What could be better than brand-new books for your classroom shelf? We’ve scoured the reviews to find the best upcoming releases for all ages, in a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres. These are the new books for September 2026 that we’re most excited to check out!
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September Reading Log
Use our free printable reading log to help students record their pages and keep track of the books they explore all month long. Just click the button below to get yours.
Fiction Picture Books for September 2026
What a Big Yawn! by Marc Majewski
The contagion of a yawn stretches throughout a whole neighborhood in this charming new picture book that’s perfect for a bedtime read.
Buy it: What a Big Yawn!
Fire in Your Belly by Rebecca Lafond, ill. by Aly McKnight
According to Cree legend, embers fell to Earth from the fiery sky and created life—embers that live on in our bellies to this day. In this new book, a little girl’s Kookum (grandmother) tells her the story and offers advice for how to calm the fires and regulate our emotions.
Buy it: Fire in Your Belly
The Voice of the Snow! by Yuko Ohnari, ill. by Koshiro Hata
Anyone who’s walked in the snow will recognize the inventive onomatopoetic sounds that scatter these pages, from the scrunch of footsteps to the tiny noises of snowflakes landing on a quiet landscape. Share this one with kids before heading out to take a walk in the snow yourselves.
Buy it: The Voice of the Snow!
I Really Want To See an Elephant by Brianne Farley
One little mouse wants to see an elephant so badly that it starts spotting them everywhere! But one after the other, each item turns out to be something else, like a teapot or an eggbeater. Will the mouse ever see an elephant, or does it turn out the real joy is in the search?
Buy it: I Really Want To See an Elephant
Easy Readers / Chapter Books for September 2026
Snake & Bat: What Will We Find in This Box? by Mo Willems
The beloved author is kicking off a new early reader series set in the world of Elephant & Piggy, and emergent readers will love it! Snake and Bat explore all the fun things a box can be … even when it turns out the box belongs to someone else, someone with a very familiar pink face.
Stella & Marigold: Past and Presents by Annie Barrows, ill. by Sophie Blackall
The latest entry in this early chapter book series is as delightful as the first two. Stella and Marigold find a message scrawled years ago on the wall of their home, leading them to imagine who might have lived there before them, and who might live there in the future.
September 2026 New Middle Grade Books
Absent by Rex Ogle
When three boys meet in detention after skipping school, they share their very different stories—and discover all they have in common. This unique book tells each character’s tale in a different format (verse, comic, and journal entries), drawing in all types of readers.
Buy it: Absent
The Curse of the Silvan Oaks by Georgia Channon
When a mysterious portal draws Oli into the magical kingdom of Silvanland, she joins the kidnapped Prince Cory on a dangerous quest to break a deadly curse and stop a war. Inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this fantasy adventure is filled with magic, monsters, and unforgettable heroes.
Buy it: The Curse of the Silvan Oaks
A Mess of Monsters by Carissa Turpin, ill. by Izzy Robe
Journey across the country with a series of short stories featuring a variety of tweens and their relationships with the “monsters” that live in various areas, from Florida’s Swamp Ape to the Loveland Frogman in Ohio. From supernatural tales to heartwarming lessons about growing up, this collection offers a little something for everyone.
Buy it: A Mess of Monsters
The Swifts: A Garden of Vipers by Beth Lincoln, ill. by Claire Powell
The third book in the series about the mystery-loving family finds them solving a murder in New York City. Everything you love about the first two books shines through in the latest entry, proving that the Swifts continue to be worthy of a place on classroom and school library shelves!
Buy it: The Swifts: A Garden of Vipers
Where the Light Shines In by Jenny Mattern
Gloria looks nothing like her family, which isn’t surprising as she was adopted. And though she loves her adoptive family, she can’t help wondering about the birth mother she’s never met. A chance to find out more about her biological family leads to more complications than she ever could have expected, though, and Gloria begins to wonder if she’ll ever really feel whole inside.
Buy it: Where the Light Shines In
Young Adult Fiction for September 2026
The Twelve by Liz Hyder
During a visit to a mysterious tower, Kit’s sister Libby disappears—and no one else remembers her, including their mother. When Kit meets a local boy who does remember Libby, they team up to save her in a haunting story that blends Welsh folklore with a mystery teens won’t be able to put down until the very end.
Buy it: The Twelve
Tom Burne Has Left the Chat by Seán Farrelly
Grieving his father’s recent death, Jamie becomes obsessed with fellow teen Tom Burne, a minor influencer who recently died by suicide. Jamie explores the boy’s phone, learning more about his online life, but what he discovers ultimately just reveals more about his own loneliness and grief.
Buy it: Tom Burne Has Left the Chat
Anger Is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo
After several run-ins with the law, 17-year-old Lil is now on probation and awaiting trial. But her bigger concern is the strange behavior of her older brother Aldwin, who’s away at college. To find out what’s wrong, Lil may have to break the rules of her probation, putting her own future at risk to ensure her brother’s safety instead.
Buy it: Anger Is Only a Shadow
When the World Was Happy by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Mexican American CheChe and his twin sister, Emma, lead a simple, happy life surrounded by family and the books they love. Their peace is shattered when a shooter opens fire at their El Paso school; the twins both lose friends and CheChe loses a leg. Now they must learn to find the happiness that seemed to slip away that fateful day, drawing on their resilience in the face of unspeakable tragedy.
Buy it: When the World Was Happy
Foreigners by E.L. Shen
A school history project leads Chinese American teen Dawn to explore her family’s past. This layered novel weaves together her story with that of Manchu politician Duanfang in 1878 China, and 17-year-old Zheng Yi who travels from Taiwan to New York to attend prep school in 1965. Dawn is surprised to find that despite living in very different times, the three have much more in common than she expected.
Buy it: Foreigners
Graphic Novels for September 2026
Dream Big by Shannon Hale
Cassie would love to be a big star, and with a movie being filmed in her own neighborhood, this might be her big chance! She and BFF Vali manage to get jobs as extras, but when Vali has to drop out, Cassie is stuck with some mean kids who make fun of her fears about the scary movie they’re making. She’ll need to hold onto her big dreams hard to make them come true! (Grades 3–8)
Buy it: Dream Big
Mexikid Dreams by Pedro Martin
In this new companion to the bestselling graphic memoir Mexikid, Pedro Martin dreams of a life beyond picking strawberries. Other kids lounge on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons, while Pedro and his family harvest berries and worry about immigration patrols. Will young Pedro find his way out to a life in the bigger world one day? (Grades 5–9)
Buy it: Mexikid Dreams
Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven by Alina Chau
This graphic novel retelling of the Chinese classic Journey to the West tells the story of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, as his magical powers and fearless spirit lead him into a showdown with the gods. (Grades 3–8)
Buy it: Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven
Miss Greene’s Secret by Nicolas Antona, ill. by Nina Jacqmin
In the early 1900s, being Black was enough to bar many people from the lives they wanted. This graphic biography tells the story of Belle da Costa Greene, a groundbreaking librarian who built an extraordinary career while secretly passing as white. It celebrates her remarkable achievements while also exploring the heartbreaking ramifications of her difficult choices. (Grades 10 and up)
Buy it: Miss Greene’s Secret
Major Taylor by Frederick Noland
Here’s another new graphic biography for September, this one about one of the greatest cyclists of the early 20th century. Black American Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor smashed records while fighting the racist attitudes and Jim Crow laws of the time. Cycling fans and non-athletes alike will speed through this intriguing exploration of Major Taylor’s challenges and achievements. (Grades 10 and up)
Buy it: Major Taylor
September 2026 Nonfiction for Kids and Teens
Also check out the nonfiction options listed in the Graphic Novels section above.
We Are Free by Allison Matulli, ill. by Edel Rodriguez
Introduce young learners to what many consider to be our most important Constitutional amendment of all: the First Amendment. This new read helps kids begin to understand the importance of our freedoms of religion, speech, press, and assembly, and why people will fight so hard to defend them. (Grades Pre-K to 2)
Buy it: We Are Free
A Riddle of Eels by Nicholas Day, ill. by Corey R. Tabor
If you’re turning to this new nonfiction picture book about eels to learn everything there is to know about these slippery creatures, prepare to be surprised. Because every time scientists think they’ve figured out more about the elusive eels, the more the riddle seems to grow. (Grades Pre-K to 3)
Buy it: A Riddle of Eels
The Brave Fuzzy: A Microbiome Story by Eliana Miao, ill. by Johanna Gousset
A group of science-loving high schoolers wrote this inventive picture book that dives into the microscopic world of a microbiome. In addition to learning fascinating facts, kids can take inspiration from teens just a little older than they are who are already published authors! (Grades Pre-K to 5)
Buy it: The Brave Fuzzy
This Book Will Make You a Scientist by Dr Sheila Kanani, ill. by Ellen Surrey
Explore the work of 25 famous scientists, from Archimedes and Charles Darwin to Ynés Mexia, Mae Jemison, and beyond! You’ll also find step-by-step kid-friendly science experiments to turn young readers into future scientists. (Grades 2–5)
La Bandera by Anika Aldamuy Denise, ill. by Ericka Lugo
Celebrate the story of Puerto Rico and its people, woven thread by thread through its proud flag—la bandera in Spanish. The 14 poems are enriched by supplemental historical context in the author’s endnotes. (Grades 3–7)
Buy it: La Bandera
Stealing Saint Nick by M.T. Anderson
Delve into the story of the man who became a symbol of Christmas around the world. Along the way, St. Nicholas survived the Great Persecution, the fall of the Roman Empire, the theft of his bones, and more! Older readers will be fascinated by the true history of the man they probably grew up calling Santa. (Grades 8–12)
Buy it: Stealing Saint Nick
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