10 to Note: Summer Preview 2025

I scoured the internet to bring you 10 books I’m most looking forward to in June, July, and August.

It’s a graphic novel-heavy list this time out, but that’s because this summer brings an unusually high level of excellent-looking graphic novels.

Picture Book

Scrub in the Tub by Jan Thomas

June 3 | Beach Lane Books (S&S) | Grades PreK-1

Jan Thomas is the queen of the funny book for the youngest readers. This book, about a pig that doesn’t want to get clean, seems like fertile ground for humor.

To Catch a Ghost by Rachel Michelle Wilson

July 1 | Orchard Books (Scholastic) | Grades K-2

After How to Pee Your Pants (The Right Way), I can’t wait to read Rachel Michelle Wilson’s next picture book, about a girl who wants a ghost for show-and-tell.

Early Reader

Hide & Seek with Clyde & Monique: Clyde in Plain Sight by Graham Annabel

June 24 | Harper Alley | Grades K-1

Graham Annable has done great work in a lot of different formats, but never early readers. This new book, in which readers search for Clyde alongside Monique, looks like a unique foray into new territory.

Middle Grade

Murray and Bun! Murray the Knight by Adam Stower

June 3 | Random House | Grades 1-4

Murray and Bun is a new series that looks to bridge the gap between chapter books and middle grade. A magical cat flap transports the two friends to the world of knights and castles.

Graphic Novels

Class Pet Ghost Detective (#1): What Happened to the Naked Mole Rat? by Akeem S. Roberts

July 15 | Kokila (Penguin) | Grades 1-3

A kid accused of killing the class pet seeks to clear his name . . . with the help of the dead pet. Just when you think every school story has been done before, here comes this new series to set you straight.

Jazzy the Witch in Broom Doom by Jessixa Bagley

July 15 | Simon & Schuster | Grades 3-7

When you’re looking at books you haven’t read before, some stand out because of their premise. Some stand out for their creator. And some, like this new graphic novel from Jessixa Bagley, stand out for both. A reluctant witch discovers her passion for . . . cycling?

The Fairytale Fixers (#1): Cinderella by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Jorge Lacera

August 12 | Clarion Books (HarperCollins) | Grades 1-4

When fairytales go off course, Fairy and Mouse come to the rescue. A very promising pairing of Underwood and Lacera (Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies).

Schoolbot 9000 by Sam Hepburn

July 22 | Dial Books (Penguin) | Grades 4-6

This one looks to tap into the absurdities (and pitfalls) of A.I., as a school replaces their teachers with robots.

Nonfiction

Be the Light: How She Became Angela Davis by Daria Peoples

June 3 | Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins) | Grades K-3

How’s that for a great cover? A look at the childhood and impact of civil rights icon Angela Davis.

Many Voices: Building Erie, The Canal That Changed America by Laurie Lawlor

August 5 | Holiday House | Grades 5 and Up

The Erie Canal was (at the time) the largest public works project in American History, and there have been very few recent books on the topic. This one looks at the making of the canal from all angles.

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