Dark Secrets, Daring Adventures & Deadly Games
Mysteries, Chills & Thrills for Older Readers
Spooky mysteries, supernatural chills, dystopian dangers, and fantastic adventures for middle-grade and young adult readers.
Some stories are a little too thrilling to put down! From haunted houses and sinister dolls to dangerous competitions, magical kingdoms, and secrets worth risking everything to uncover, these fall releases promise plenty of page-turning excitement. Whether you're looking for a mystery to unravel, a fantasy world to escape into, or a thriller that will keep you guessing long after bedtime, we've gathered some frightfully good reads for older kids and teens.
A Thousand Perfect Lies
By Monica Murphy
Publisher Description: Secrets don't die. They just transfer schools. Billie Vale arrives at England's prestigious Wickham Academy with a forged identity and a dangerous mission: prove her sister's innocence. Her sister Isla lies in a coma, accused of murdering her best friend. To uncover what really happened, Billie infiltrates the elite boarding school under the name Belinda Winters. But Wickham is built on privilege, deception, and carefully protected secrets. Two mysterious boys seem to know more than they're willing to reveal, and every new discovery places Billie in greater danger. Someone knows the truth about Isla. And they'll do anything to keep it buried. A twist-filled boarding-school thriller featuring dangerous secrets, complicated loyalties, and a mystery where everyone has something to hide.
Genre/BISAC: Young Adult Fiction; Thrillers & Suspense; Mysteries & Detective Stories; Romance
Mayhem Books (Entangled Publishing), Mar. 3, 2026, 9781649376619, Hardcover, $23, Ages: 16–17
The Intergalatics
By Erik Jon Slangerup
Publisher Description: Brinx wasn't born. He was created. As one of the genetically engineered experiments living on Base Lab 9, Brinx has spent his entire life surviving dangerous tests, hoping to reach the mysterious Graduation Center. But when a meteor shower destroys his transport ship, Brinx finds himself stranded in an uncharted region crawling with deadly creatures. Now he must survive a hostile world, search for his missing best friend, and begin questioning everything he's been told about his existence. A fast-paced science fiction adventure filled with monstrous dangers, secrets, and unexpected discoveries.
Genre/BISAC: Juvenile Fiction; Science Fiction; Action & Adventure; Survival Stories
Aladdin, Sept. 29, 2026, 9781665988964, Hardcover, $19, Ages: 8–12
Bad Things Happened Here
By Moniza Hossain
Publisher Description: Twelve-year-old Sam Wells has never known his mother. When his grandmother invites him to Singapore, he hopes to discover more about her life. Instead, he finds a strange, cluttered house, an unfamiliar family, and a terrifying secret.
Then he meets his mother's ghost—forever twelve years old. As Sam investigates her mysterious past, he discovers that children have begun disappearing in the neighborhood, just as they did decades earlier. The answers may lie inside an abandoned factory connected to his mother's death. But uncovering the truth could make Sam the next victim. A chilling supernatural mystery exploring family secrets, grief, and the dangers of disturbing the past.
Genre/BISAC: Juvenile Fiction; Horror; Ghost Stories; Mysteries & Detective Stories; Family
Holiday House, Sept. 1, 2026, 9780823462353, Hardcover, $19, Ages: 10–14
Adventure in the City of Stories
By Emma Otheguy
Publisher Description: When cousins Jorge, Camila, and Siggy learn their aunt has been accused of stealing historical artifacts, they embark on a magical journey into 1930s New York City to clear her name. Their mission involves returning precious treasures belonging to Pura Belpré, the trailblazing Latina librarian and storyteller. But a dangerous adversary wants the artifacts, a suspicious neighbor is watching their every move, and time is running out. With the help of a courageous Puerto Rican girl named Antonia, the cousins must navigate the hardships of the Great Depression, uncover the truth, and protect an important piece of literary history. An imaginative blend of time travel, history, mystery, and magic that celebrates storytelling and heritage.
Genre/BISAC: Juvenile Fiction; Historical Fiction; Fantasy; Time Travel; Mysteries & Detective Stories
Atheneum BYR, July 21, 2026, 9781665915212, Hardcover, $18,, Ages: 8–12 | Series: Cousins in the Time of Magic
Gamers 2: Leveling Up
By E. C. Myers
Publisher Description: Bard has finally found a place where he belongs: his esports team. Although painfully shy, he's become a talented competitor and developed friendships through gaming. But when the team's founders invite new players to join, Bard struggles with the changes. As tensions rise, he's tempted to abandon the team and return to playing alone. An unexpected friendship helps him face challenges at home, gain confidence, and prepare for the team's biggest competition yet. With exciting gaming action and thoughtful themes of friendship, belonging, and mental health, this sequel explores what it really means to be part of a team.
Genre/BISAC: Juvenile Fiction; Sports & Recreation; Games; Social Themes; Friendship; Computers & Digital Media
Pixel+Ink (Holiday House/Walker Books Group), June 30, 2026, 9781645952824, Hardcover, $19, Ages: 8–12, Series: Gamers #2
Bitter Bones
By Lindsay Puckett
Publisher Description: Clay refuses to believe the rumors surrounding his mother's disappearance. Eight years ago, the infamous toymaker vanished, leaving behind whispers about haunted dolls and terrifying creations. Clay has always believed she simply ran away. But when a mysterious message arrives pleading for help, he begins an investigation that leads him into the disturbing world of obsessive doll collectors, unsettling internet legends, and a mysterious figure known only as the Button-Eyed Man. The deeper Clay digs, the more dangerous his search becomes. Finding his mother may cost him everything. A deliciously creepy middle-grade horror mystery for readers who enjoy sinister toys, urban legends, and stories where nothing is quite what it seems.
Genre/BISAC: Juvenile Fiction; Horror; Mysteries & Detective Stories; Family
Scholastic Press, Sept. 1, 2026, 9781546131557, Paperback, $9, Ages: 9–12
They Will Not Save Us
By Marie Arnold
Publisher Description: Lena comes from a long line of Vodou priestesses in Haiti, but even her family's powerful traditions cannot bring back the father she lost. When a mysterious stranger arrives in her village and moves into a sprawling house on its outskirts, Lena welcomes the distraction from her grief. Then the villagers begin acting strangely. Their eyes turn blank, their movements become stiff, and they seem to lose all sense of who they are. Soon, Lena finds herself surrounded by something terrifying: zombies. To protect her friends and uncover the force controlling the villagers, Lena must confront her grief, embrace her heritage, and seek help from the very gods she has refused to forgive. A supernatural horror adventure drawing on Haitian culture and folklore, combining a terrifying mystery with a story of courage and loss.
Genre/BISAC: Juvenile Fiction; Horror; Supernatural; Folklore; Family; Grief; Young Adult Thrillers, Dark Fantasy & Dystopian
Scholastic Press, Oct. 6, 2026, 9781546171089, Hardcover, $19, Ages: 9–12
Lucy in Between
By Sarah Callender
Publisher Description: Thirteen-year-old Lucy Bains has always struggled to understand the people around her—especially her brilliant older brother, Henry, a rising violin virtuoso whose struggles with depression remain difficult for her to comprehend. When Henry dies by suicide, Lucy finds herself confronting a grief she cannot easily express. Seeking distance from their painful memories, Lucy and her mother travel to Peru to visit Lucy's estranged father. There, an unexpected friendship with a bookstore owner who understands loss helps Lucy begin examining her complicated feelings about her family, herself, and the brother she misses. A poignant contemporary young adult novel exploring grief, family relationships, forgiveness, and the many ways people experience loss.
Genre/BISAC: Young Adult Fiction; Contemporary; Family; Grief; Mental Health
Holiday House, Aug. 18, 2026, 9780823455515, Hardcover, $20, Ages: 12–16
Survival Show
By Juno Dawson
Publisher Description: In a world devastated by war, teenage Taryn Beck dreams of escaping the refugee camp where she lives with her family. Her greatest talent—and perhaps her only chance at a better life—is her singing voice. When she earns a spot on Starmaker, the world's most popular televised talent competition, Taryn sees an opportunity for fame, fortune, and a future beyond survival. But this is no ordinary reality show. Contestants compete for a place in a glamorous pop group, while those who fall to the bottom of the rankings face televised execution. To save herself and the family depending on her, Taryn must compete in a deadly spectacle where every performance could be her last. Combining the intensity of The Hunger Games with the world of competitive pop music, this satirical dystopian thriller explores fame, exploitation, and survival.
Genre/BISAC: Young Adult Fiction; Dystopian; Science Fiction; Thrillers & Suspense
Simon & Schuster BYR, Aug. 4, 2026, 9798347110568, Hardcover, $21, Ages: 14+
Postscript
By Cory McCarthy
This dystopian novel shook me to my core. In a world with hardly any people, human interaction is rare. Love is unknown, until the characters find each other. Deeply affecting, this book may not be for everyone, but I read in one sitting. -K.C.
Publisher Description: On the far side of a swift and unknowable apocalypse, a few sapiens are surviving off the last scraps of humanity. No longer recognizable as Cape Cod, the dunes of their archipelago are empty apart from regrets and ruins—until West blows in like a storm. West is a prophet of instinct, the last amateur anthropologist, ever aware of being present in life. He can’t help but move through Ani’s rage, Karen’s anxiety, and Emil’s immense longing with curiosity and care. West’s unbridled love and grief challenge the survivors to defy extinction with the most beautifully human thing imaginable: a family.
Genre/BISAC: Young Adult Fiction, Social Themes, Death, Grief, Bereavement, Action & Adventure, Survival Stories, LGBTQ+
Dutton BYR, Feb. 2026, 9780593618240, Hardcover $20, Ages: 16+, Grades 11+
Anticipated Releases
The Last King of Faerie
By Cassandra Clare
Publisher Description: : The Shadowhunter Chronicles enter their final chapter in the first installment of The Wicked Powers trilogy. During her fourth year at Shadowhunter Academy, Drusilla Blackthorn is kidnapped after a chance encounter at a nightclub. Her captor, Prince Ash Morgenstern, takes her into the dangerous and beautiful realm of Faerie.
As Dru struggles to navigate her imprisonment, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn to the mysterious prince, even as the shadows surrounding him threaten her safety. Meanwhile, another disappearance sends shock waves through the Shadowhunter world. Kit Herondale and Ty Blackthorn must overcome their troubled history and join forces on a perilous quest. Romance, magical intrigue, long-buried secrets, and dangerous alliances collide in this highly anticipated conclusion to Cassandra Clare's beloved fantasy universe.
Genre/BISAC: Young Adult Fiction; Fantasy; Romance; Action & Adventure; Paranormal
Knopf BYR, Nov. 3, 2026, 9780593903476, Hardcover, $29, Ages: 14+ | Series: The Wicked Powers #1
Recruitment
By K. A. Riley
Publisher Description: In the dystopian nation of Valta, everyone shares the same official birthday: November 1, the anniversary of the government's declaration of war against the Eastern Order. On the day they turn seventeen, young citizens are taken away by government Recruiters. No one ever returns. For Kress, October 31 marks her final day of freedom. Tomorrow, she'll be taken alongside her best friend Cardyn and Brohn, a mysterious boy she's spent years avoiding. But Recruitment isn't what any of them expected. The teens face grueling physical and psychological tests, military training, and increasingly troubling revelations about the war they've been told they must fight. As the government's explanations begin to unravel, Kress must question what the Recruiters really want—and whether anyone can escape the system controlling their lives. A dystopian science fiction adventure about government control, survival, friendship, and the courage to challenge everything you've been taught.
Genre/BISAC: Young Adult Fiction; Dystopian; Science Fiction; Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic
Sourcebooks Fire, Nov. 3, 2026, 9781464299636, Hardcover, $20, Ages: 14–18; Grades 8–12
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Elliana Shaffer
Childress Ink Editorial Intern, Fall Semester 2026
Elliana Shaffer is a recent graduate of Lee University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature who believes that stories hold the power to cultivate empathy, curiosity, and wonder. She even suspects that this power might just change the world. As an aspiring editor, she hopes to hone her craft of catching a writer's vision and helping them to sharpen their words and stories until they shine, ready to do their best possible work in the hearts and minds of readers. It would be ideal if she could venture forth on this quest armed with tea, a sketchbook, and an animal companion—perhaps a dragon. More.
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