The Best Children’s and YA Books of January 2020
by the Brightly Editors
As we turn the page into a new year, there’s much to look forward to — and at Brightly, we’re particularly excited for a slate of exceptional new picture books, middle grade reads, and YA novels arriving in 2020. It all kicks off this month, with over 20 new releases to note.
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Picture Books
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Dr. Seuss’s Spring Things
Available from:If your household is getting antsy as the winter months play out, look ahead to all the fun spring has to offer with Dr. Seuss's Spring Things. Thing One and Thing Two romp around with bunnies, flowers, and even worms as they celebrate - in rhyme, of course! - a new and splendid season.
(On Sale: 1/7/20)
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Hello, World! Construction Site
Available from:For vehicle-obsessed kiddos, this construction site-themed Hello, World! installment is a must-have. Filled with toddler-friendly facts and Jill McDonald's trademark illustrations, it's sure to keep little readers busy. Pair it with Hello, World! Rainforest Animals to explore one of nature's greatest treasures.
(On Sale: 1/7/20)
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The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read
Available from:This picture book-biography introduces readers to an inspiration. Born into slavery in 1948, Mary Walker lived to be 121 years old. She witnessed major historical moments while working and raising a family, and at the age of 116 Mary achieved her dream of learning to read. Every classroom and household has something to learn from the indomitable Mary Walker.
(On Sale: 1/7/20)
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Overground Railroad
Available from:From the creators of Before She Was Harriet comes a story of the Great Migration, narrated by a young girl aboard a train as she and her parents move from North Carolina to New York City. Composed of poems and collage illustrations, Overground Railroad shines a light on an essential moment in history through a bright young voice.
(On Sale: 1/7/20)
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Spot’s New Friend
Who will Spot play with when his family goes away on vacation? A lost ball and a friendly young kangaroo named Alice teach Spot that friends are for the making, no matter where he goes!
(On Sale: 1/7/20)
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Just Like Me
Available from:A celebration of one-of-a-kind girls as they navigate a colorful world, Just Like Me is told through poetic portraits of girls from all sorts of families who are feeling all sorts of feelings and learning about themselves through friendships, hardships, and burgeoning self-esteem.
(On Sale: 1/14/20)
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Llama Llama Hide & Seek
Available from:The latest story in the Llama Llama world finds little Llama searching for his lost Fuzzy. Young readers will love peeking under flaps on every page to help Llama Llama reunite with his treasured toy.
(On Sale: 1/14/20)
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Tomorrow I’ll Be Kind
Available from:If you loved Jessica Hische's bestseller, Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave, you won't want to miss her heartening follow-up, Tomorrow I'll Be Kind. Adorned with carefully crafted hand-lettering and illustrations, this sweet read emphasizes that kindness is made of small, ordinary choices.
(On Sale: 1/14/20)
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In a Jar
Available from:A rabbit named Llewellyn finds his new best friend in Evelyn, who shares Llewellyn's affinity for collecting the wondrous: the sound of wind, the colors of a rainbow. One day, Evelyn announces that she's moving away. How the friends plan for and cope with the change is as inspiring as their appreciation of everyday magic.
(On Sale: 1/21/20)
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Chapter Books & Middle Grade
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Clean Getaway
Available from:When 11-year-old William "Scoob" Lamar sets off on a road trip with his grandma, he has no idea what to expect. After all, no one's ever accused G'ma of being predictable. As the two drive through the American South, Scoob learns an eye-opening history in what Booklist calls "an absolute firecracker of a book."
(On Sale: 1/7/20)
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Escape This Book! Tombs of Egypt
Available from:Bill Doyle's Escape This Book! series is participatory reading at its finest. In Tombs of Egypt, readers choose whether to be a pharaoh, pyramid worker, or archaeologist, then they draw, fold, and tear their way through a harrowing quest - with plenty of fascinating facts tucked into the story.
(On Sale: 1/7/20)
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Narwhal on a Sunny Night
Available from:After being whisked away to Greenland (which is decidedly not green), Jack and Annie are sent on a mission to save a narwhal. Luckily, they find help in the form of a young and not-yet-famous explorer Leif Erikson, in this icy expedition perfect for winter reading.
(On Sale: 1/7/20)
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Peter Rabbit 2
If you're as excited as we are for the Peter Rabbit movie sequel, don't miss out on this chapter book companion. Bea's novel about Peter and his friends is a big hit, but Peter's tired of hearing about what a troublemaker he is. While his parents are away, he decides to strike off on his own.
(On Sale: 1/21/20)
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The Runaway Princess
A new graphic novel as visually stunning as it is adventurous, The Runaway Princess follows Robin as she absconds from her family's castle and embarks on a journey across the lands she's only ever imagined. Robin's parents are in close pursuit - princesses are meant to stay home. Or are they?
(On Sale: 1/21/20)
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Samantha Spinner and the Boy in the Ball
The third book in the globe-trotting Samantha Spinner series is as action-packed and puzzle-filled as ever. Samantha's finally tracked down her Uncle Paul, but now her obnoxious little brother, Nipper, is missing in action. What's a girl got to do to catch a break?
(On Sale: 1/21/20)
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Confessions of a Dork Lord
Available from:Part Harry Potter, part Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Confessions of a Dork Lord is the book middle grade readers will be clamoring for this month. When Wick, son of the Dark Lord, shows up at Middle Ages School, he expects to be taken seriously - but he's rubbish at spells and not what you'd call intimidating. Wick's journal outlines his plan to achieve greatness and captures his hilarious mishaps along the way.
(On Sale: 1/28/20)
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When You Trap a Tiger
Available from:Tae Keller's second novel, a Korean folktale about a girl who makes a deal with a magical tiger, is an enchanting coming-of-age story about family, old secrets, and the stories we tell about ourselves. Lily agrees to return what her family stole from the tiger long ago in exchange for her grandmother's restored health, but she'll need to muster every ounce of bravery she has to fulfill the task.
(On Sale: 1/28/20)
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YA
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19 Love Songs
Bestselling author David Levithan (known best for Every Day, Someday, and Two Boys Kissing) returns with an irresistible short story collection that revolves around love. Some stories return to familiar characters, while others chart new waters; all of them tug on heartstrings in the best way.
(On Sale: 1/7/20)
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The Kissing Booth #2: Going to Distance
Available from:Long distance relationships aren't for the faint of heart, which Elle Evans is learning now that her bad-boy-turned-boyfriend Noah is 3,000 miles away at Harvard. While Elle deals with the trials of long distance, she tries not to notice the cute new boy, Levi, who's certainly noticing Elle.
(On Sale: 1/7/20)
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Nameless Queen
An epic new fantasy both thrilling and socially resonant, Nameless Queen tells the story of a peasant who inherits the throne. Her life was already dangerous enough: as part of the Nameless caste of citizens, no one blinks an eye when they (regularly) go missing. But the palace seems even more dangerous, especially to a queen with no name.
(On Sale: 1/7/20)
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Devil Darling Spy
Available from:In 1940, Sarah Goldstein is working as a spy in Nazi Germany. But when her superior, the Captain, learns that a German doctor is experimenting with germ warfare in Central Africa, the two set off to try to put an end to this weapon - and Sarah discovers a terrible history of genocide that her own ancestors have yet to answer to.
(On Sale: 1/21/20)
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