Our Most Anticipated New Kids’ Book Releases of October 2020

Deep End (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #15)
Jeff Kinney
Get in, they said. It’ll be great, they said. In book #15 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Greg and his family are off on a cross-country RV trip when things get a little … wet. Well, what’s a Wimpy Kid story without a little bit of unanticipated chaos? Kids will love this new side-splitting adventure from Jeff Kinney which is the perfect companion to Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure, the recently released fantasy from Greg’s best friend.

Tower of Nero (B&N Exclusive Edition) (The Trials of Apollo Series #5)
Rick Riordan
The long-awaited finale to the Trials of Apollo series is here! After being cast down from Olympus to live as a mortal teenage boy, Lester (aka Apollo) will finally face his ultimate challenge at the Tower of Nero. Rivals will clash, heroes will be made, and all questions will be answered in this action-packed epic conclusion. Our B&N Exclusive Edition includes “Apollo’s Monster Menagerie,” a captioned poster of all the monsters that have appeared in the series, and purchasers are invited to join us on Vimeo for a ticketed event with the legendary Rick Riordan in conversation with Tehlor Kay Mejia on Monday, October 12th at 7PM ET.

PopularMMOs Presents Zombies’ Day Off
PopularMMOs, Dani Jones (Illustrator)
With Jen off on a solo quest to find out the truth about her past, and Pat desperate to find Jen, they almost don’t notice a new villain on the horizon. Will the heroes be able to join forces with their nemesis in order to save the underworld and the real world? From authors and YouTube sensations Pat and Jen, of PopularMMOs fame, is a “fun-tastic” new adventure inspired by Minecraft in their exhilarating third graphic novel adventure, Zombies’ Day Off.

Spy School Revolution (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Spy School Series #8)
Stuart Gibbs
The mission: Ben Ripley must prove his most respected spy-in-training Erica Hale is not working against the U.S. as a double agent. The challenge: he might be on his own! In the eighth book in Stuart Gibbs’ series, we’re taken on another action-packed adventure where having trust in yourself may be the most important lesson. The perfect series to get young readers excited about reading. Our limited collector edition of Spy School Revolution features an exclusive jacket with shiny blue foil, a map of colonial Virginia, plus 16 pages of bonus content— including super-secret post-mission memos and some earlier drafts of the Declaration of Independence.

What We’ll Build: Plans For Our Together Future
Oliver Jeffers
Gorgeously crafted, both lyrically and visually, Oliver Jeffers adds to his library of timeless, heartfelt classics with What We’ll Build: Plans For Our Together Future. Anchored in the importance of family, there is an equally powerful thread of accepting others and being open with love and kindness. Truly a story that can be appreciated by all ages. “Jeffers fills the pages with… a giggle-inducing assortment of creatures…. it has the offbeat, sweet style Jeffers’ fans know and love.”—Kirkus Reviews

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World
Elena Favilli, Francesca Cavallo
Inspiration can come to us in many ways and, this time, it’s neatly packaged in this girl-power packed third book in the bestselling Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series. Featuring 100 bedtime stories about the lives of extraordinary, ferocious and rebellious women like Anna Wintour, Rihanna and Josephine Baker, just to name a few, these stories are perfect for sending our little ones of to bed with big dreams of reaching for the stars. “An exciting tool for parents to show all little girls that the journey to self-realization has many paths. An inspiring collection of examples of female power and gumption.”— Padma Lakshmi, author, host and executive producer of Top Chef

Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel
Jason Reynolds, Danica Novgorodoff (Illustrator)
The bestselling novel Long Way Down is now a graphic novel! A stunning novel-in-verse taken to the next level when accompanied with Danica Novgorodoff’s evocative artwork in what Kirkus calls “a moving rendition that stands on its own.” A powerful and heartbreaking look at teenage gun violence, Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel will leave you breathless and speak to your soul. An author with an extensive body of work, be sure to check out other books by Reynolds like Look Both Ways and Stamped.

Class Act
Jerry Craft
“You have to work twice as hard to be just as good.” A saying that eighth-grader Drew Ellis has heard all his life and is beginning to understand all too well at his prestigious private school. From the author of New Kid, the first graphic novel to win a Newbery Medal, Class Act is a laugh-out-loud and powerful story that highlights the importance of friendship and acknowledging each other’s differences. Join us Wednesday, October 7th at 2 PM ET for a special virtual event with the author-illustrator where he will discuss the importance of reading with a Q&A and a special drawing demo.

Fangirl, Vol. 1: The Manga
Sam Maggs (Adapted by), Rainbow Rowell (Created by), Gabi Nam (Illustrator)
There comes a time in everyone’s life where you have to rip off the Band-Aid and venture into the world on your own journey to adulthood, leaving behind the things relied on as a source of security. In Fangirl, Vol. 1: The Manga, Sam Maggs takes Rainbow Rowell’s beloved coming-of-age story, Fangirl: A Novel, and adapts it into a beautifully illustrated manga which is a must-read for fall and whatever changes a new season brings.

All Because You Matter
Tami Charles, Bryan Collier (Illustrator)
You matter. A simple message with great authority. One of the many things to come out of 2020 has been the appreciation for teachers and how much of an impact they have on our little ones. Tami Charles is a former teacher who understands the power of exposing young minds to a variety of diverse books.  Elegant, eloquent, heartfelt and powerful, Charles’ timely words are perfectly complemented by Bryan Collier’s collage painting in this necessary, emotion-filled book. A beautiful love letter to Black and brown children with a nurturing message to be appreciated by all.

Grumpy Monkey Up All Night
Suzanne Lang, Max Lang (Illustrator)
It’s all fun and games until the sun comes up! The best part of a slumber party is staying up all night with your friends doing all your favorite things. Only, things are a little less fun when you’re the only one still awake. The latest release in the Grumpy Monkey series is a hilarious bedtime story about the frustrations that come when things don’t go quite as you planned. (And is there anything more relatable than that right now?) See if your family can stay up all night with Grumpy Monkey.

Roxy the Last Unisaurus Rex
Eva Chen, Matthew Rivera (Illustrator)
“Sometimes it’s lonely being one of a kind.” Roxy is proud to be the last Unisaurus Rex, but life’s most enjoyable moments are even better when you have someone to share them with, and when you find a group as unique as you are, hold on tight! Tune in to our B&N Instagram account on Friday, October 2nd for an all-day takeover by Eva Chen in celebration of her newest picture book Roxy the Last Unisaurus Rex.

Tristan Strong Destroys the World (Tristan Strong Series #2)
Kwame Mbalia
Gum Baby is back! From Rick Riordan Presents comes the second installment of the fun, playful and lively Tristan Strong trilogy that kicked off with Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky. This second book will explore the same themes from book one, that Jason Reynolds called “[a] brilliant action-adventure rooted in African American lore,” and take them even deeper. Perfect for middle schoolers but packed with so much depth, the whole family can enjoy!