Tag Archives: winter 2025

Winter 2025 Picture Books On My Radar

Picture Books, , , ,
Winter 2025 Picture Books on my Radar

Winter 2025 Picture Books On My Radar

I don’t spend a lot of time talking about picture books, but there have been some really cute ones coming out lately. Also, my littlest is nearing the age when she’ll be leaving those behind, so I think I’m feeling a bit nostalgic about the days when it was predominantly what we read together.

These are just a few picture books that came out this past winter that we read together and enjoyed. Let me know if you’ve seen or read any of the books on this list. If you’ve read other great picture books that came out this season, please leave a comment and let me know so I can check them out!

Note: This post contains affiliate links that do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. Thanks for using them to do your shopping.

Winter 2025 Picture Books On My Radar

Nearly Exactly Almost Like Me
Jennifer Bradbury
Art by Pearl AuYeung
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published February 11, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Nearly Exactly Almost Like Me

When a nosy boy on the playground points out the apparent differences between a big brother and his adopted younger sibling, the older brother points out their shared memories and other things they have in common. This sweet story about love and family reminds readers that families come in all varieties and that love, not looks, form the strongest bond. Adorable illustrations add to the humor and endearment of this one.

Star Wars: Someone Who Loves You
Beth Revis
Illustrated by Sophie Li
Disney Lucasfilm Press
Published December 29, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Star Wars: Someone Who Loves You

Han and Leia share what love means to them with some curious Ewoks in this sweet story. This would make a great gift book for a loved one who is a Star Wars fan. The illustrations are charming, and the text is adorable. I love Beth Revis’s young adult novels, so when I saw that she had this picture book coming out, I knew I would have to get one. (Fun fact: somehow, I ordered two?? Luckily, I have several friends who are mega Star Wars fans, so I’m sure it’ll be easy to find a home for my extra copy.)

Bitsy Bat, Team Star
Kaz Windness
Paula Wiseman Books
Published February 4, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Bitsy Bat, Team Star

In this charming sequel, Bisty Bat learns to work together with classmates and a new nonspeaking friend as they celebrate the Critter Games. Features an inclusive cast and autistic perspective. This is a great way to introduce or support learning about neurodiversity in the classroom or at home.

Through Sand and Salt: A Tale of Discovery Across the Sahara
Elizabeth Zunon
Bloomsbury
Published January 21, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Through Sand and Salt

On his first trek with his father’s caravan, Malik guides his own camel laden with salt. In every place they stop to rest or trade along the route across the desert to Timbuktu, Malik learns new ways salt sustains life. Beautiful spreads accompany this story that draws readers into this informative tale of a young boy in North Africa. Children interested in the life experiences of others around the world will want to read this one again and again.

What Winter 2025 Picture Books Are On Your Radar?

Do you read picture books? I find that I still pick them up now and then, even if just at the library or while I’m browsing at a book store. It’s fun to see the way that the book’s text and illustrations come together to be more than the sum of its parts. If you still follow picture book releases, what books are on your radar this season? Let me know what you’re looking forward to so I can add it to my list!

23 Most-Anticipated Middle Grade Books Coming Winter 2025

Blogger's Favorites, Lists, Middle Grade 8-12, News and Fun, , , , , ,

23 Most-Anticipated Middle Grade Books Coming Winter 2025

I’m wildly late getting this post together, but there are some amazing middle grade books coming winter 2025 that I desperately want to talk about, so here we are. Better late than never, I guess!

This is a pretty eclectic list, ranging from horror to fantasy to historical to contemporary to memoir. There are novels in verse and some more experimental formats. Pretty much something for everyone.

These are the books I’m most looking forward to, so there are bound to be some other highly anticipated books that I don’t have on my radar. Please leave a comment and let me know if you’re looking forward to some upcoming releases from January to March that aren’t on my list.

Note: This post contains affiliate links that do not cost you anything but help support this blog. Thanks for using them to do your shopping.

23 Most-Anticipated Middle Grade Books Coming Winter 2025

Mixed Up by Kami Garcia and Brittney Williams

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Kami Garcia knocks it out of the park with this sweet, encouraging story about friendship and learning with dyslexia. The illustrations are bright, friendly, and emotive. It’s brilliant.

Published January 21, 2025 | My Review

Safe Harbor by Padma Venkatraman

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A moving novel in verse about a girl who helps rescue a harbor seal and learns to deal with her own feelings as an immigrant to the US.

Published January 21, 2025 | My Review to Come

Doomsday Vault (Everwhen: School of Time Travel (and Other Odd Sciences) #1) by Thomas Wheeler

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Inventive students from different time periods attend a special school where they face the threats of a missing dean, a time paradox, and a secret space society.

Published January 28, 2025 | My Review to Come

City Spies: London Calling (City Spies #6) by James Ponti

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: The sixth book in the popular City Spies series takes the team to Rome and back as the newest member searches for his missing sister.

Published February 4, 2025 | My Review to Come

All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Renée Watson is one of those authors whose name alone gets a book added to my reading list. In this novel in verse, Sage wrestles with guilt and unresolved grief over the sudden death of her best friend. Moving, heartfelt, and absolutely beautiful.

Published February 4, 2025 | My Review

Away by Megan E. Freeman

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: In this companion novel to Away, a group of kids investigates the mysterious threat responsible for large-scale evacuations. Can they unravel the conspiracy and expose the truth? Told from multiple points of view with verse, newspaper clippings, movie scripts, production diary entries, and letters.

Published February 11, 2025 | My Review

The Labyrinth of Souls by Leslie Vedder

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl with a rare gift to see Nightmare creatures discovers that the monsters have begun to seep into the Waking World. She and her friends must find a way to stop them. I loved Leslie Vedder’s young adult trilogy, so I’m excited to see what she brings to this haunting middle grade series opener.

Published February 11, 2025 | My Review to Come

Investigators: Agents of S.U.I.T.: Wild Ghost Chase by John Patrick Green

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Investigators and Agents of S.U.I.T. are quite popular around my house just now, so I know we’ll be reading this one as soon as possible. This time, Zeb the sheep joins the cast of agents tracking down the ghost of the General Inspectre to conclude his unfinished business.

Published February 18, 2025 | My Review to Come

Max in the Land of Lies: A Tale of World War II by Adam Gidwitz

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Max returns to Berlin as a British spy to infiltrate the center of Nazi propaganda and find his parents. I heard so much about the first book in this series that I have to read this one.

Published February 25, 2025 | My Review to Come

Cousins in the Time of Magic by Emma Otheguy

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Three cousins time travel to 1862 and race to deliver a sword to the general for the Battle of Puebla (which became the reason we celebrate Cinco de Mayo). Along the way, they learn how Latine communities have shaped US history. I love the inclusive look at history here and the spin on time travel adventure!

Published February 25, 2025 | My Review

Pablo and Splash: Frozen in Time (Pablo and Splash #2) by Sheena Dempsey

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Pablo and Splash return with more zany adventures. This time they must rescue Professor O’Brain from the Ice Age. This graphic novel series is a ton of fun with a little bit of science and history threaded throughout.

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review

Right Back at You by Carolyn Mackler

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A boy from 2023 facing a school bully writes a letter for a school assignment and throws it in his closet, only to be surprised when a girl from 1987 writes back. Looks cute, poignant, and full of heart.

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review to Come

Bree Boyd is a Legend by Leah Johnson

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: In the follow-up to her middle grade debut, Johnson tells the story of Ellie’s best friend, Bree, whose orderly life is turned upside down when a lightning strike grants her the ability to move things with her mind. This looks like it will be hilarious and heartwarming.

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review to Come

The Trouble with Sunshine by Yamile Saied Méndez

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl reeling from the unexpected loss of her mother finds solace in caring for a skittish horse. Méndez is a brilliant writer who deftly writes about complex emotions. I’m betting this one will be a winner.

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review to Come

One Wrong Step by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: When a boy and girl witness an avalanche on Mt. Everest, they set out looking for survivors, but sickness, bad weather, and a possible Nazi spy put their mission at risk. I keep missing out on the amazing books by this author– this year, I’m going to read one!

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review to Come

A Song for You and I by K. O’Neill

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I loved The Moth Keeper and have been trying since then to catch up on other books by K. O’Neill. This one, about a driven ranger with an injured horse and a laid-back shepherd, explores unlikely friendship and the possibility of something more.

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review

We Need to Talk About Divorce by Kate Scharff and Annika Le Large

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: As a divorced parent, I’ve read a lot of books for kids about divorce. It’s such a complex experience for parents and kids alike. I’m always glad to see more resources available for kids especially, and especially ones that talk about blended families. I’m looking forward to this one.

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review to Come

Vanya and the Wild Hunt by Sangu Mandanna

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I can’t say it better than the cover copy: Amari and the Night Brothers meets Nevermoor in this enchanting middle grade fantasy, inspired by Indian mythology and British folklore, about a neurodivergent heroine, a mysterious school, and a world of magical creatures. — Who could resist that?

Published March 11, 2025 | My Review to Come

Whale Eyes by James Robinson

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: An illustrated memoir told through anecdotes and interactive visuals. Helps readers confront discomfort with disability. I’m excited for this one. It sounds incredibly different, timely, and necessary.

Published March 18, 2025 | My Review to Come

Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker by Heidi Heilig

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: The great great (great?) granddaughter of a famous explorer must return relics he collected to break the curse on her family. I love the inclusive spin on the Indiana Jones-type story.

Published March 25, 2025 | My Review to Come

The Girl and the Robot by Oz Rodriguez and Claribel A. Ortega

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl who can fix electronics prepares to enter a contest, hoping for the prize money to bring her Papi home. Then a robot crashlands from space, broken, alone, and in need of Mimi’s help, even if it risks everything she’s worked for. Ortega is another author whose books are irresistible great.

Published March 25, 2025 | My Review to Come

The Underwild: River of Spirits by Shana Targosz

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: The cover copy says this is perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and the series Greenwild, which is one of my favorites. I love the cover and the story’s themes about friendship.

Published March 25, 2025 | My Review to Come

My Mummy vs. Your Ghost by Paul Tobin

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Hayden and Gabe bring a mummy to the battlefield for another fight, this time against new coaches and a ghost. This series is packed with creepy crawly fun. Definitely something to read purely for fun.

Published March 25, 2025 | My Review to Come

What middle grade books coming winter 2025 are you most looking forward to reading?

Are you looking forward to any of the middle grade books on my list? Have you had a chance to read any of them yet? What else needs to be on my reading list this season? Leave a comment and let me know!

25 Most-Anticipated YA Books Coming Winter 2025

Blogger's Favorites, Lists, News and Fun, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

25 Most-Anticipated YA Books Coming Winter 2025

Now that the season is practically half over, I’m finally ready to post my list of my 25 most-anticipated YA books coming out in winter 2025. I’ve had my eye on some of these books since early last year. Others were recent discoveries. The list spans various genres from historical to fantasy to contemporary and even a few horror novels.

I’d love to know if any of these books are on your reading list, so be sure to comment below if they are or if you’ve read them already. Let me know if I’ve left off any sure winners you’re looking forward to reading this season, too!

Note: This post contains affiliate links that do not cost you anything but help support this blog. Thanks for using them to do your shopping.

25 Most-Anticipated YA Books Coming Winter 2025

The Devourer by Alison Ames

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I’m a huge fan of this author, so all I had to see was her name on the cover to add this to my reading list. However, the plot about pirates seeking a missing enemy (brother) and monsters attacking ships has me deeply intrigued.

Published January 7, 2025 | My Review to Come

King: A Life by Jonathon Eig

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: If you read one book for Black History month, this would be a good one. It explores Dr. King’s life and puts many popular quotes in context. Highly recommended.

Published January 7, 2025 | My Review

After Life by Gayle Forman

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl who has been dead for seven years returns to her family. The people she left behind grapple with her return and the ways her death impacted them. I couldn’t put this down.

Published January 7, 2025 | My Review

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A boy with a bit of a Holden Caulfield vibe and grieving a girl he was secretly dating for a year finds letters she wrote to him before she died. This has big emotions and complicated grief.

Published January 7, 2025 | My Review

Breath of the Dragon (Breathmarked #1) by Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A novel based on teachings by Bruce Lee. A young man enters a contest that will name the nation’s leader in martial arts. Political intrigue, magic, and romance weave through the intricate fantasy world crafted here.

Published January 7, 2025 | My Review

Liar’s Kingdom by Christine Calella

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Ell didn’t attend the ball, but when the Prince’s mystery love’s shoe fits her foot, she jumps at the chance to escape an abusive family. When she discovers a plot to harm the prince, she vows to stop it, even if it exposes her true identity. Cinderella as you’ve never seen her before! This was a really fun read.

Published January 14, 2025 | My Review

A Dangerous Idea: The Scopes Trial, the Original Fight Over Science in Schools by Debbie Levy

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A timely, carefully researched walk through the Scopes Trial and its impact on school curriculum. The parallels between this moment in history and conflicts over teaching science and history in school will be impossible to ignore.

Published January 14, 2025 | My Review

Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: An enemies-to-lovers romcom about two people trying to save a family-owned Korean coffee shop. An inclusive cast filled with great friendships and fun moments. A charming, romantic read.

Published January 14, 2025 | My Review

Build a Girlfriend by Elba Luz

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl uses the mistakes in her dating history to make herself the perfect girlfriend and perhaps get revenge on the boy who broke her heart. A debut rom-com that looks smart and funny.

Published January 14, 2025 | My Review to Come

True Gretch: Lessons for Anyone Who Wants to Make a Difference (Young Adult Edition) by Gretchen Whitmer

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Key wisdom from the governor who survived a kidnapping plot and led her state through a global pandemic for teen who want to make a difference. Funny and insightful.

Published January 28, 2025 | My Review to Come

Carving Shadows into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: The second book in the Forging Silver into Stars series follows the now nineteen-year-old Tycho as he seeks to preserve peace between two kingdoms as the courier to the king. Cursebreakers fans will love revisiting the familiar cast of characters and the romantic developments.

Published January 28, 2025 | My Review

Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl who can sense tangible things people need uses her ability to find her missing best friend– though the ability may place her in the same danger her friend was in. A debut speculative mystery that explores justice, friendship, and family.

Published February 4, 2025 | My Review

The Underwood Tapes by Amanda DeWitt

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A girl running from grief over her mom’s death realizes she can communicate with a boy who lived thirty years earlier through voice recordings. Explores the ripple effects of unresolved grief. Grab your tissues for this one!

Published February 4, 2025 | My Review

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: What if there was a deadly pandemic that… made you happy? Shusterman brings a whole different spin on a pandemic and explores the meaning of and happiness and what price people are willing to pay for it in this fascinating novel.

Published February 4, 2025 | My Review

Why On Earth: An Alien Invasion Anthology by Vania Stoyanova and Rosiee Thor

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: An absolutely adorable story collection in which each story connects through characters and/or events. I loved every single page. Favorite anthology so far. If you need some humor and hope in your life, grab this one!

Published February 4, 2025 | My Review

A Traitorous Heart by Eric Cotter

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A historical romance set in the late 1500s French court featuring a secret society of spies, forbidden love, and political intrigue. Sounds irresistible to me.

Published February 11, 2025 | My Review

The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush with Rebecca Stefoff

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: History prominently remembers Sally Ride, but what about the other five women at her side, helping to blaze the trail for female astronauts? This timely book reveals their stories.

Published February 11, 2025 | My Review

I am the Cage by Allison Sweet Grant

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: After a massive snowstorm, a girl who has shut out the world reaches out for help. Contains flashbacks to childhood trauma, haunting poetry, and a sense of hope and possibility for the future. If the blurbs for this one are any indication, it is too good to miss.

Published February 18, 2025 | My Review

Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers Rights edited by Ashley Hope Pérez

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A powerful anthology that explores the impact of book bans through fiction, essays, graphic narratives, memoir, and poetry from fifteen acclaimed authors.

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review

Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Hindu and Buddhist folklore abound in this beautiful contemporary fantasy about a magical forest that may destroy the future and the once-friends who can save it.

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review to Come

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: After a catastrophic hurricane submerges a town, the wildlife mutates, and a monster tries to drown the remaining townsfolk until a girl is tasked with saving them. Looks inescapably haunting.

Published March 4, 2025 | My Review to Come

How to Survive a Slasher by Justine Pucella Winans

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: I’m not usually a fan of slasher stories, but I’m always intrigued by the ones that turn the tropes on their heads. A mysterious manuscript predicts new murders in a town that is no stranger to massacres. CJ vows to save the first girl slated to die, but in doing so becomes the story’s new lead.

Published March 11, 2025 | My Review to Come

What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Bells awake a monster in a sentient city, and Mina has to decide how far she’s willing to go to stop the evil in this gothic fantasy. Something about this reminds me of Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek, which I loved.

Published March 11, 2025 | My Review to Come

The Deathly Grimm by Kathryn Purdie

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: In the conclusion to the Forest Grimm duology, Clara and Axel must return to the forest to find out why villagers continue to disappear. Monsters, riddles, and more dark fairytale-ish things abound. I cannot wait for this one!

Published March 25, 2025 | My Review to Come

The Fragments That Remain by Mackenzie Angeconeb

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A bereft sibling writes letters to her brother exploring her identity. She discovers a cache of secret poetry from her brother and reads it to try to make sense of his death. Looks heartfelt and poignant.

Published March 29, 2025 | My Review to Come

What YA Books Coming Winter 2025 are you most looking forward to reading?

Are you looking forward to any of the books on my list? Have you had a chance to read any of them yet? What else needs to be on my reading list this season? Leave a comment and let me know!