Wombat Waiting By Katherine Applegate New York: Storytide, 2026. Fiction. 328 pgs. Wombat isn't really a wombat. She's a stray dog, with a destiny that she's determined to find. As wildfires sweep through the park where Wombat lives, a voice inside her tells her not to run from the fire, but to head straight into them. Her destiny is there. Meanwhile, Henry Cooper is forced to evacuate from his home alongside his moms and sister and make their way to a shelter. As the blaze burns on, threatening to destroy the community completely, Henry and Wombat find their way to one another. Wombat doesn't usually like people, but she feels drawn to Henry - her person. Henry is less certain at first, he loves animals and volunteers with his Mama Ro at an animal shelter, but is nervous around dogs. It's up to both of them - dog and pup - to decide to trust each other. This novel in verse is based on the real-life Palisades and Eaton fires in Southern California in 2025. That real...
Life on the Moon By Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2026. Science fiction. 306 pgs. The first rule is there is no life on the moon. The second rule is don't ask questions. 12-year-old Leo is still mourning his parents' divorce when he leaves Earth to live as part of the first Lunar Colony. He's thrilled to be part of the top-secret mission, right up until he touches down the moon. Right away his dad and his dad's friend Sally are whisked away on a project and then go missing. When he starts to question other adults, he's taught the rules of life on the moon. Normally a rule follower, Leo decides to borrow a rover and sneak out to look for his dad. Before long, Leo discovers that there is life on the moon when he encounters first a giant mouth on three legs called a Hortle and then a race of beings called Valrootens. When Leo interferes to save a Valrooten from being eaten by the Hortle, his adventure on the moon really begins. As Leo learn...