There’s something special about discovering a wonderful new author—it feels like hitting it off with a new friend. I’d like to introduce several authors making their literary debuts; young people are sure to connect with these writers, and they’ll be eager to see what else they have in store.
Told from dual perspectives, Joslin Brorsen’s Wilderness Hacks (Knopf, March 31) follows 13-year-old Radley Shaw, who hosts his own outdoors-themed YouTube channel, and 12-year-old Sadie Hahn, a serious nature lover who, at her brother’s urging, enters and wins Radley’s contest. The prize? Serving as Radley’s guide through the Colorado Rockies. When Radley and Sadie’s rafting trip goes wrong, they end up stranded, their wilderness skills put to the ultimate test. Brorsen has crafted a survival novel in the vein of Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, infusing her narrative with a modern sensibility as she explores the toxic effects of social media and her characters’ experiences with neurodivergence and anxiety. Whether young people are the outdoorsy types or armchair travelers, they’ll find Brorsen a deeply empathetic new voice.
Kids wondering if they belong will be bolstered by two new tales. First, Sara Amini’s graphic novel Mixed Feelings, illustrated by Shadia Amin, with colors by George Williams (Graphix/Scholastic, April 7). For her debut, set in 1999, actor Amini draws from her own experiences and an abiding love of ’90s pop culture. Sixth grader Sara’s typical adolescent woes—body hair, friend trouble—are compounded by complex emotions toward her heritage. The daughter of a Colombian mother and an Iranian father, Sara often feels out of place. Amini writes with a compelling blend of self-deprecating humor and pathos that will speak to middle graders—and to anyone still in touch with their awkward inner adolescent.
Second, Rachael MeyersJones’ King Coyote (Jolly Fish Press, April 14) follows King, a Black 12-year-old staying with relatives in Vermont while his parents are divorcing. Initially reluctant (“Are there any Black people here?” he asks upon arrival), King becomes fascinated by an injured coyote who begins showing up near the house. Tales of young people channeling difficult emotions into an appreciation of wildlife can be powerful, and I love that MeyersJones acknowledges that predominantly white spaces can be alienating for children of color. As she puts it in an author’s note, she wanted to spotlight “the visibility of…African American Blackness at home in nature, to remind all of us that we belong there.”
Picture-book fans, take heed—new authors await you, too. Families seeking a new bedtime read will fall in love with Alison Kim’s The Art of How Dogs Sleep (Little, Brown; Jan. 21). Kim depicts a bevy of corgis, dalmatians, and poodles bedding down in most creative ways; little ones will be entranced. And Mychal Threets, a librarian who’s gained prominence on social media and is now hosting a reboot of PBS’s Reading Rainbow, makes a sparkling debut with I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy, illustrated by Lorraine Nam (Random House, Feb. 3), a gentle, rhythmic ode to the library—one that reminds us that all are welcome here.
Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.
