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The Best Children’s and YA Books of October 2020

by the Brightly Editors

Background credit: tgart2d/Shutterstock

October’s best new books are all treats and no tricks (though there’s plenty of mischief afoot — we’re looking at you, Underwear Dragon). Poignant and playful, fascinating and festive, these new releases can’t be missed.

  • YA

  • Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf

    by Hayley Krischer

    A nuanced and important conversation about rape culture and survival, Hayley Krischer’s debut centers on Ali Greenleaf and Blythe Jensen, who only become friends after Blythe’s BFF, the school’s soccer superstar, assaults Ali at a party. Blythe believes Sean’s interpretation of events and tries to smooth things over by befriending Ali and opening up to her. Both young women are on their own journeys to the truth, healing, and empowerment.
    (On Sale: 10/6/2020)

  • Everything I Thought I Knew

    by Shannon Takaoka

    After an unexpected heart transplant at 17, Chloe finds herself drawn to new interests: surfing, for starters. But also to her cute surfing instructor, Kai. Beyond the new interests, though, Chloe’s experiencing a recurring nightmare of dying in a motorcycle accident. As she falls in love with Kai, she also gets to the root of her strange new life.
    (On Sale: 10/13/2020)

  • The Magic Fish

    by Trung Le Nguyen

    First-generation Vietnamese American Tiến has a secret. He wishes he could tell his parents, but beyond language barriers, Tiến isn’t sure how they’ll feel about him being gay. As Tiến navigates this new part of his identity and bears the burden of hiding it away, he throws himself into his favorite fairy tales, which strikingly play out over the pages of this graphic novel.
    (On Sale: 10/13/2020)