{"id":21759,"date":"2025-09-14T11:31:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T11:31:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/21759\/"},"modified":"2025-09-14T11:31:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T11:31:36","slug":"children-and-teens-roundup-the-best-new-picture-books-and-novels-teen-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/21759\/","title":{"rendered":"Children and teens roundup \u2013 the best new picture books and novels | Teen books"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Totally Big Umbrella<\/a> by Sarah Crossan, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb, Walker, \u00a312.99
Rain ruins all Tallulah\u2019s favourite things until she finds a really huge umbrella \u2013 but it\u2019s so big it holds her back. Could there be worse things than getting wet? Enchanting and imaginative, this gentle, playful picture book addresses an anxious child\u2019s need to find control.<\/p>\n

The Elephant and the Piano<\/a> by Colette Hiller, illustrated by Nabila Adani, Magic Cat, \u00a37.99
Short-tempered and destructive, Bonti the elephant is all alone \u2013 until the music of a piano reaches him. A luminous, touching picture book, based on a true story.<\/p>\n

My Sister <\/a>Is a Treasure<\/a> by Tracy Darnton, illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail, Simon & Schuster, \u00a37.99
A little girl ponders the different nicknames her family give her baby sister in this exuberant, joyous picture book celebration of sibling relationships.<\/p>\n

On the Streets of Paris<\/a> by Cl\u00e9mentine Beauvais and Seula Yi, Big Picture Press, \u00a314.99
Lyrical, fascinating and gorgeously illustrated, this \u201cpoetic tour of Paris\u201d for 6+ distils the French capital\u2019s glamour, history and hidden secrets into brief, memorable verses.<\/p>\n

Ivy and Bearlock Holmes<\/a>: The Case of the Missing Flower<\/a> by Kristyna Litten, Magic Cat, \u00a39.99
Oh no! The rare Agave flower has been stolen from the Bearona botanic gardens; 5+ readers with an interest in detective stories and nature will enjoy helping Ivy and her grandpa solve the case in this absorbing, beautifully designed puzzle book.<\/p>\n

Luna Grace<\/a>: Girl from Outer Space<\/a> by Julie Sykes, illustrated by Emily Jones, Piccadilly, \u00a37.99
When Luna Grace\u2019s family arrives on Earth from the planet Starbright, she\u2019s keen to fit in \u2013 but her colour-changing hair and telekinetic powers make her stand out in this charming, colourfully illustrated new 5+ series about self-acceptance and managing emotions.<\/p>\n

The Superhero\u2019s First Aid Manual<\/a> by Dr Punam Krishan, illustrated by Hannah Li, DK, \u00a312.99
An invaluable resource for readers of 7+, this bright, calming, straightforwardly accessible guide details exactly what to do in accident and emergency situations.<\/p>\n

The Unexplained: Ghosts<\/a> by Adam Allsuch Boardman, Flying Eye, \u00a310.99
Marrying bold graphic illustrations and intriguing pared-back text, this collection of hauntings from different countries, cultures and historical periods will enthral ghost enthusiasts of 8+.<\/p>\n

The Elephant and the Piano, illustrated by Nabila Adani. Illustration: Magic Cat<\/p>\n

The Unfamous Diaries of Daisy Brewster: The Frenemies<\/a> by Jenny Valentine, illustrated by Hannah McCaffery, Simon & Schuster, \u00a37.99
Daisy Brewster hopes to win a lead role in her drama club\u2019s next production \u2013 but when her annoying cousin Maxxy, an actual TV star, pays an unexpected visit, will she crush all Daisy\u2019s dreams? A witty, engaging diary-format story about family, ambition and the pitfalls of fame, ideal for 8+ fans of Dork Diaries.<\/p>\n

Spirit Warriors<\/a> by Ashley Thorpe, Usborne, \u00a37.99
When Evie\u2019s magical island home is ravaged by evil ghouls, her best friend Arthur\u2019s soul is swapped into a cat\u2019s body. Now Evie and Arthur must team up with apprentice shaman Cai to switch their bodies back \u2013 and prevent the evil Blackheart Man destroying the barrier between the living and the dead. A compulsively readable 9+ fantasy adventure, richly laced with Jamaican folklore and genuine terror.<\/p>\n

Gloam<\/a> by Jack Mackay, illustrated by Ben Joel Price, Rock the Boat, \u00a37.99
Gwen\u2019s used to looking after her younger siblings \u2013 so when they move to their grandmother\u2019s old house after their mother\u2019s death, she\u2019s confident that they don\u2019t need Esme Laverne, the new babysitter. But as Esme\u2019s powers slowly reveal themselves, the children must face their own fears to have any hope of banishing the monstrous intruder \u2026 A superbly unsettling 9+ horror.<\/p>\n

A Murder of Rogues<\/a> by Joe Heap, illustrated by Max Marin, Scholastic, \u00a38.99
In Regency England, Cascabel Gray wants more freedom than girls are allowed; disguising herself as a boy, she enrols at an Oxford college, intending to study medicine. But it\u2019s not long until she receives a letter threatening exposure, and when her blackmailer is found dead, she swiftly becomes a murder suspect in this utterly absorbing YA novel, compellingly blending historical mystery and queer romance.<\/p>\n

Bury Your Friends<\/a> by Benjamin Dean, Simon & Schuster, \u00a38.99
Graduating from the exclusive Woodthorn Academy, Noah and his friends arrive at the Black Stone estate expecting a spectacular party \u2013 only to discover that they\u2019ve been locked in. They must now choose one of their number to evict every hour, sacrificing them to the murderer who\u2019s controlling all the doors. Otherwise the killer will enter the building \u2026 This twisty, blackly comic YA thriller is both an addictively gory pageturner and a scathing look at \u201cnepo baby\u201d privilege.<\/p>\n

Not Going to Plan<\/a> by Tia Fisher, Hot Key, \u00a38.99
Expelled from her previous school, Marnie finds herself sitting next to social pariah Zed, whose gifts for maths and physics might help her through her GCSEs while she coaches him in Spanish. But when Marnie has sex with a boy who lied to her about wearing a condom, can the thin beginnings of her friendship with Zed stand up to the fallout? Told from two perspectives, this poignant, powerful, often hilarious 14+ verse novel asks questions about respect, consent and how to hold it together when the plan falls apart.<\/p>\n

Torchfire<\/a> by Moira Buffini, Faber, \u00a38.99
In a world divided by attitudes to songlight (or telepathy), tensions between the Aylish, who accept it, and the Brightlanders, who abominate it, have never been higher. Now the Teroans have entered the fray, telepaths (Torches) who hold ordinary humans in contempt. Who will win control of humanity\u2019s future \u2013 those with songlight, or without? Buffini continues to enthral in the second volume of her hugely ambitious dystopian YA trilogy, interweaving multiple perspectives with effortless assurance and unforgettable impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Totally Big Umbrella by Sarah Crossan, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb, Walker, \u00a312.99Rain ruins all Tallulah\u2019s favourite things…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[489,156,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-21759","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}