February is the shortest month, but the weather can sometimes make it feel like the longest. That makes it the perfect time to cozy up with a terrific new read! Here are the February 2025 new books that we’re most looking forward to checking out.
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February 2025 New Fiction Picture Books
Me and Other Bunnies by Mo Willems
Beloved author Mo Willems is back with this charming bunny tale! As you turn the pages, new bunnies join the group, representing a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and abilities. It’s a wonderful way to share the idea of acceptance and inclusion with your young students.
Buy it: Me and Other Bunnies
Caboose by Travis Jonker, ill. by Ruth Chan
A playful hippo loves to lead his class in line, causing traffic jams and sudden crashes. When the teacher has had enough and banishes him to the back of the line, this new caboose finds more ways to cause trouble. Finally, he finds his place in the middle, making new friends and settling in.
Buy it: Caboose
Home Is a Wish by Julia Kuo
When a Taiwanese family leaves their homeland and travels to the other side of the world, the young narrator worries about the future. By the end, they realize they’ll have many homes in their life, and that soon enough, “odd becomes ordinary.”
Buy it: Home Is a Wish
Tíos and Primos by Jacqueline Alcántara
Meeting new family is fun, but what happens when you don’t speak their language (and they don’t speak yours)? As a young girl greets her Honduran relatives, they all find new ways to communicate and share their love for one another.
Buy it: Tíos and Primos
Let’s Be Bees by Shawn Harris
Fire up imaginations with this new February book, which invites kids to buzz like bees, chirp like birds, and so much more. They’ll want to read this one again and again!
Buy it: Let’s Be Bees
February 2025 New Easy Reader/Chapter Books
Cruise Life: Queen of the Sea by Reese Eschmann
New chapter book series are always welcome, since emergent readers need lots of new material for practice. This is one of February’s new offerings, about a child and her family who make their home on a cruise ship. Book two is being released the same day, with a third one promised for August.
Buy it: Cruise Life: Queen of the Sea
Neecy and Nay Nay and the Tangled, Hairy Mess by Simone Dankenbring and Syrone Harvey
Here’s another new chapter book series with a couple of books arriving in February. Twins Neecy and Nay Nay open a salon to style their friends and family. It turns out they don’t quite have the skills they imagined, but working together, they find a way out of the mess!
Buy it: Neecy and Nay Nay and the Tangled, Hairy Mess
Sparkle Pigs: Carrot Chaos by Kit Holliday
This silly new series is dropping three books in February, making it ideal for voracious new readers. The Sparkle Pigs are a pair of guinea pigs with nothing in common, until they find a magic door in the back of their hutch. Inside, they discover a world of life-changing costumes, and forge a lasting friendship too.
Buy it: Sparkle Pigs: Carrot Chaos
Bad Badger by Maryrose Wood, ill. by Giulia Ghigini
From the author of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series comes this new chapter book with a more serious tone. Septimus enjoys his life, but he doesn’t seem to be very good at being a badger. When his new friend goes missing, Septimus sets out to find him and learns there are many ways to be a good badger after all.
Buy it: Bad Badger
February 2025 New Middle Grade Fiction Books
The Rehearsal Club by Kate Fodor and Laurie Petrou
Middle-schooler Pal stumbles into a fascinating mystery when her aspiring-actor older sister Naomi moves into the Rehearsal Club. With the help of venerable actress Olive, who’s lived at the Club since 1954, Pal unravels the mystery of Posy, a Broadway star kicked out of the Club many years ago. Theater fans will be eager to check out this new February book.
Buy it: The Rehearsal Club
The Edge of the Silver Sea by Alex Mullarky
Thirteen-year-old Blair absolutely hates the remote Scottish island her parents have moved to, until she uncovers the magical fantasy world at its very core. When one of the fey folk offers to grant her a wish in exchange for completing three tasks, Blair discovers this island holds much more than she ever imagined.
Buy it: The Edge of the Silver Sea
All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson
Sage’s birthday turns tragic when her best friend dies, leaving her alone and bereft. A grief counseling group helps her manage her feelings, and Sage learns that life really does go on. (Novel in verse)
Buy it: All the Blues in the Sky
Rick Kotani’s 400 Million Dollar Summer by Waka T. Brown
Twelve-year-old Japanese American Rick is obsessed with becoming a rich and famous baseball star one day. A summer spent with his grandfather in a small town opens his eyes to the perils and pitfalls of focusing on fame and fortune instead of enjoying what may come. Sports fans will welcome this new February book and its relatable male protagonist.
Buy it: Rick Kotani’s 400 Million Dollar Summer
A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff
Trans teen A spends grueling hours at meetings of the Save Our Sons and Daughters group, where his parents have taken him to convince him that being trans is just a “craze.” Things take a fascinating turn when it turns out that SOSAD doesn’t just seem evil to A and his friends—it’s actually run by a demon! This is an enthralling, unique take on the challenges of life as a trans child in today’s society.
Buy it: A World Worth Saving
February 2025 New Young Adult Fiction
Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray
Deftly weaving together narratives from three time frames (1940s Germany, 1980s West Berlin, and 2020 Brooklyn), this new young adult novel explores the mystery of the fabled Bridegroom Tree and the two girls who once vanished beneath its limbs. Each set of characters faces unique challenges in their time and place, but it all comes together to show the connections of past and present.
Buy it: Under the Same Stars
Knucklehead by Tony Keith Jr.
New teen poetry collections don’t come along all that often, and that alone makes this one worth exploring. More than that, though, this powerful collection speaks especially to young Black men, an underserved population in this genre. Author Keith, a gay Black man himself, knows what it’s like to be prejudged by society, and his verses explore topics like imprisonment, injustice, love, and more.
Buy it: Knucklehead
(S)kin by Ibi Zoboi
A novel in verse based on Caribbean folklore about the power of inherited magic and the price two teenage girls must pay to live the life they yearn for.
Buy it: (S)Kin
All Better Now by Neal Shusterman
After COVID-19, we all fear the next great pandemic. In this new young adult novel, it arrives in the form of an infection that provides utter contentment—if you survive it. Some are so eager for the aftereffects that they seek it out. Others want to make a vaccine to keep people safe (or make themselves rich). Three diverse teens find themselves in the middle, navigating their way through an unrecognizable world that also feels a little too familiar to today’s young readers.
Buy it: All Better Now
Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours
Sariyah has a special gift: the ability to know what things people need. She uses it for good to help her friend Deja, who then disappears. Now Sariyah must determine what really happened, possibly by putting herself at the same risk Deja herself once faced.
Buy it: Needy Little Things
February 2025 New Graphic Novels for All Ages
Crumble by Meredith McClaren, ill. by Andrea Bell
Emily’s family bakery is unique: They bake transferable emotions into every sweet treat! When tragedy strikes, Emily breaks a cardinal rule, baking her grief and anger into a terrible-tasting crumble over and over again to escape the sadness. This dish makes her classmates ill, and Emily realizes she has to find a non-magical way to handle the toughest emotions of all. (Grades 5–8)
Buy it: Crumble
Sea Legs by Jules Bakes, ill. by Niki Smith
Janey’s family is about to embark on a life at sea, which means she must leave behind her friends, school, and everything she knows. New adventures await, but new friends are hard to find until fellow boat-kid Astrid appears on the scene. She’s prickly at first, but their unique lifestyles soon forge a special bond between them. (Grades 5–8)
Buy it: Sea Legs
Cassi and the House of Memories by Dean Stuart
Cassi has always been close to Grandpa Charlie, but now his memory has begun to fade away. One day, Cassi follows him into the woods and discovers a fantastical world of Charlie’s memories, which she can experience alongside him. This new February graphic novel highlights family connections that last even when age begins to separate us. (Grades 5–8)
Buy it: Cassi and the House of Memories
Block’d by Brian Hawkins, ill. by Ignacio di Meglio
Cam Banter is a high school basketball star—and a werewolf. His father wants him to win at all costs, while his new coach stresses teamwork and ethics. These conflicting influences lead Cam to violent outbursts, and his powers begin to harm those around him. The engaging illustrations help bring this combination sports story and superhero fantasy to life. (Grades 8–12)
Buy it: Block’d
Hunger’s Bite by Taylor Robin
In the early 20th century, Indian girl Neeta Pandey grew up the ward of a British ship captain, traveling the world with him and his son. Neeta receives a first-class education and dreams of setting off on a Grand Tour of Europe. The arrival of a new ship owner turns everything on its head, and true evil seems to stalk the staff and crew. Infusing horror elements with a historical mystery, this compelling graphic novel will make a unique addition to your shelf. (Grades 10–12)
Buy it: Hunger’s Bite
February 2025 New Nonfiction Books for All Ages
The Keeper of Stories by Caroline Kusin Pritchard, ill. by Selina Alko
Libraries are keepers of stories, so when a massive fire destroyed the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1966, all those stories could have been lost. But the community came together to rescue and preserve the books, all documented in this inspiring new February picture book. (Grades pre-K to Grade 2)
Buy it: The Keeper of Stories
A Line Can Go Anywhere by Caroline McAlister, ill. by Jamie Green
Japanese American artist Ruth Aiko Asawa grew up straddling the line between her family’s heritage and her American home. She always loved to draw lines, but during her time in a World War II Japanese internment camp, she began to come into her own as an artist. This picture book biography chronicles her challenges and triumphs in an accessible way for kids of all ages. (Grades K–2)
Buy it: A Line Can Go Anywhere
The Six (Young Readers Edition) by Loren Grush with Rebecca Stefoff
This young readers edition of the popular book will fascinate space fans and those who love reading about amazing women in history. Learn about the six women who trained to be the first astronaut in space, including Sally Ride, in language that’s accessible for upper elementary and middle schoolers. (Grades 4–8)
Buy it: The Six (Young Readers Edition)
Disconnected: Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease by Connie Goldsmith
Teens with grandparents or other relatives facing a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s may find themselves feeling just as bewildered as their older friends. This excellent new read can help them navigate their feelings and interactions as they preserve important relationships with those they love. (Grades 7–12)
Buy it: Disconnected
The Rebel Empresses by Nancy Goldstone
The wives of Emperors Franz Joseph and Napoleon III were some of the most famous women in their world in their heyday. Explore the fascinating histories of Empresses Elisabeth and Eugénie in this new nonfiction book for February, sure to capture the imagination of history lovers. (Grades 10–12)
Buy it: The Rebel Empresses
February 2025 New Books for Teachers
More Than Words by John Warner
Veteran writing teacher and author Warner explores how AI can and should affect student writing in the modern age. He makes the shocking assertion that if an assignment is so simplistic that a machine can do it, it may not be worth assigning at all. Learn what he recommends instead in this challenging new read for teachers.
Buy it: More Than Words
Fewer Rules, Better People by Barry Lam
Want to rethink your approach to classroom rules? Start with this intriguing read, which posits the idea that fewer rules actually benefit society as a whole. The book dives deeply into our criminal justice system, but many of the lessons have applications for classroom behavior management too.
Buy it: Fewer Rules, Better People
