Children's Book World

About Jen Calonita

Jen Calonita is the New York Times and USA Today-bestselling author of more than forty books for teens and middle grade. Her books have sold more than a million copies and have been translated into 15 languages.

A graduate of Boston College, Jen began her career as an entertainment writer at Teen People magazine where she interviewed everyone from Dwayne Johnson to Reese Witherspoon. It was this job that inspired her first book, Secrets of My Hollywood Life, which was the winner of the Louisiana Young Readers Award. Jen went on to write six books in the best-selling series. She went on to write several series including the best-selling Fairy Tale Reform School and books in Disney’s New York Times best-selling A Twisted Tale series. A Twisted Tale’s Mirror Mirror was the winner of the 2020 Teen Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards program where winners are selected by children and teens.

Jen can be found in New York with her husband, two boys and a feisty chihuahua named Ben Kenobi.

May 13, 2026, 4:00PM
Isle of Ever #2: The Curse Breaker
Recipe: Wally’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Author: Jen Calonita

The highly anticipated second book in the New York Times-bestselling Isle of Ever series by Jen Calonita! The game is far from over! In fact, it’s only just begun.

Having finally reached the Isle of Ever, Everly “Benny” Benedict thinks she’s won the game of clues her ancestor Evelyn Terry set out for her in her will. Only she can’t prove it yet — not until her new friends are safe from the curse that has kept them trapped for centuries!

And now there’s a new game. It turns out that Evelyn has more secrets in her diary and another task for Benny: to find the lost piece of pirate treasure needed to break the curse. It won’t be easy. One of her best friends has betrayed her; the kids from the island are just discovering twenty-first-century life, and a mysterious stranger mentioned in Evelyn’s diary has somehow turned up in present-day Greenport.

Benny has to figure it all out in just a few days. If time runs out, someone else can claim the inheritance, and the Isle of Ever will disappear again for another two hundred years!

June 10, 2026

The Liars Society #3: A Secret Escape
Recipe: Frozen Hot Chocolate
Author: Alyson Gerber

A New York Times-bestselling series! The Inheritance Games and One of Us is Lying for middle grade — an unforgettable mystery featuring a secret society, a mysterious island, and dangerous family secrets.

The game starts now. Jack and Weatherby — the newest members of Last Heir, the most powerful secret society in the world — have landed at an exclusive prep school in the Swiss Alps, ready to win big.

Last Heir is offering the chance of a lifetime: millions of dollars, a private island, and a powerful spot in the society’s inner circle. Not everyone has the same reasons for playing, but with money, power, and influence up for grabs, everyone wants to win. Too bad they’re not all playing by the same rules.

New York Times-bestselling author Alyson Gerber crafts an explosive, high-octane mystery that will immerse readers in a world of dangerous riddles, friendship and betrayal, and an addictive search for the truth.

July 8, 2026

Offside
Recipe: To Be Announced Soon!
Author: Christina Diaz Gonzalez

From the author of the USA Today and Indie bestselling Invisible, a must-have graphic novel about five very different students who may just have more in common than they thought.

Winning is everything.

For the first time ever, the Jackson Middle School soccer team is going co-ed–thanks to Nicky’s determination. Now Nicky and Fabiola are on a team with Al, Palmer, Seba, and the rest of the boys . . . but that doesn’t mean they’re all on the same side. Team captain Al is going to do whatever he can to keep the girls off the team, just the way his father wants.

When Al and Nicky’s rivalry threatens to tear the team apart, everyone’s going to have to pick sides. That is, until Palmer looks into why Nicky joined the team, and he starts to realize that there’s a bigger problem than what’s on the field. . . And maybe the only way to truly win is together.

August 5, 2026

The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli
Recipe: Steamed Dumplings
Author: Karina Yan Glaser

Named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, ALA Booklist, Publishers Weekly, BookPage, The Strategist, Book Riot, and more!

Breathtaking suspense, unforgettable characters, and a pinch of magic combine in the dual stories of two young people — one in 731 China, and one in 1931 Chinatown — on perilous journeys to save their families. An instant classic from the beloved and bestselling author of the Vanderbeekers series.

“A page turner that is at once epic and intimate. This is a must read!” — Lisa Yee, New York Times bestselling author of The Misfits

In ancient Chang’An, Han Yu sells steamed buns in a bustling market full of whispers about his ability to summon tigers.

In New York’s Depression-era Chinatown, Luli gazes out from the roof of her parents’ restaurant, dreaming of dim sum and Chinese art.

Familiar rhythms rule the contained-but-contented lives of Han Yu and Luli. But when plague strikes Chang’An and financial crisis threatens Luli’s family, Han Yu and Luli must each venture out into the larger world — and into danger-filled adventure — to save what they love most. Filled with wondrous caves and conniving thieves, desert storms and magical lakes, Karina Yan Glaser’s epic and rewarding novel is a testament to the bravery required to face the unknown and the power of art to connect us through the ages.

September 2, 2026

The Sherlock Society #3: Art Attack
Recipe: To be decided!
Author: James Ponti

The Sherlock Society goes undercover in the Miami street art scene to find an anonymous graffiti artist in this third book in the hilarious, New York Times bestselling Sherlock Society middle grade series from Edgar Award–winning author James Ponti!

The Sherlock Society’s latest case is tracking down stealth graffiti artist Funky Munky—well-known for their artistic statements calling out local politicians—on behalf of a developer who wants them to create a mural for a new hotel. Their investigation leads Alex, Zoe, Lina, and Yadi deep into the very colorful south Florida art scene.

But finding someone who doesn’t want to be found is challenging, and it doesn’t help that Miami Art Week is coming up, bringing lots of attention — and lots of new artists — to the area. The Sherlock Society’s best bet is an elaborate sting operation, which involves them picking up spray cans themselves. Can they trap their quarry without exposing themselves?

October 14, 2026

Olive Oakes and the Haunted Carousel
Recipe: Carnival Food
Author: Kalynn Bayron

This new spooky mystery series by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Goosebumps.

Olive Oakes loves a good mystery. She keeps a notebook with her at all times, ready to jot down observations about anything that seems out of the ordinary. Along with her cousin Eli, Olive is always looking to follow the clues.

When Olive and her family visit a town called Whispering Woods, she uncovers a strange backstory to the traveling carnival that comes through the area once a year. With rumors of missing kids and ghost sightings, it’s the perfect opportunity for Olive to investigate! The people of Whispering Woods are very secretive, but Olive is ready to solve the mystery of the haunted carousel.