The Best Children’s and YA Books of March 2019
by the Brightly Editors
Spring is just around the corner, and we’ve gathered up March’s best new book releases to ring in the new season. From inspiring picture books to heart-pounding middle grade reads and YA titles that speak truth to power, your young readers are in for another great reading month.
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Picture Books
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Spend It!
Available from:In this expansion to Cinders McLeod’s Moneybunny series, Sonny is desperate to buy a bouncy castle with his allowance — but he only gets three carrots a week, and the castle costs 100! After a little math and reflecting on what matters most to him, Sonny learns an important lesson about spending and planning for the future.
(On Sale: 3/5/19)Also available from: -
Raise Your Hand
Available from:When Alice Tapper realized that the girls in her class were speaking up less than the boys, she worked with her Girl Scout troop and parents to create a plan for encouraging girls to let their voices be heard in school. Inspired by Alice’s op-ed in The New York Times, this inspiring picture book will have hands raising everywhere.
(On Sale: 3/26/19)Also available from: -
Unicorns Are Real!
Available from:Holly Hatam’s Mythical Creatures Are Real! series is a total treat, and this installment on the glittery magic of unicorns is a must-have addition. Unicorn fans (which is to say, everyone) will love to learn all about these treasured creatures.
(On Sale: 3/26/19)Also available from:
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Middle Grade
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Far Away
From National Book Award nominee Lisa Graff comes a poignant coming-of-age story that blends genre to discuss the difficult but all-too-real topics of grief, loss, and family secrets. CJ’s Aunt Nic is a psychic medium who helps people communicate with their loved ones, just like she keeps CJ connected to her mother, who died when CJ was born. But when that connection is lost, CJ and her friend Jax set out on a journey to find a solution — if only they can separate reality from fantasy.
(On Sale: 3/5/19) -
The Hunt for the Mad Wolf's Daughter
In this breathtaking sequel to The Mad Wolf’s Daughter set in medieval Scotland, young warrior Drest has a bounty on her head, and the knights are closing in. She can choose to hide out as a typical maiden, or she can refuse to yield her power and continue the rescue mission for her war-band family. Your middle grade reader may find it tough to pace themselves with this one.
(On Sale: 3/5/19) -
Samantha Spinner and the Spectacular Specs
Available from:Samantha Spinner is back, and the action hasn’t slowed down one bit. Her missing Uncle Paul — who gifted her an old umbrella that unlocked a super-secret, global transit system — has sent her an odd pair of purple sunglasses. What secrets could they possibly contain? Samantha and her brother Nipper are on the case in this jampacked adventure stuffed with clues.
(On Sale: 3/12/19)Also available from: -
Escape This Book! Titanic
Available from:In this engaging and interactive doodle book, the reader is dropped into history and shown three paths ahead: they can be a passenger, a crew member, or a stowaway. Whichever path they choose, they’ll have to draw their way to safety, and there’s no turning back!
(On Sale: 3/19/19)Also available from: -
Jake the Fake Goes for Laughs
Available from:It’s not easy being the funny guy all the time — and it’s not easy being the friend of the funny guy all the time, either. These are the dilemmas for Jake and his other sixth-grade pals as Jake pursues his budding comedy career. With more than 200 illustrations (and twice as many laughs), Jake the Fake is the go-to hero for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate.
(On Sale: 3/26/19)Also available from:
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YA
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Field Notes on Love
When Hugo’s girlfriend dumps him, she graciously gives him the train tickets for their weeklong, cross-country trip — but they’re in her name, and can’t be transferred. Without much hope, he puts out an ad for another Margaret Campbell and finds Mae, who’s ready for a break from her own problems. The week-long whirlwind grows into something more, but will it last when the train makes its final stop?
(On Sale: 3/5/19) -
Superman: Dawnbreaker
In Matt de la Peña’s origin-story take on a superhero icon, Clark Kent discovers that people living in the undocumented worker community in Smallville are disappearing. With the help of his friend Lana Lang, Clark embraces his strength and compassion in equal measures, emerging into the Superman we know him to be.
(On Sale: 3/5/19) -
SHOUT
Available from:Twenty years ago, Laurie Halse Anderson gave us Speak, a groundbreaking novel about a teenage girl reckoning with the aftermath of her sexual assault. Now, Anderson returns to continue advocating for survivors and condemning our society’s failures through a powerful memoir-in-verse — a rallying cry and love letter wrapped in one, and essential reading for all.
(On Sale: 3/12/19)Also available from: -
The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe
Available from:Seventeen-year-old Poe Blythe, a captain of the Outpost’s last mining ship, is hell-bent on revenge. Two years ago, river raiders took everything she loved, and her grief is too wide and deep to traverse. But there might be a traitor on her ship, and the time is now for Poe to decide who she’s been and — perhaps more importantly — who she wants to become.
(On Sale: 3/26/19)Also available from:
