The Best Children’s & YA Books of March 2020

by the Brightly Editors

Get ready to expand those libraries because March’s best new books for kids and teens are bursting with titles that will educate, inspire, and entertain every sort of reader. Ring in spring with fabulous new picture books, motivating middle grade reads, and trailblazing YA novels!

  • YA

  • Stargirl Movie Tie-In Edition

    by Jerry Spinelli

    Available from:

    Just in time for its 20th anniversary, Jerry Spinelli’s bestselling YA novel is being adapted into a film for Disney+. The timeless story of young love and unabashed individuality in an era of conformity has been stealing hearts since it first published. Revisit the beloved story or discover the hype in this new movie tie-in edition.

    (On Sale: 3/3/20)

    Also available from:
  • The Kingdom of Back

    by Marie Lu

    Available from:

    Perhaps best known for her futuristic Legend series, Marie Lu turns back the clock with a magical, historical fiction tale of sibling rivalry and high ambitions. Nannerl Mozart dreams of being a composer, but in 18th-century Europe, her future — unlike her younger brother, Wolfgang’s — is limited. When a mysterious stranger offers to solve Nannerl’s problems at a steep price, will she accept the double-edged deal?

    (On Sale: 3/3/20)

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  • When You Were Everything

    by Ashley Woodfolk

    It’s rare to find narratives of friendship breakups, as painful and ubiquitous as they are, but in When You Were Everything, Ashley Woodfolk approaches the topic with nuance and empathy. Cleo and Layla were once inseparable, but then their relationship broke. The two can’t seem to get the distance they need, however, as Cleo’s assigned to be Layla’s tutor, and their painful past keeps resurfacing. A moving coming-of-age story that feels vulnerable and achingly relatable.

    (On Sale: 3/10/20)

  • A Phoenix First Must Burn

    edited by Patrice Caldwell

    Available from:

    “Black women are phoenixes,” Patrice Caldwell writes in the introduction to this must-read anthology. Inspired by the work of Octavia Butler, 16 writers center black women and gender-nonconforming individuals in folktales, science fiction, and fantasy, inviting readers to embrace their power and create their own wild, limitless futures.

    (On Sale: 3/10/20)

    Also available from: