{"id":22988,"date":"2025-07-25T12:02:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T12:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/22988\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T12:02:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T12:02:08","slug":"children-and-teens-roundup-the-best-new-picture-books-and-novels-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/22988\/","title":{"rendered":"Children and teens roundup \u2013 the best new picture books and novels | Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

Put Your Shoes On<\/a> by Polly Dunbar, Walker, \u00a312.99
Late for a party, Mummy really wants Josh to put his shoes on \u2013 but he\u2019s too lost in his imagination to hear until she shouts. Featuring a child\u2019s inner world vividly evoked by Dunbar\u2019s own sons\u2019 drawings, this tender, relatable picture book encourages patience and communication.<\/p>\n

The Tour at School (Because You\u2019re the New Kid!)<\/a> by Katie Clapham, illustrated by Nadia Shireen, Walker, \u00a312.99
This irrepressibly bouncy tour of all the school essentials (including toilets, emergency meeting tree and library with possibly more than a million books) humorously distils the scariness of starting school and the thrill of making a new friend.<\/p>\n

The Summer Puppy <\/a>by Jackie Morris, illustrated by Cathy Fisher, Otter-Barry, \u00a314.99
A beautiful, dreamy picture-book account of a collie puppy\u2019s first summer, exploring garden, fields and beach and bonding ever more closely with the child she loves.<\/p>\n

Farah\u2019s Nose<\/a> by Humera Malik, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat, Hachette, \u00a37.99
Farah hates her \u201cstrong\u201d nose, until she visits a photography exhibition about South Asian heritage \u2013 and finds it filled with brilliant immigrant women. A rich, colourful, celebratory picture book for readers of 5+.<\/p>\n

Captain Danger and the Stupid Shadow <\/a>by Victor Engbers, translated by David Colmer, Pushkin, \u00a312.99
One day, Captain Danger\u2019s stupid shadow flies off to Cut-it-Out Island, leaving the brave captain and Django the dog to give chase. A fantastically silly and child-pleasing 6+ adventure, with a flavour of Dav Pilkey.<\/p>\n

The Poetry World of John Agard<\/a>, illustrated by Shirley Hottier, Otter-Barry, \u00a312.99
Acclaimed poet John Agard selects 80 of his liveliest, funniest and most engaging poems in this enticing illustrated collection for 6+, including No Hickory, No Dickory, No Dock, and Mouth Open, Story Jump Out.<\/p>\n

The Wood Where Magic Grows<\/a> by Andy Shepherd, illustrated by Ellie Snowden, Piccadilly, \u00a37.99
When Iggy and his new brother Cal move near Wildtop Wood, they hear dark stories of its danger and menace. But they soon find the wood is full of magic \u2013 a magic that needs their help \u2026 This captivating 7+ story feels like a Faraway Tree for the 21st century.<\/p>\n

The Summer Puppy by Jackie Morris and Cathy Fisher<\/p>\n

Cruise Ship Kid \u2013 Thief at Sea <\/a>by Emma Swan, illustrated by Katie Saunders, Usborne, \u00a37.99
Ten-year-old Silver lives on a cruise ship, and has never had a best friend who wasn\u2019t retired. This summer, she\u2019s determined to change that. But when two mega-expensive watches go missing, she may have to turn detective too, in this riotous diary-format mystery for 8+, full of jokes, quizzes and geographical trivia.<\/p>\n

When the Storm Comes<\/a> by Polly Ho-Yen, Knights Of, \u00a37.99
When a terrible storm traps misfits Mali, Fara, Jonesey and Petey in the school library with their teacher Ms Devine, it\u2019s hard for them to find common ground \u2013 but as the water rises and the danger increases, they must work together to survive. An assured, gripping thriller for 9+, laced with themes of loneliness, friendship and climate activism.<\/p>\n

My Soul, a Shining Tree<\/a> by Jamila Gavin, Farshore, \u00a37.99
Based on the true story of Khudadad Khan, this first world war novel for 9+ is told from four perspectives: Belgian farmgirl Lotte, teen German infantry soldier Ernst, gunner Khan, who\u2019s fighting for the British Army, and the walnut tree that watches over all three. A superbly poignant and evocative historical novel from a much-loved author.<\/p>\n

Runaways<\/a> by EL Norry, Bloomsbury, \u00a37.99
In the summer holidays, Jamie and July meet for the first time at Waterloo station \u2013 two very different 11-year-olds, whose home lives are both unbearable. But running away together is a dangerous business. Will they ever find safety, calm and love? This fast-paced story of friendship and shared adventure is an unmissable 10+ read.<\/p>\n

\"Kickflip<\/p>\n

Kickflip<\/a> by LD Lapinski, illustrated by Logan Hanning, Orion, \u00a312.99
Elliot isn\u2019t like the other girls in the school netball team, but being welcomed as a boy by the skatepark crew doesn\u2019t feel right either. At a sports expo featuring netball and skating, Elliot has the chance to tell their friends about their newly realised non-binary identity \u2013 but can they be brave enough to open up? A thoughtful, compassionate 12+ graphic novel about self-discovery, courage and acceptance.<\/p>\n

Skipshock <\/a>by Caroline O\u2019Donoghue, Walker, \u00a316.99
When her train crosses into a new dimension, Margo finds herself in New Davia, where the day last just six hours and people\u2019s lives pass with frightening speed, controlled by those with the power to move between time zones. Teaming up with travelling salesman Moon, Margo fights to find her way home \u2013 but she\u2019s increasingly tempted to stay with Moon, even as her youth starts to slip away. An original, genre-blending YA novel, full of intricate world building and intoxicating romance.<\/p>\n

Best of All Worlds <\/a>by Kenneth Oppel, Guppy, \u00a314.99
Xavier didn\u2019t want to go to the cabin with his dad and pregnant stepmum. When the family wake from an artificial sleep to find themselves trapped in a dome, cut off completely from the world they knew, he gradually adapts to his new, much smaller life. But three years later, another family appears, and tensions rise as all of them grapple with the same question: is there any possibility of escape? Hugely thought-provoking, frequently frustrating, this speculative YA novel will stay in the mind long after it\u2019s finished.<\/p>\n

Rebel Hearts<\/a> by Tanya Byrne, Hodder, \u00a39.99
Ren Barbosa and Pearl Newman both care deeply about the environment \u2013 and despise each other\u2019s brand of activism. When both girls find themselves in an idyllic rural commune for the summer, though, their mutual antagonism slowly melts in this passionate, addictive 14+love story about fighting for the future while living meaningfully in the present.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Put Your Shoes On by Polly Dunbar, Walker, \u00a312.99Late for a party, Mummy really wants Josh to put…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22989,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[353,49,48,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-22988","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22988\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}