who feels overwhelmed by their chore list.
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It Started with a P
Available from:When King Liam has a dream that something starting with a P will ruin his birthday party, he goes to extreme lengths to prevent that from happening. As he banishes everything from pepperoni pizza to people from his big day, he suddenly realizes he ruined his party all by himself! Kids and adults alike will love reading this hilarious and relatable picture book.
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Little Bird Laila
Available from:Anyone who has learned a new language will appreciate this sweet story about a young Chinese American girl who translates for her parents. Although she is still learning English herself, Laila does her best to help her parents. Many children will relate to this hopeful and heartfelt story.
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Brave
Available from:This beautiful book explores how one Native American boy learns to embrace his identity, culture, and heritage. As his parents brush and braid his long hair, they teach the boy about their people’s history and traditions and how they were suppressed for generations. Now, the boy can wear his long braids with pride.
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Caitlin Clark: A Little Golden Book Biography
Available from:Basketball enthusiasts can learn about one of the biggest superstars in the sport with this Little Golden Book biography of Caitlin Clark. Children will read about Caitlin’s childhood and how she grew up to become the barrier-breaking sensation she is today.
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The Girl Who Was Too Big for the Page
Available from:Sheila is a little girl who lives in a book and grows older as you turn the pages. But one year, Sheila gets a growth spurt that makes it impossible to fit on the page anymore. She tries bending over and slouching to fit on the page. Eventually, Sheila realizes she doesn’t need to make herself smaller — she needs a bigger page! This charming story is about taking up space and being comfortable with yourself.
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Chapter Books & Middle Grade
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Nightmare Hunter #1
Available from:Kids who love thrills and chills will want to read this horror graphic novel about a boy who hunts nightmares. Maxwell can enter other people’s nightmares and help them fight off the monsters lurking there. But he meets his match in the dreams of a girl named Sidney, whose dreams are more powerful than anything he has seen. Spooky monsters, a captivating plot, and action-packed illustrations make this graphic novel a must-read!
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The Dragon’s Apprentice
Available from:In a kingdom where learning magic is forbidden, a young girl named Ciara cracks open a spellbook and accidentally summons a flying, fire-breathing, magic-wielding dragon! Now, the dragon wants to teach her to use magic, and Ciara knows that something terrible will happen because of it. Shenanigans, hijinks, and misadventures await young readers as they dive into this hilarious fantasy story.
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Moose and Violet Knock Things Down #1
Available from:Moose is a big puppy with superpowers! Every dog in Moose’s family has a different ability, and when the grown-up dogs vanish without a trace, the puppies must band together to find them. Young readers who adore their pets will love this magic-packed and heartwarming adventure.
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Candle Island
Available from:From the Newbery Honor-winning author of Beyond the Bright Sea comes a new story about art, grief, and self-discovery. Lucretia and her mom move to a remote and sparsely populated island in Maine to escape their past. As Lucretia explores her new home, she uncovers long-lost secrets and meets new people who will change her forever.
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YA
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I Am the Swarm
Available from:Music, magic, and feminism collide into a beautiful and heart-wrenching novel in verse. When Nell turns 15, she is relieved when her magic manifests as a gentle ladybug. However, Nell soon notices that a different insect appears for each of her emotions. Her anger brings swarms of wasps, and Nell must learn to either hide her strong feelings or harness them.
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The Notorious Virtues
Available from:Murder, media, and a cutthroat competition combine into an unputdownable thriller from the author of the Rebel of the Sands series. After Nora’s mother gets killed, she must compete against her cousins for the family throne. When an illegitimate cousin also enters the magical competition and Nora learns her mother’s death wasn’t an accident, they team up with a reporter to fight for survival and justice.
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Lady Knight
Available from:YA readers will enjoy this romantic and funny historical novel from the author of Queen Bee. A young aristocrat named Zia will do anything to keep her involvement in a secret society quiet, even befriend her older brother’s best friend, Rafi. Get ready to laugh and swoon in equal measure with this novel set in London’s high society.
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I Love You S’more
Available from:After a drama-filled breakup with her television star girlfriend, Ivy tries to find an escape by signing up as a camp counselor. However, Ivy’s childhood rival, Rynn, is also a counselor at the camp, and the girls struggle to get along. As the summer heats up and the girls spend more time together, their relationship moves from enemies to friends to something more.
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You Belong to Me
Available from:When Frances gets paired up with her crush, Julia, for a school project, she couldn’t be happier. Julia is beautiful and popular, and the daughter of a famous skincare guru. Julia pulls Frances further into her glamorous world filled with parties and positivity, and Frances finally feels like she belongs to something meaningful. But when a party takes a deadly turn, Frances must face the terrifying truth about the people she has come to trust.
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Somadina
Available from:Somadina and her twin brother develop opposite magical powers that change how the people in their town see them. But when her brother vanishes, Somadina doesn’t hesitate to go after him. She embarks on a perilous quest through an enchanted forest to the edge of the spirit world to track him down and bring him home. This breathtaking adventure celebrates identity, perseverance, and the special bond between siblings.
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The Flip Side: A Graphic Novel
Available from:After his best friend’s death, grief consumes Theo. When his entire town flips upside down and he is left alone with a monster, Theo joins forces with the only other human left in town. Together, Theo and his new friend must navigate the upside-down world and defeat the monster while figuring out how to turn the town right-side up again.
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