The Best Children’s and YA Books of November 2018
by Keith Rice
The best new releases of November feature a mix of charming picture books, imaginative middle grade adventures, and a diverse collection of young adult fantasy and sci-fi. Here are our top picks.
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Picture Books
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Jonny Lambert’s Animal 123
Buy from:This delightful lift-the-flap book can help develop and improve your little one’s counting skills. Filled with colorful and expressive illustrations, Animal 123 is an equally fun and practical learning tool.
(On sale: 11/6/2018)Buy from: -
Follow the Trail: Baby Dinosaurs
Buy from:Follow the Trail: Baby Dinosaurs provides an engaging, tactile experience to help your baby develop pre-writing motor skills. Utilizing glittery and bumpy trails, Baby Dinosaurs encourages children to follow those trails and help their new dinosaur friends find their moms and dads.
(On sale: 11/6/2018)Buy from: -
Once Upon a Star: A Poetic Journey Through Space
Buy from:Once Upon a Star is a perfect addition to the library of any budding astronaut or scientist. It explores the history of the universe from the Big Bang to the formation of the planets to the origins of life on earth — all told in rhythmic language sure to captivate both children and adults alike.
(On sale: 11/6/2018)Buy from: -
Dr. Thirteenth: Limited Edition
Buy from:Written by Adam Hargreaves in the whimsical style of his father, Roger Hargreaves, this original Doctor Who adventure features one of science fiction’s most iconic characters, making it the perfect opportunity to introduce your little one to the world of the Doctor.
(On sale: 11/6/2018)Buy from: -
Mousie, I Will Read to You
Buy from:Reading this poignant picture book is a lovely way to help your little one on their journey to becoming a lifelong book lover. Follow the stages of Mousie’s progress toward reading, from infancy to toddlerhood and elementary school, in this heartwarming tale of the joys of reading.
(On sale: 11/13/2018)Buy from:
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Middle Grade
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Inkling
Buy from:This imaginative novel centers on the struggles of the Rylance family — Dad is fighting writer’s block, Ethan is at his wit’s end with a school project, and Sarah is pining for a puppy. When a wayward sketch in Mr. Rylance’s sketchbook springs to life, a seemingly small burst of creativity opens a whole new world for everyone.
(On sale: 11/6/2018)Buy from: -
How to Survive in a Stranger Things World (Stranger Things)
Buy from:How to Survive in a Stranger Things World is a must-have addition to the library of any tween fan of the hit ”Stranger Things” series. Featuring warnings and wisdom alongside full-color images and quotes from the series, it is the perfect antidote for a world that can sometimes feel a little upside down.
(On sale: 11/13/2018)Buy from: -
Sasquatch and the Muckleshoot
Buy from:In this latest adventure of The Unicorn Rescue Society series, Elliot, Uchenna, and Jersey are swept away to the Pacific Northwest to save one of the world’s most elusive mythical creatures — Bigfoot. With a cable news team on the verge of exposing Bigfoot to the world and a nefarious logging company set on destroying the forest, this could the Unicorn Rescue Society’s most dangerous — and entertaining — adventure yet.
(On sale: 11/13/2018)Buy from: -
It Wasn’t Me
Buy from:This “The Breakfast Club” by way of middle school tale sees a group of six kids who couldn’t be more different brought together by an act of vandalism. After Theo’s photography project is damaged, a determined teacher brings him together with the five suspects to hash out what happened in this heartfelt story of unexpected friendship.
(On sale: 11/13/2018)Buy from:
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Young Adult
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Skyward
Buy from:Brandon Sanderson, bestselling author of the Reckoners and Mistborn series, returns to the world of YA science fiction with Skyward. As the first volume in a brand-new series, Skyward sets the stage of a war-torn world where skilled pilots are the last line of defense. Spensa has long dreamed of joining their heroic ranks, but her family legacy may be too much to overcome in this edge-of-your-seat epic.
(On sale: 11/6/2018)Buy from: -
Girls of Paper and Fire
Buy from:This fantasy novel is a good pick for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and the Red Rising Trilogy. Eight girls are chosen each year to serve as Paper Girls, consorts to the King. Lei is still haunted by her mother’s long-ago abduction by royal guards. Now, the guards have returned for her and she is quickly swept up in a word of opulence, deceit, and a dangerous plot that could threaten the entire world.
(On sale: 11/6/2018)Buy from: -
Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix
Buy from:Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix continues Julie C. Dao’s East Asian-inspired fantasy saga. Raised in exile, Princess Jade has returned to claim the crown that is rightfully hers. To do so, Jade embarks on a quest to resurrect the Dragon Lords and finally bring an end Xifeng and the Serpent God.
(On sale: 11/6/2018)Buy from: -
The Storyteller
Buy from:In the thrilling conclusion to The Reader series, Traci Chee takes Sefia, Archer, and the fate of Five Kingdoms to the very brink of destruction. With an inescapable prophecy bearing down on Sefia, she may be forced to choose between the love of her life and the fate of the world.
(On sale: 11/13/2018)Buy from: -
Any Second
Buy from:Elian was kidnapped five years ago — until the day his captor sends him to a crowded mall, wearing a bomb. Maya’s debilitating anxiety is its own sort of captor. Thrown together by fate, the two characters discover that it can only take seconds for their worlds to change, for better or worse.
(On sale: 11/20/2018)Buy from:
