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Big Books of the Week

Investigators: Agents of S.U.I.T.: Sew Much Trouble by John Patrick Green and Christopher Hastings, Illustrated by Pat Lewis (First Second) leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin (Sourcebooks Fire)

Love on Ice by Sara Ney (Delacorte Romance)

Nightmare on Nightmare Street by R.L. Stine (Blackstone Publishing)

Exca-Gator! by Brooke Hartman, Illustrated by Michael Slack (Flamingo Books)

These books and others publishing the week of February 16, 2026 are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

One Indie Next pick publishes this week:

Young Adult

The Sun and the Starmaker By Rachel Griffin (Sourcebooks Fire)

“The Sun and the Starmaker found me right when I needed it. With the atmospheric excellence of a Ghibli movie and the quality of a Shakespearean romantic tragedy, this novel was a testament to the experience of love, grief, and purpose compounded. Griffin captured intersecting conflicts of my current existence existentially well, giving me a mirror (no pun intended) to examine myself with.” —Isabella Luna, Beguiled Books, Seattle, WA

Bestsellers

Links for the week: NYT Children’s Middle Grade Hardcover | NYT Children’s Picture Books | NYT Children’s & Young Adult Series | NYT Young Adult Hardcover | USA Today Bestselling Books

Unsettling Salad! by Aaron Reynolds (Simon & Schuster) tops the NYT Children’s Middle Grade Hardcover in its first week on the list. Also new to the list this week are no.5, The Lions’ Run by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen (Balzer + Bray; SLJ starred review), and no. 8, The Aftermyth by Tracy Wolff (Aladdin).

Little Blue Truck’s Valentine by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry (Clarion), continues to top the NYT Children’s Picture Books list, with Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Grosset & Dunlap) moving from no. 5 to the no. 2 position. New to the list this week is Decoy Saves Opening Day by Shohei Ohtani and Michael Blank, illustrated by Fanny Liem (HarperCollins) in the no. 8 position.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (Amulet) stays on top, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic: SLJ starred review) remains at no. 2 in the NYT Children’s & Young Adult Series list.

New release A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann (Mayhem; SLJ starred review) debuts in the no. 1 spot on the NYT Young Adult Hardcover list, while new release Stolen Midnights by Katherine Quinn (Delacorte) gets the no. 2 position. Also new to the list this week are Queen of Faces by Petra Lord (Holt; SLJ starred review) at no. 4 and Sibylline by Melissa de la Cruz (Putnam; SLJ starred review) at no. 9.

Five children’s titles feature on the USA Today Bestselling Books list top 20, last updated on February 11th:

Little Blue Truck’s Valentine by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry (Clarion), moves to no. 7 from the no. 17 spot.

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (Random House Books for Young Readers) leaps up to no. 11 from no. 129.

Llama Llama I Love You by Anna Dewdney (Viking Books for Young Readers) moves from no. 81 to the no. 18 spot.

You're My Little Cuddle Bug by Nicola Edwards (Silver Dolphin Books/Simon & Schuster) moves down a spot to no 19.

There’s No Place Like Space! All About Our Solar System by Tish Rabe and Aristides Ruiz (Random House Books for Young Readers) joins the list at no. 20.

Reviews

“A Fuse #8 Production” reviews My Bicentennial Summer by G. Neri, illustrated by Corban Wilkin (Candlewick): “Neri takes the facts of what happened when his family embarked on the road trip to beat all road trips, and ties that summer during the bicentennial into the state of the country today. Deeply fun, utterly smart, visually arresting, and patriotic in the best possible way, this is how it’s done, people.”

“Good Comics for Kids” reviews I Love Amy, Vol. 1 by UNNI, translated by Ah Cho (Ize Press): “Despite all the craziness, and there was a lot of it, I Love Amy is something to behold. In full-color glory and cuteness, which leads us into a false sense of security, it’s a story about friendship and growth. In Bibi’s case, the reader will witness moments of her own growth, which sometimes is short-lived due to her impulsive nature. There’s a lot of comedy and mystery to keep readers invested, and I’m looking forward to volume two. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and one of those is to see who loves Amy more.”

“Good Comics for Kids” reviews History Comics: The Great Depression by Tim Stout, Illustrated by Joe Flood (First Second): “The story has a fun, interesting format that will appeal to fans of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales. However, the story lacks Nathan Hale’s signature edge, and it can only cover so much material in less than 150 pages.”

“Teen Librarian Toolbox” reviews Red Flags and Butterflies by Sheryl Azzam (DCB): “Though the plot is quiet, the constant emotional tension that exists between Lexie and nearly everyone around her will keep readers engaged and rooting for her to figure it all out. Includes an afterword by a friend of the author, details of the late author’s advocacy work, a list of red flags, and a Canadian help line resource.”

“Teen Librarian Toolbox” reviews Brady Mason’s Perfect Fit by Nicole Melleby (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers): “We can assume it might not be smooth sailing to suddenly be reunited, especially when Brady and Elena, her birth mother, are so very different. Melleby creates a wonderful world of ups and downs for the two, with both needing to learn some things, like communication, acceptance, and how to cope with the many complicated feelings they’re each having as they get to know each other. Along the way there’s friendship stuff, a crush (or two), classmate drama, new interests, old connections, and opportunities for Brady to express who she really is. It’s exactly the smart, emotional, nuanced story I’ve come to expect from Melleby. And it turned out to be exactly what I needed to read at the moment. I read almost all of it in one sitting. A heartfelt story of found family and identity.”

Briefly Noted

NYT talks about two new goth adaptations of Little Women for middle grade and YA readers.

USA Today exclusively shares the first chapter of R.L. Stine’s new book, Nightmare on Nightmare Street (Blackstone Publishing).

People exclusively reveals the cover of Azie Tesfai’s first picture book, You’re a Superhero! (DC Comics).

People exclusively releases an excerpt of a Wuthering Heights based YA horror novel, May the Dead Keep You by Jill Baguchinsky (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers).

People suggests seven Wuthering Heights book adaptations to read before seeing the movie including two YA novels.

Publishers Weekly speaks with Carole Boston Weatherford about her three books coming out in 2026.

Publishers Weekly announces U.K.’s bestselling “Lottie Brooks” series is arriving in the U.S.

Publishers Weekly interviews Rachel Griffin, author of The Sun and the Starmaker (Sourcebooks Fire).

The Guardian interviews Australia’s 2026-2027 Children’s Laureate Andy Griffiths.

“Teen Librarian Toolbox” spotlights five graphic novels out in February.

"Teen Librarian Toolbox" features a guest post by R.L. Toalson.

“A Fuse #8 Production” reveals the cover of A Riddle of Eels by Nicholas Day, Illustrated by Corey Tabor (Random House Studio).

“A Fuse #8 Production” reveals the cover of Axolotl-Ella by Kate Messner, Illustrated by Lian Cho (Ten Speed Young Readers).

“A Fuse #8 Production” has a dual cover reveal of Before It Was a Wildfire and Before It Was a Hurricane by Mary Kay Carson, Illustrated by Jieting Chen (Little Bee Books).

Lonely Planet Kids announces to “Teen Librarian Toolbox’ their new kids series “Let’s Go”.

“100 Scope Notes” reveals the cover of Picadillo for Paulina by Ruth Behar and Gabriel Frye-Behar, Illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina (Norton Young Readers).

“100 Scope Notes” features seven upcoming graphic novel adaptations of well-loved books.

Authors on Air

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson discusses with CBS Mornings the YA adaptation of her Grammy-nominated memoir Lovely One (Bright Matter Books).

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