2019 is fully upon us! In the midst of resolutions and expectations for the year ahead, Barry Cunningham, publisher of the Chicken House imprint of Scholastic, stopped by to share the new list of middle grade and young adult books coming to the US in 2019:
We’ve got a year full of new titles from Chicken House to take you away to other worlds as well as ones you may already be familiar with. In middle grade, whether you prefer a high fantasy mountain adventure with a no-nonsense heroine or a locked room murder mystery, a world populated by mechanical children or a world struggling to survive in the shadow of World War II—we’ve got something for everyone.
In teen, we are thrilled to introduce rising talent, Ceylan Scott, with her debut novel On a Scale of One to Ten, a raw and unapologetic account of one girl’s journey into mental illness and a uniquely powerful, devastating novel of friendship, fragility, and forgiveness.
Not one, but two winning titles from The Times/Chicken House Big Idea Competition have made it to our list. Since 2000, the Chicken House team has been showcasing their commitment to debut others and finding fresh talent. Chicken House and the Times newspaper in the UK have been running The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition for undiscovered talent since 2008, open to authors across the globe.
Read on to learn more about the 2019 titles from Chicken House!
- Barry Cunningham
Middle Grade Titles
The Ice Garden by Guy Jones
$17.99 • March 2019 • Ages 8–12
Allergic to the sun, Jess sets out to explore the world she longs to be a part of by night. But what she discovers is a beautiful impossibility: a magical garden wrought of ice. But soon Jess discovers that she’s not alone, and it won’t be long before her presence begins to destroy its very existence. The Ice Garden is an absorbing debut about the transformation of fear and loneliness through a bit of resilience and the healing power of friendships.
Tin by Pádraig Kenny
$16.99 • April 2019 • Ages 8–12
In a world where the laws of mechanics govern even the most talented engineers, Christopher and his mismatched group of mechanical friends want nothing more than to feel normal. But when Christopher discovers a devastating secret about himself and is torn away from his home, the friends must band together to find Christopher’s creator. Tin is a big-hearted adventure story about friendship, courage, and loyalty.
“Robots never seemed so human. One of a kind and utterly fantastic.”—Eoin Colfer
Battle of the Beetles (Beetle Boy Book 3 ) by M.G. Leonard
$17.99 • April 2019 • Ages 8–12
“A rare glimpse into the world of insects, mixing adventure, mystery, and science to create a story that’s much more than just a novel about bugs. Even the most squeamish will be charmed.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review for Beetle Boy
In the final installment of the Beetle Boy trilogy, Darkus and his friends must find arch-villainess Lucretia Cutter’s secret Biome hidden in the Amazon rainforest. If they can’t stop Lucretia, she will release her hoard of giant Frankenstein beetles, and the planet will never be the same again . . .
Our Castle by the Sea by Lucy Strange
$17.99 • May 2019 • Ages 8–12
Growing up in a lighthouse, eleven-year-old Pet’s world has been one of storms, secret tunnels, and stories about sea monsters. But in the shadow of World War II, the country is at war and the cliff tops become a terrifying battleground. Pet will need to muster all her bravery to uncover why her family is being torn apart. From the internationally acclaimed author of The Secret of Nightingale Wood, Lucy Strange’s second novel is a haunting wartime tale woven through an unforgettable legend.
The Last Chance Hotel by Nicki Thornton
$18.99 • June 2019 • Ages 8–12
Seth is the downtrodden kitchen boy at the remote Last Chance Hotel, owned by the cruel Bunn family. If he has any hope of finding a new life for himself, it’s to be the greatest chef who ever lived. But when a strange gathering of magicians arrives for dinner, and VIP guest Dr. Thallomius is poisoned by Seth’s special dessert, all fingers point to Seth. What follows is a whodunit mystery and a chase to prove his innocence. Can Seth solve the mystery and clear his name, especially when magic’s afoot?
Sky Chasers by Emma Carroll
$17.99 • July 2019 • Ages 8–12
The race is on to be the first to discover the secret of flight! An encounter with a boy dangling from the sky will change pickpocket Magpie’s life forever. Like her, the boy dreams of flying over the rooftops of Paris. His family, the Montgolfiers, are desperate to become the first to fly. Together with Pierre, Magpie is soon caught up in a world of inflatable bloomers, spies, and a trio of unruly animals in a race to be the first to fly a hot-air balloon. Sky Chasers is the product of a prize-winning idea from The Times/Chicken House Big Idea Competition!
Frostfire by Jamie Smith
$18.99 • October 2019 • Ages 8–12
Chosen for the honor of bonding with a frostsliver—a fragment of the sentient glacier that crests her icy home—Sabira embarks on the dangerous pilgrimage to the top of the mountain. But when a huge avalanche traps her on the glacier and destroys the pass, Sabira is determined to find another way home. In order to survive, she must face up to the merciless mountain—but there are dark and fiery secrets hiding in its depths. Frostfireis the product of a prize-winning idea from The Times/Chicken House Big Idea Competition!
All the Colors of Magic by Valija Zinck
$17.99 • December 2019 • Ages 8–12
Penelope has always been different from other children. For one thing, she has grey hair! But one day, she wakes up with sparkling red hair and her mother confesses the truth: Her father is a wizard. Penelope won’t stop until she finds the tangled, magical truth about who she really is, and decides to embark on a journey to find him. As Cornelia Funke remarks, Valija Zinck is “an exciting new voice among the world’s storytellers.”
Teen Titles
On a Scale of One to Ten by Ceylan Scott
$17.99 • May 2019 • Ages 14 and up
Tamar is admitted to Lime Grove, a psychiatric hospital for teenagers where she’s asked endless questions. But there’s one question she can’t . . . won’t answer: What happened to her friend Iris? An intense, moving, and darkly funny depiction of life in a psychiatric ward, On a Scale of One to Ten is a stunning journey of one girl coming to understand her mental illness and the redemptive power of truth and healing.
