The finalists for the 2025 Andre Norton Nebula Award have been announced. The award recognizes the best of science fiction and fantasy for middle grade and young adult fiction. Here are the finalists:
Gemini Rising by Jonathan Brazee
Goblin Girl by K. A. Mielke
Into the Wild Magic by Michelle Knudsen
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
The Tower by David Anaxagoras
Wishing Well, Wishing Well by Jubilee Cho
The Swan’s Daughter by Roshani Chokshi
Demelza is the daughter of a veritas swan and an evil sorcerer. Her sisters are all veritas swans themselves, able to transform and whose beautiful voices force the truth from others. Demelza though takes after her father more. She doesn’t have wings and her voice is hurtful to the ears. Across the land, Prince Arris has put out a call for eligible girls to apply to be his bride. Arris lives under a family curse where he is doomed to likely be killed by his bride for power over the throne. Demelza heads to the prince’s realm to try to help, also escaping death by her father’s hand. Can these two find the way through the magic and curses that bind them?
This YA novel is a delight. Both of the lead characters are a joy to spend time with. From Arris who is trying to make the most of his short life by clinging to every beautiful experience he can to Demelza who is trying to figure out who she is outside of her mother and father’s needs. The two stumble together through the book, their connection growing beautifully across the story in a genuine way. Even better, the secondary characters are also rendered completely. Both sets of parents have complex love stories of their own, the contestants for Arris’ hand are marvelous, and Arris’ sister steals every scene she enters.
One of the best teen romatasies, this one is worth losing your heart to. Appropriate for ages 12+.
Peters Children’s Book of the Year celebrates the best children’s fiction and nonfiction published in the UK. A Book of the Year is selected from the four books that win their specific categories. Here are the winning titles:
BOOK OF THE YEAR
The Boy at the Window by Lucy Strange
PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR
Don’t Trust Fish! by Neil Sharpson and Dan Santat
JUNIOR FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR
The Boy at the Window by Lucy Strange
TEEN FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR
I Dare You by Tamsin Winter
NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR
The Cave Explorer by Kate Winter
Poems for Every Season: A Year of Haiku, Sonnets, and More by Bette Westera, illustrated by Henriette Boerendans, translated by David Colmer
A beautiful volume of poems that share the senses of the season combined with a variety of poetic formats. Each season in the volume begins with a welcoming Haiku. That leads into each month of the year having a poem, allowing readers to feel both the deepest winter and also the promise of spring as the poems continue. It’s a volume of poetry that allows the poems to stand on their own while also becoming more while seen as a full year and volume.
The quality of the poems is exquisite, using both the content of the poem and the structure of the poem to share that moment in the season. This is all the more impressive given that the poems are translated from Dutch to English and still maintain rhythm and rhyme. The illustrations in the book are woodcuts, beautifully colored and delicate. They have an organic feel that fits the subjects perfectly and offer a beauty of image that rivals that of the poems.
A superb collection of seasonal poetry for children. Appropriate for ages 6-10.
The shortlists for the 2026 Carnegie Medals for illustration and writing in books for young people have been announced. Here are the shortlisted titles for these UK awards:
ILLUSTRATION
The Endless Sea illustrated by Linh Dao, written by Chi Thai (available in US)
Freedom Braids illustrated by Oboh Moses, written by Monique Duncan (available in US)
Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel illustrated by Aimée de Jongh, written by Golding William
The Paper Bridge illustrated by Seng Soun Ratanavanh, written by Joelle Veyrenc (available in US)
The Sleeper Train illustrated by Baljinder Kaur, written by Mick Jackson (available in US)
Wiggling Words by Kate Rolfe
Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto (available in US)
WRITING
Birdie by J. P. Rose
The Boy I Love by William Hussey
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Tim Miller (available in US)
Ghostlines by Katya Balen
Not Going to Plan by Tia Fisher
Popcorn by Rob Harrell (available in US)
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds (available in US)
Wolf Siren by Beth O’Brien
The Future Book by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Shawn Harris
This book is from the future, where many things are different from current life. The sun and the moon have swapped names, so have morning and night. Bananas are called apples and apples don’t exist any more. Many people are now named Charlie Cheese Face. Animals have different names, but dogs are still called dogs. The way you say goodbye has changed too. And instead of saying thank you, you put a fish on the person’s head.
Silly as can be, this book has a marvelous nonsensical pay off as all the elements come together into a chaotic few pages using the future way of saying things. The humor is silly and will have children giggling at the nonsense of it all. Barnett’s playing with language is masterful as is his timing for this read aloud. The illustrations by Harris are bold and marvelously retro as we look to the future.
A funny book that must be shared. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
My Tiger by Joy Cowley, illustrated by David Barrow
A boy takes his pet tiger to the local bakery because the tiger loves to eat cake. The baker is a little worried, but the tiger only eats cake. But too much cake can lead to a bad tooth. Now the tiger has to be taken to the dentist. He doesn’t want to go and has to be convinced to get into the dentist chair. His tooth gets fixed but the boy is warned not to let his tiger eat cake anymore or other teeth will get damaged. So what’s a tiger to eat then?
This picture book has minimal words and moves along at a brisk pace, making it a great pick for antsy listeners at a program. Children surprised by the cake-eating tiger will see their own hesitancy about going to the dentist for a cavity. The twist at the end is a delight though more gentle-hearted youngsters might be shocked. The illustrations tell much of the story, like getting the tiger into the dental chair and the depth of the tiger’s love of cake.
A funny and sweet look at dentists and hungry tigers.
Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron
It’s time for bed for the young green blob, even though they aren’t quite done playing yet. The parental Blog points out that everyone is heading for bed too, even the Dark Lord, the Unspeakable Horror and the Yeti. Each are getting ready for bed in their own way. Rooms have been tidied with Skeleton putting her bones in the closet and little Mummy getting wrapped up tight in their bandages. Faces are washed, fangs are brushed, and silky PJs and warm milk have been used. Soon everyone is getting sleepy, even the little Blob.
Aaron leans hard into the humor in this monster-filled picture book. The mix of bedtime story and horror creatures is a delight with far more creatures included than anyone might expect on their first read. I guarantee this is one that monster-loving children will want to hear again and again. This picture book was included in the Carnegie Illustration longlist for 2026, and the illustrations don’t disappoint. They are merrily filled with monsters in jammies and getting ready for bed. The details are marvelous, each one just right for the character, including pink fuzzy monster slippers for Frankenstein, the Minotaur reading a book of mazes in bed, and the Witch asleep on her broomstick.
Don’t save this one for Halloween, it’s a great bedtime read any time of year. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
IndieBound has published their new list of recommended upcoming books which are nominated by independent booksellers across the country.
PICTURE BOOKS
Cat’s New Book by Nathalie Belhassen
The Future Book by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris
The God of Sleep by Lev Grossman, illustrated by Huynh Kim Liên
I Really Want to Be a Cat by Helen Hancocks
Is This Spring? by Kevin Henkes
Judgy Bunny and the Terrible Beach by Scott Rothman, illustrated by Linzie Hunter
Loops by Jashar Awan
The Rare Bird by Elisha Cooper
Rumpelstiltskin by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Carson Ellis
Ruthie by Esmé Shapiro
MIDDLE GRADE
Aftermyth by Tracy Wolff
Bravepaw and the Heartstone of Alluria by L. M. Wilkinson, illustrated by Lavanya Naidu
The Curse Breaker by Jen Calonita
A Kid Like Me by Norm Feuti
The Lion’s Run by Sara Pennypacker
Oh Brother by Georgina Chadderton
Phoenix by Kim Brubaker Bradley
Queso, Just in Time by Ernesto Cisneros
Sweet, Tart by Kara Thom
The Unlikely Tale of Chase & Finnegan by Jasmine Warga
When Tomorrow Burns by Tae Keller
YOUNG ADULT
Carnival Fantastico by Angela Montoya
The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
The Free Verse Society by Delali Adjoa
Her Hidden Fire by Cliodhna O’Sullivan
If We Never End by Laura Taylor Namey
Love Me Tomorrow by Emiko Jean
Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller
Queen of Faces by Petra Lord
Ramin Abbas Has Major Questions by Ahmad Saber
The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
11 Feminist Middle Grade and YA Novels About Gender, Period Stigma, and More – SLJ
Why are today’s children’s books and films often so much better than adult ones? – The Guardian
LIBRARIES
5 Library Wins Worth Celebrating – American Libraries
8 Badass Librarians We Need to Celebrate This International Women’s Day – Lit Hub
By the book: Alberta schools pull at least 160 titles from shelves to meet provincial order – CBC
‘Essential for My Career’: Six Authors Explain Why They Need Their Books on Library Shelves – PEN America
Judy Blume and the Making of ‘Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing’ – Newsweek
YA LIT
Malorie Blackman on Noughts & Crosses at 25: ‘It’s even more relevant today’ – The Guardian
The Lionharts by Mike Lawrence
Alder and Flynt have grown up in a family that quests and goes on adventures. Their grandparents, Grammy and Baba, were once famous but are now retired spending time baking and reading. But the family business isn’t going well for the next generation, so when a new contract comes in that will pay more, they quickly agree to take it. When their parents don’t return from the job, the boys head out on their own to rescue them. Their grandparents rescue them before they can end up in too much trouble and they all set off to find out what happened to the boys’ parents. Along the way, the boys meet many of their grandparents’ previous foes who are now friends. When they find their parents, a secret is revealed that will change their family forever.
This middle grade graphic novel has a Dungeons & Dragons flair about it. With diverse characters, including some with green skin or pointed ears, the book has an interesting and surprising cast. Readers will love the action scenes just as much as the moments of laughter and warmth as they come right after another thanks to the brisk pace. The twist at the end is a great reveal that is incredibly satisfying.
Grab your sword and head out on this adventure. Appropriate for ages 8-12.
Waking Brain Cells 