46 Choice Titles from Kate DiCamillo, Rex Ogle, and More | Starred Reviews, February 2026

by SLJ Reviews
Feb 11, 2026 | Filed in News & Features

This month's roundup includes audiobook adaptations of Katherine Rundell's The Poisoned King and Sophie Blackall's Hello Lighthouse.

 

The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way (Wamákashkaŋ’iya: Lakhól Wichóh’aŋ Kiŋ) (Nelson) ©2026 by S.D. Nelson

 

Picture Books

Borden, Louise. Thank You, School. illus. by Paige Keiser. Holiday House.

Dyrander, Johnny. Make Tracks: In the City. Nosy Crow.

Davies, Nicola. One Ocean: A Journey Beneath the Waves. illus. by Jenni Desmond. Candlewick.

Francis, Sangma. Wildspeak. illus. by Lexi Vangsnes. Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky.

Handy, Bruce. Balloon. illus. by Julie Kwon. Chronicle.

Harris, Phyllis. Claude. Familius.

Hossain, Moniza. Ritu in the Sun. illus. by Mercè López. Crown.

Molk, Laurel. Lulu Didn’t Want a Dog. Random House Studio.

Owens, R.J. Walk the Walk. illus. by Reggie Brown. Bloomsbury.

Nelson, S.D. The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way (Wamákashkaŋ’iya: Lakhól Wichóh’aŋ Kiŋ). tr. into Lakota by Dakota Goodhouse. Abrams.

Patel, Meenal. Where Do Stories Live? Penguin/Kokila.

Shapiro, Esmé. Ruthie. Tundra.

Sterer, Gideon. The Dream. illus. by Nik Henderson. HarperCollins/Clarion.

Theule, Larissa. The Sweater: A Story of Community. illus. by Teagan White. Viking.

Yoon, Helen. Is This . . . Spring? Candlewick.

 

Transitional

DiCamillo, Kate. Orris and Timble: Star Stories. illus. by Carmen Mok. Candlewick.

Neville, Danny. Little Bee: The Buzz About the Party. illus. by Colleen McKeown. Annick.

 

Middle Grade

Classey, Paige. Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer. Random.

Goodfellow, Nancy F. Special. Mission Point Pr.

Martin, Emily B. Nell O’Dell Hates Quests. Candlewick.

Wyman, Christina. Breakout. Farrar.

 

YA

Best, Jessica Mary. You Pierce My Soul. Quirk.

Cerilli, Matteo L. Fathom Fall. Bloomsbury.

Chefchaouni, Loretta. The Lustrous Dark. Peachtree Teen.

Genn, Laura. Between Sun and Shadow. Peachtree Teen.

Hall, Spencer. This Could All Go Bad. Bloomsbury.

Lessore, Nathanael. King of Nothing. Little, Brown.

McLemore, Anna-Marie. We Could Be Anyone. Feiwel & Friends.

O’Sullivan, Cliodhna. Her Hidden Fire. Viking.

Reiss, Rachel. Seconds to Spare. Wednesday Bks.

Storti, Kara. The Electric Life of Lavender Lewis. Union Square Kids.

 

Graphic Novels

Ogle, Rex. Fruitcake. illus. by Dave Valeza. Scholastic/Graphix.

Saade, Ernesto. Red Stones: A Graphic Account of the Salvadoran Civil War. Graphic Universe.

 

Nonfiction

Elliott, David. At the Edge: Curious Creatures of Planet Earth. illus. by Clover Robin. Candlewick.

Hillenbrand, Will. Light as a Feather: Fifteen Phenomenal North American Birds. Holiday House.

Hodge, Deborah. The Burrowing Owls of the Prairie Grasslands. illus. by Karen Reczuch. Groundwood.

Jameson, Karen. Who Nests Here? Twenty-Four Extraordinary Animal Homes. illus. by Ramona Kaulitzki. S. & S./Beach Lane.

Jones, Richard A. Buzz: A Family Guide to Bugs and How to Spot Them. illus. by Sara Boccaccini Meadows. Abrams/Magic Cat.

Reeves, Howard W. We the People Is All the People. illus. by Duncan Tonatiuh. Abrams.

Sullivan, Kathryn D. & Michael J. Rosen. How to Dive to the Deepest Place on Earth. illus. by Michael J. Rosen. MIT Kids.

Weatherford, Carole Boston. Fourteen Ways of Looking at Jellyfish. illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline. Candlewick.

Winter, Jonah. The Burning of the Books. illus. by Gary Kelley. Creative Eds.

 

Hades II ©2025 Supergiant Games

 

Audio

Blackall, Sophie. Hello Lighthouse. narrated by Sophie Blackall. Hachette Audio.

Rundell, Katherine. The Poisoned King. narrated by Sam West. Listening Library.

 

Games

Hades II. Supergiant Games.

Split Fiction. Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts.

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