Little, Brown/Ottaviano and Random House Studio lead new children's books for May 12, 2025; releases include LGBTQ+ sports stories, graphic novels, and YA debuts

May 8, 2025 (Publisher's Weekly) –

Here we round up new and forthcoming children's titles including a nonfiction account about queer athletes, a graphic novel about tween drama at summer camp, a YA romance debut from a screenwriter, and more.

Athlete Is Agender: True Stories of LGBTQ+ People in Sports by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby , illus. by Jess Vosseteig . Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $19.99 ; ISBN 978-0-3165-7200-2. Previous collaborators Locke and Melleby collect first-person narratives of queer athletes--including authors Erik J. Brown , Marieke Nijkamp , and A.J. Sass --and profile impactful figures in this affirming sports assemblage. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.

Camp Frenemies by Liz Montague . Random House Studio , $21.99 hardcover; ISBN 978-0-5938-0623-4. This witty, well-paced graphic novel follows the interpersonal trials and tribulations of Bea, Roxy, and Virginia , three cabinmates at sleepaway camp.

The Education of Kia Greer by Alanna Bennett . Knopf, $19.99 ; ISBN 978-0593-80610-4. A teen reality star boldly scripts her own future in Bennett's sprawling, pop culture-infused debut from XO, Kitty screenwriter Bennett.

Firefly Season by Cynthia Leitich Smith, illus. by Kate Gardiner . Heartdrum, $18.99 ; ISBN 978-0-06327-444-0. Seven-year-old Cherokee only child Piper enjoys visiting extended family--fishing, dancing with fireflies, learning from older cousins, eating grape dumplings, and listening to elders' stories.

Fireworks by Matthew Burgess , illus. by Cátia Chien. Clarion , $19.99 ; ISBN 978-0-06-321672-3. Previous collaborators Burgess and Chien follow two East Asian-cued children through a hot city on the Fourth of July . The picture book received a starred review from PW.

Get Real, Chloe Torres by Crystal Maldonado . Holiday House, $19.99 ; ISBN 978-0-8234-5237-8. The summer before Chloe Torres begins her freshman year of art school, she rallies former besties Ramona and Sienna for a road trip to see their favorite band.

Home Has No Borders edited by Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra . HarperCollins, $19.99 ; ISBN 978-0-06-320831-5. Ahmed and Charaipotra team up for a new assemblage that considers the meaning of home and features South Asian diaspora authors.

Malcolm Lives ! by Ibram X. Kendi (FSG, $19.99 ; ISBN 978-0-374-31186-5). This collaboration with the Malcolm X estate traces the life of activist and Black Panther Malcolm X.

The Mystery of the Haunted Dancehall by Charis Cotter . Tundra, $17.99 ; ISBN 978-1-77488-555-0. Bonding over their shared heightened senses and outsider status among their cabinmates, Bee and Zippy embark on trips to uncover why the older campers sneak off at night, returning exhausted with dead flashlight batteries. The middle grade book received a starred review from PW.

Next to Me by Daniel Salmieri and Sophia Haas . Rocky Pond , $19.99 ; ISBN 978-0-593-46200-3. Spreads by married team Salmieri and Haas, making her picture book debut, invite readers to look closely at the artwork, checking what they see against the narrator's stated perceptions. The picture book received a starred review from PW.

Of Earthly Delights by Goldy Moldavsky . Holt, $19.99 ; ISBN 978-1-250-86332-4. Rising senior and aspiring artist Rose Pauly is invited to wealthy, handsome Hart Hargrove's infamously debauched garden parties, but strange stories and even stranger encounters make Rose wonder whether something sinister lurks at the heart of all that beauty.

One of the Boys by Victoria Zeller . Levine Querido , $19.99 ; ISBN 978-1-6461-4502-7. After coming out as transgender and getting kicked off her high school's Division I football team, Grace Woodhouse is asked to return to the team for their senior season. The YA book received a starred review from PW.

PAPA Doesn't Do Anything by Jimmy Fallon , illus. by Miguel Ordóñez. Feiwel and Friends, $18.99 ; ISBN 978-1-250-39397-5. A child reflects on the many things his grandfather has accomplished in this picture book from comedian Fallon.

Shampoo Unicorn by Sawyer Lovett . Disney Hyperion, $18.99 ; ISBN 978-1-368-10895-9. Gay teen Brian runs the titular secret podcast, meanwhile closeted queer football player Greg investigates what he suspects is a hate crime, and teen Leslie comes out as trans. The YA book received a starred review from PW.

The Singular Life of Aria Patel by Samira Ahmed . Little, Brown, $19.99 ; ISBN 978-0-316-54868-7. Chicago teenager Aria Patel realizes that she's been transported to a different universe where her father is still alive, but worries about her mother left behind in her old life.

Song of the Lioness, Book 1: Alanna: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Tamora Pierce , adapted by Vita Ayala , illus. by Sam Beck . Abrams Fanfare, $17.99 paper; ISBN 978-1-4197-6557-5. Alanna, a young woman from a noble family, heads to the capital costumed as a boy in hopes of earning her shield and becoming a knight in this graphic novel adaptation.

When Love Gives You Lemons by Steven Salvatore . Bloomsbury, $20.99 ; ISBN 978-1-5476-1527-8. An aspiring influencer schemes to win back his ex-boyfriend during a destination wedding in this high-spirited second-chance romance

When We Go Missing by April Henry . Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $19.99 ; ISBN 978-0-3164-7999-8. A teen races to uncover the origin of disturbing photographs in this unsettling thriller.

The Wish Switch by Lynn Painter . Little, Brown, $18.99 hardcover; ISBN 978-0-316-57858-5; $8.99 paper ISBN 978-0-316-57857-8. Sixth grader Emma discovers a powerful faerie portal that purportedly grants wishes, but accidentally has her wishes transferred to new kid Jackson.

You and Me on Repeat by Mary Shyne . Holt, $25.99 hardcover; $17.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-85185-7; ISBN 978-1-250-85184-0. After entering a strange rainbow portal at a big-box store, estranged childhood friends Chris O'Brien and Alicia Ochoa find themselves stuck in a time loop of their graduation day. The graphic novel received a starred review from PW.

For more children's and YA titles on sale throughout the month of May, check out PW's full On-Sale Calendar.