The Best Children’s and YA Books of September 2020
by the Brightly Editors
September will bring with it the first day of fall, and with fall comes a veritable treasure chest of the year’s best new books. (We may or may not believe that about every season!) For the picture book fans, chapter book readers, and teens in your life, we’ve rounded up the month’s best new titles — from a dino-lover’s dream to YA must-reads.
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Picture Books
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Dinosaur Book for Kids
Available from:For the young dinosaur fan in your life, gift them hours of entertainment (and education, too!) with the Dinosaur Book for Kids. They’ll learn about 25 amazing dinosaurs through coloring the dinos themselves, and in addition to fun facts, there’s a handy pronunciation guide for each multi-syllable saurus.
(On Sale: 9/1/20)Also available from: -
I Am Every Good Thing
Available from:Full of joy and resilience — even when the world tries to make him feel small — the young Black narrator of this book knows that he is every good thing: creative, athletic, brave, valued, and so much more. Vibrant oil paintings bring even more life to this empowering, essential read.
(On Sale: 9/1/20)Also available from: -
The Mysteries of the Universe
Available from:They say never to judge a book by a cover, but go ahead and judge this beauty. There’s even more where that came from — photographs and illustrations, plus captivating stories that incorporate myths, trivia, and space exploration to bring the cosmos closer to home.
(On Sale: 9/1/20)Also available from: -
Shark and Bot
Available from:A charming new graphic novel series, Shark and Bot is based on a totally unexpected friendship between — you guessed it — a shark and a robot! They may not have much in common on the surface, but there’s a lot to love between the two of them. Great lessons (like handling bullies) abound.
(On Sale: 9/1/20)Also available from: -
Welcome to Bobville
Available from:In the seemingly idyllic town of Bobville, everyone’s named Bob, and they all like the same things. Until, that is, the fateful day when one Bob decides he wants to be a Bruce. Cries are cried, a wall is erected, and Bruce learns that the outside world is beautiful in its diversity. A poignant take on inclusion and open-mindedness.
(On Sale: 9/1/20)Also available from: -
See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog
Available from:What happens when you’re stuck in a book that’s all wrong? That’s the predicament for Max; the book he’s in keeps telling readers to look out for a cat. There’s no cat here, but there is a bundle of laughs in this playful trio of stories that will have both kids and parents tickled.
(On Sale: 9/8/20)Also available from: -
This Is a Book of Shapes
Available from:What shape is an emu? Good question! This delightfully offbeat concept book offers preschoolers a primer on the key shapes, then tosses in a bunch of animal-themed silliness for good measure. Your little one will be laughing — and learning — in double time.
(On Sale: 9/8/20)Also available from: -
Where Are You Polar Bear?
Available from:Part of the wonderful new Eco Baby series, Where Are You Polar Bear? takes readers on a touch-and-feel adventure through the arctic. Each book is made of recyclable cardboard and spotlights an endangered animal. For a trip through the jungle, don’t miss Where Are You Tiger?.
(On Sale: 9/8/20)Also available from: -
Fish
Available from:An accessible lesson on ocean pollution, Fish follows a fisherman named Finn and his dog, Skip, who spend a whole day fishing for dinner but wind up with a bunch of litter instead — which they use to concoct a nifty solution! A great pick for starting early conversations about recycling.
(On Sale: 9/22/20)Also available from: -
Lord Help Me
Available from:Budding singer Emme Muñiz has said a few prayers over her 12 years of life. From the oomph to crawl out of a warm bed to hopes for a kinder, safer world, Emme has a reserve of daily prayers, and she generously shares them here.
(On Sale: 9/29/20)Also available from: -
Bunheads
Available from:Who better to write a picture book series about an aspiring ballerina and her fellow bunheads than prima ballerina Misty Copeland? The first in the series finds young Misty at her first dance class and so enthralled by the story of Swanilda in the ballet Coppélia that she overcomes her newcomer nerves to audition.
(On Sale: 9/29/20)Also available from:
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Chapter Books & Middle Grade
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Before the Ever After
Available from:The son of a professional football star and loving dad, ZJ has lived a charmed life. But things at home start to shift when his dad’s memory falters and his personality changes, the aftereffects of several head injuries. How ZJ adjusts to this new reality and how the family’s community rallies around them are at the heart of this moving new story from Jacqueline Woodson.
(On Sale: 9/1/20)Also available from: -
Witches of Brooklyn
Available from:After her mother dies, Effie moves in with her aunt Selimene and Selimene’s partner, Carlota, both of whom are old enough to be her grandmothers. It’s not long before Effie discovers that her aunts are witches! (The good kind.) Effie’s whole world is about to change in this lovable graphic novel series.
(On Sale: 9/1/20)Also available from: -
Kudo Kids: The Mystery of the Masked Medalist
Available from:If your reader can’t wait for the postponed Tokyo Summer Olympics, tide them over with this fast-paced mystery from two Olympic medalist siblings. Andy and Mika are over the moon to be in Tokyo, where — in addition to watching every event, of course! — they’re playing a popular game called OlympiFan, helmed by a mystery creator.
(On Sale: 9/8/20)Also available from: -
The Last Kids on Earth and the Skeleton Road
Available from:The latest in The Last Kids on Earth series follows the crew as they embark on an epic, post-apocalyptic road trip. There’ll be snacks, there’ll be detours, and there’ll be a frightening new monster that they thought they’d seen the last of. Don’t expect to hear “Are we there yet?” on this rip-roaring ride.
(On Sale: 9/15/20)Also available from:
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Young Adult
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American Royals II: Majesty
Available from:In this juicy series that reimagines an America with a royal family at the helm, newly crowned Beatrice is adjusting to her seat on the throne and everything she gave up for it, while the country is adjusting to their first queen. Meanwhile, Samantha’s leaning a little too far into the partying princess trope, and the princes’ love interests are also getting up to trouble.
(On Sale: 9/1/20)Also available from: -
Watch Over Me
Available from:When she ages out of the foster care system, Mila gladly accepts a teaching job in a remote part of the Northern Californian coast. But the farm is haunted by its past, and causing Mila's own to surface in this modern-day ghost story that's sure to send chills down your teen's spine.
(On Sale: 9/15/20)Also available from: -
Every Body Looking
Available from:In this compelling coming-of-age novel written in beautiful verse, Ada is living through her freshman year at a historically black college far from home. She’s also asking herself difficult questions about how past trauma, her mother’s addiction, and her immigrant father’s expectations have shaped her, and how she’ll shape the rest of her life.
(On Sale: 9/22/20)Also available from: -
Breathless
Available from:Eighteen-year-old Claude is looking ahead to the future when all of a sudden her world comes crashing down in the form of her parents’ painful split. Claude’s mom reacts by taking her daughter to a remote island off the coast of Georgia, where Claude meets Jeremiah. Claude is ready to have sex, but she’s not willing to fall in love — especially not after what happened with her parents. But can Claude really plan it all out?
(On Sale: 9/29/20)Also available from: -
Dear Justyce
Available from:Quan Banks doesn’t understand how he got here, here being the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Center. As he writes letters to his old friend Justyce — the protagonist of the bestseller Dear Martin — readers observe a young lifetime of systemic racism and a broken criminal justice system. A must-read for teens, parents, and educators alike.
(On Sale: 9/29/20)Also available from:
