We’re excited to share this year-end roundup of children’s and YA books published in 2024 by independent literary publishers. Read our year-end roundups of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art and drama as well.
Picture Books
Akashic Books | January 9, 2024
This picture book, based on the Bee Gees’s classic love song and illustrated by J. L. Meyer, “tells the tale of two bunny mermaids who meet on a rock and descend into the water together.”
The Lost Princess by Jessica Tamar Deutsch
Ayin Press | February 13, 2024
The Lost Princess is a “poetic retelling and stunning visual interpretation of Rebbe Nachman’s classic tale” for children and readers of all ages.
The Everywhere Atom: A Journey Through the Carbon Cycle and Climate Change by Christine Shearer
Haymarket Books | March 5, 2024
This children’s book is “a wild ride with the carbon atom through a history of Earth’s climate, from dinosaurs to wooly mammoths to today’s climate crisis.”
Translated from the French by Alyson Waters and Margot Kerlidou
Archipelago Books | April 2, 2024
In this illustrated children’s book, “confident, bristly-haired Meeselphe tumbles headfirst into a whimsical world of riddles, monsters, and magical landscapes.”
Just Like Click by Sandy Grubb
Regal House Publishing | April 16, 2024
In this children’s book, “Nick steps off his comic book pages and ventures into the night as Click, an undercover superhero.”
Daniel and Ismail by Juan Pablo Iglesias Yacher
Translated by Ilan Stavans, Eliezer Nowodworski, Frieda Press-Danieli, and Randa Sayegh
Restless Books | April 23, 2024
This trilingual book—presented in English, Hebrew, and Arabic—is “about a Jewish boy and a Palestinian boy who bond on the soccer field.”
Giant On the Shore by Alfonso Ochoa
Translated from the Spanish by Shook
Transit Books | May 14, 2024
Illustrated by Azul López, this children’s book is “a tale of vulnerability and belonging that explores the enormity of self-doubt and the tremendous potential in taking risks.”
Gigante En La Orilla by Alfonso Ochoa
Transit Books | May 14, 2024
Illustrated by Azul López, this Spanish-language edition of the children’s book is “a tale of vulnerability and belonging that explores the enormity of self-doubt and the tremendous potential in taking risks.”
Story of the Everything, the Nothing, and Other Strange Stories by Gyula Gábor Tóth
Translated from the Hungarian by Adam Z. Levy
Transit Books | May 14, 2024
This children’s book of whimsical stories “whisks readers away to lands of paradox and play: to a place where anything can happen, one where everything exists all at once, and another where nothing exists at all.”
Bilingüe, superhéroe / Bilingual, Superhero by Jorge Argueta
Translated from the Spanish by Elizabeth Bell
Arte Público Press | May 31, 2024
Illustrated by Elizabeth Gómez, this book “turns the lore of superheroes on its ear while encouraging kids who are learning multiple languages.”
Arte Público Press | May 31, 2024
With illustrations by Carmen Lop, this bilingual picture book depicts “a loving intergenerational relationship playing out against the backdrop of nature.”
It Feels Like Family / Se siente como familia by Diane de Anda
Arte Público Press | May 31, 2024
This picture book, illustrated by Roberta Collier-Morales, “picture book explores children’s resiliency in the face of divorce, while emphasizing the importance of extended family.”
Pedro and the Monster Eaters / Pedro y los devoradores de monstruos by Xequina María Berbér
Arte Público Press | May 31, 2024
Illustrated by Rod Unalt C. and loosely based on the life of folk artist Pedro Linares, this book is “a perfect choice for parents and teachers interested in sharing the world of art with their kids.”
Cocoa the Tour Dog: A Children’s Picture Book by Stick Figure and Adam Mansbach
Akashic Books | June 4, 2024
This picture book, illustrated by Juan Manuel Orozco, “is the saga of an Australian shepherd who meets her soul mate: a struggling musician, Scott, with dreams of spreading love on stages across the globe.”
Wanjikũ, Child of Mine by Ciiku Ndung’u-Case
Catalyst Press | August 6, 2024
In this picture book illustrated by Karen Vermeulen and set in the lush Kenyan countryside, “a young Gikũyũ girl helps her grandmother with daily tasks.”
The Owl Prowl Mystery by Diana Renn
Regal House Publishing | August 13, 2024
In this children’s book, Milo and the other Backyard Rangers must “band together and solve the mystery before more owls get hurt.”
An Unexpected Light by José Saramago
Translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa
Seven Stories Press | September 10, 2024
Nobel Prize winner Saramago’s work focuses “on two glorious days when he helped his uncle take some piglets to the market in Santarém.”
Stay Positive by The Hold Steady and David “El Dee” Espinosa
Akashic Books | October 1, 2024
In this picture book illustrated by Espinosa, “The Hold Steady’s beloved song of stick-to-itiveness and positivity is adapted into a beautiful children’s book about the social life of a humble armadillo.”
Una nueva ciudad, un nuevo hogar / A New City, a New Home by Elías David
Arte Público Press | October 31, 2024
In this bilingual picture book for children ages 4 to 8, parents “help their son cope with a scary change: leaving everything familiar behind and moving to a new home in a new city.”
El empacho de Isabel / Isabel’s Tummy Ache by Julio Molinete
Translated from the Spanish by Gabriela Baeza Ventura
Arte Público Press | October 31, 2024
This bilingual picture book “follows a girl who visits her grandmother and explores the food and customs of her Caribbean island.”
Arte Público Press | October 31, 2024
This bilingual picture book “warmly depicts the love of lost family members—even four-legged ones—and the Mexican indigenous tradition of the Day of the Dead/El Día de los Muertos.”
Books for Young Readers
The Adventures of the Flash Gang, Episode Two: Treasonous Tycoon by M. M. Downing and S. J. Waugh
Regal House Publishing | March 5, 2024
In this children’s book, the Flash Gang “goes all out to unravel the mystery” of their disappearing friends.
Seven Stories Press | April 9, 2024
This debut middle-grade novel is “about finding sanctuary with friends who understand the enormous changes life can throw at you when you’re 11.”
The Wildcat Behind Glass by Alki Zei
Translated from the Greek by Karen Emmerich
Restless Books | May 7, 2024
Set in 1930s Greece and originally published in 1963, this children’s novel is “an unforgettable tale of family, humanity, and what it means to be free.”
Janusz Korczak: No to Denying the Rights of Children by Isabelle Collombat
Translated from the French by Rosie Eyre
Seven Stories Press | May 28, 2024
This installment of a historical fiction series for younger readers features “the famously heroic doctor, writer, and director of an orphanage who left a powerful legacy of creating a forum for and respecting the dignity of children’s lives.”
Rosa Luxemburg: No to Borders by Anne Blanchard
Translated from the French by Rosie Eyre
Seven Stories Press | May 28, 2024
This historical novel for young readers features Rosa Luxemburg, “a Polish-born German revolutionary emboldened by the necessity of acting against imperialism, colonialism, and militarism.”
Victor Hugo: No to the Death Penalty by Murielle Szac and Mercedes Gilliom
Seven Stories Press | May 28, 2024
A new addition to the They Said No series, this young adult book “plunges us into the heart of Victor Hugo’s fierce fight against the death penalty.”
Arte Público Press | May 31, 2024
The sixth novel in Garza’s bilingual Monster Fighter Mystery series “culminates in a convergence of supernatural beings—witch owls, the demonic Donkey Lady, curanderos and naguales—all fighting in a life-or-death battle.”
John the Skeleton by Triinu Laan
Translated from the Estonian by Adam Cullen
Restless Books | October 1, 2024
In this book for young readers, Laan “weaves death and grief into the bright fabric of life, crafting a tender, humorous portrait of what it means to care for one another.”
Iskanchi Press | October 30, 2024
This children’s fantasy book “follows Mafoya, a determined girl who dreams of becoming her town’s top sprinter.”
Translated into the Spanish by Alaíde Ventura Medina
Arte Público Press | October 31, 2024
The stories in this bilingual collection for children “feature creepy creatures from Latin American lore with a contemporary twist.”
Trini’s Magic Kitchen by Patricia Santos Marcantonio
Arte Público Press | October 31, 2024
This novel for middle readers explores a “young girl’s family difficulties alongside new adventures in the kitchen.”
Young Adult
Celia in the Revolution by Elena Fortún
Translated from the Spanish by Michael Ugarte
Swan Isle Press | January 15, 2024
In the final book in Fortún’s Celia series, set during the Spanish Civil War, “Celia, now a madrecita, a little mother to her two younger sisters since the death of their mother, is forced into a life of hardship.”
Sun Don’t Shine by Crissa-Jean Chappell
Regal House Publishing | January 16, 2024
In this YA novel, sixteen-year-old Reece “begins to realize that everyone else has secrets too. And the deadliest secret of all is the one her father has kept from her all these years.”
The Collagist by Karen Holmberg
Regal House Publishing | April 23, 2024
In this debut YA novel, “Romilly must convince her father to dismantle the wall to his greatest secret, and that of the Being that exists in the world beyond.”
The Ascenditure by Robyn Dabney
Regal House Publishing | May 14, 2024
In this YA novel, “Klarke Ascher has a singular goal: to become an Ascenditure, a member of the kingdom’s elite climbing team who scale the treacherous peaks of Miter’s Backbone in search of an elusive medicine.”
Our Bodies Electric by Zackary Vernon
Regal House Publishing | June 4, 2024
Our Bodies Electric is “a coming-of-age story that celebrates the exuberance of youth, the individual quest for sexual identity, and the joy of finding connections in the most unexpected of places.”
Murder in Mennefer by Al Sirois
Regal House Publishing | June 18, 2024
In this YA novel set in ancient Egypt, “Imhotep must use all of his wiles to outwit his enemies, protect his family, and save the realm.”
Vine Leaves Press | July 9, 2024
In this YA novel, eighteen-year-old Lena “must repair a fractured friendship, embrace the support of unexpected allies, and relearn how to trust herself.”
Spinoza: The Outcast Thinker by Devra Lehmann
Seven Stories Press | August 13, 2024
This biography for young adults is “an entertaining and accessible introduction to the radical philosopher of freedom of thought and religion.”
The Civilization by K. M. McKenzie
Iskanchi Press | October 30, 2024
In this young adult fantasy novel, 17-year-old Kadsa “enters a realm of dark forces, ancient deities, and looming annihilation” on a mission to save her grandfather.
Ghost Brother by Sylvia Sánchez Garza
Arte Público Press | October 31, 2024
This young adult novel “explores death, grief and the supernatural folklore of Mexican Americans in South Texas.”
Shane’s Journey to Shiprock by Gloria L. Velásquez
Arte Público Press | October 31, 2024
The new novel in the Roosevelt High School Series “acquaints teen readers with traumatic events experienced by Native American communities in the Southwest, including forced displacement, loss of family and struggles with alcoholism.”
After the Fall by Ellen Parent
Regal House Publishing | Dec 3, 2024
In this YA novel, protagonist June “has to navigate a landscape and society pushed to the edge by the powerful forces of climate change, and to decide who she can trust in a world where everyone seems to have secrets.”
