Publisher Spotlight Preview: Fall/Winter 2024 – Neem Tree Press & Nosy Crow

Thanks to Publisher Spotlight’s own Ellen Myrick, we’re continuing to give you a brief peek into some of the books slated for release in the coming months. You can find the first of these round-ups of small publishers here, the second here, the third here, the fourth here, and the fifth here. See what all the (upcoming) fuss is about!

Scareground by Angela Kecojevic

ISBN: 9781915584625

Publication Date: August 6, 2024

With Halloween on the horizon, no doubt you were in need of a funny new Victorian themed park/fairground series. British spooky stuff is the name of the game in this tale of what happens when a spooky fairground returns to Victorian London​. Are you getting Something Wicked This Way Comes vibes? Darn right you are. Comes complete with maps and kids who are trying to discover the answer to a mystery written by a children’s librarian.

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Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson

ISBN: 9781911107996

Publication Date: March 4, 2025

And now it begins! The 2025 books are already at our borders, threatening to crash in! Who are we to resist their charms? This particular book appears on the Carnegie shortlist this year, so you know it has a fine pedigree. The story focuses on a child who is homeless and who comes to terms with that fact. The book is told via two points of view, our main character and a rich boy, so you see the experience from both the outside and the inside. Empathy on the page.

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Cat Chat by Dr. Jess French, ill. Penelope Dullaghan

ISBN: 9798887771014

Publication Date: September 3, 2024

Behold! A very very simple book about cat body language. With few words (and highly expressive pictures) the books shows how to say hello and understand what cats are trying to tell you. There’s even a list of golden rules for meeting cats and kittens is in the back. Consider this a perfect first book for a kid getting a cat of their own. Have a dog instead? Puppy Talk is coming out at the same time and does the same thing.

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Pascal the Very Hungry Penguin by Nishani Reed, ill. Junissa Bianda

ISBN: 9798887770581

Publication Date: September 10, 2024

Is it just me, or is the name “Pascal” just inherently funny? I sure as heck think so. I must not be alone either because in this tale a penguin sports the name. While at the zoo, a kid is asked by a penguin for whatever food is in his backpack. When it is discovered that the penguin is a secret fan of Indian food (particularly curry) the boy decides to take it home. Think One Cool Friend meets Hot Hot Roti for Dada-ji with maybe a little Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers mixed in for spice.

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Growing Up by Rachel Greener, ill. Clare Owen

ISBN: 9798887770789

Publication Date: August 5, 2024

Lord knows, we all loved It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris back in the day, but by this point if that’s the only book in your library collection on changing bodies then we need to sit down and have a serious discussion about changing mores, attitudes, and scientific research. Growing Up is a perfect example of the kind of contemporary body book we need more of. It’s inclusive to LGBTQIA+ people (who actually helped to make it). And honestly, in today’s book banning atmosphere, it isn’t surprising that there are not many books cover this territory coming out every year. Now we have this one and it was developed with a leading national LGBTQ+ organization as well as a biology specialist and an equality, diversity, and inclusivity consultant. Not too shabby!

Dungeon Runners by Kieran Larwood, ill. Joe Todd-Standon

ISBN: 9798887771076

Publication Date: September 3, 2024

Though it may have all the trappings of a graphic novel, this is actually the first in a chapter book series. You know how a lot of us got into D&D during the early days of COVID? Well, Kiean and his son created an entirely world during that time. Not wanting it to go to waste, it’s the world you encounter in this book. Essentially, the story takes the tropes of gaming and adapts them into a book environment. And yes, don’t worry. There will indeed by a Book Two.

That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, folks!

Filed under: Publisher Previews