Guides

Ecofiction for Readers of All Ages

Heatwave

Heatwave By Lauren Redniss

A picture book from an award-winning artist that uses vibrant reds and blues to stunningly evoke the intensity of a heatwave and the refreshing relief that comes with an unexpected downpour of a cooling rain.

A NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A KIRKUS REVIEWS, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, AND HORN BOOK BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR


Sweltering. Sweating. It’s 100 degrees… even in the shade.
Games are canceled, temperatures reach record highs. The sun is hot.

Finally, a wind picks up. One rain drop. Then another. A downpour. The sun sets and the moon rises, Relief at last.

Heatwave is a book that vividly evokes a universal feeling--when the air is so hot and heavy you can barely move, when the sun is so bright your eyes play tricks on you. Renowned artist, writer and MacArthur genuis grant recipient, Lauren Redniss’s choice to use just two vibrant and contrasting colors in her artwork and spare text makes for a bold and interesting exploration of extreme weather. Even the book itself is saturated in red as if the book itself is burning up.

Tate's Wild Rescue

Tate's Wild Rescue By Jenny Turnbull; illustrated by Izzy Burton

A sweet, funny picture book about an animal-loving girl who invites wild animals to live in her house and be her best friend—with mixed results! A tale told through letters that is perfect for all animal enthusiasts!

Tate loves animals, but she worries about the ones who live in the wild—aren’t they cold? Hungry? Lonely?

She is determined to help and comes up with the perfect plan: she’ll offer one a better life and they will be best friends! To her surprise, none of the wild animals she invites to live with her are impressed with her offerings—Orca is not interested in the kiddie pool, and Tiger would rather hunt than settle for cookies. Maybe Tate will have to look a bit closer to home to find her pawsitively perfect match. 

Told through letters, Tate’s heartfelt hope to rescue a wild animal combined with the blunt hilarity of their responses makes this charming story perfect for anyone wild about animals! Fans of Can I Be Your Dog by Troy Cummings will enjoy this “tail”! The back of the book also offers ideas for children on how they can help both wild and companion animals!

The Secret Language of Birds

The Secret Language of Birds By Lynne Kelly

USA TODAY BESTSELLER A poignant and heartwarming coming-of-age novel that captures the moment of learning to spread your wings in a way you'll never forget—from the award-winning author of Song for a Whale.

“Perfect for readers who enjoy stories about curious kids and nature’s wonders.”—TIME for Kids

Nina is used to feeling like the odd one out, both at school and in her large family. But while trying to fit in at summer camp, she discovers something even more peculiar: two majestic birds have built a nest in the marsh behind an abandoned infirmary. They appear to be whooping cranes, but that’s impossible—Nina is an amateur bird-watcher, and all her resources tell her that those rare birds haven’t nested in Texas for over a hundred years.

When Nina reports the sighting to wildlife officials, more questions arise. Experts track all the endangered birds, but they can’t identify the female bird that Nina found. Who is she, and where did she come from?

With the help of some fellow campers, Nina sets out to discover who the mystery bird really is. As she gets closer to the truth, will she find a flock of her own?

Turtles of the Midnight Moon

Turtles of the Midnight Moon By María José Fitzgerald

When poachers threaten the island they love, two girls team up to save the turtles—and each other. An eco-mystery with an unforgettable friendship story at its heart from a fresh new voice in middle grade.

Twelve-year-old Barana lives in a coastal village in Honduras, where she spends every spare minute visiting the sea turtles that nest on the beach.

Abby is feeling adrift in sixth grade, trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs after her best friend moved away from New Jersey.

When Abby’s papi plans a work trip to Honduras, she is finally given the opportunity to see his homeland—with Barana as her tour guide. But Barana has other plans: someone has been poaching turtle eggs, and she’s determined to catch them! Before long, Abby and Barana are both consumed by the mystery, chasing down suspects, gathering clues, and staking out the beach in the dead of night. . . . Will they find a way to stop the poachers before it’s too late?

A heart-pounding mystery with a hint of magic, María José Fitzgerald’s debut novel explores the power of friendship, community, and compassion to unite all living creatures.

Snowglobe

Snowglobe By Soyoung Park; translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The groundbreaking Korean phenomenon that Entertainment Weekly called “The Hunger Games meets Squid Game”—now in English for the first time!

A COSMOPOLITAN BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE YEAR • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

“An immersive and utterly addictive dark dystopian thriller . . . with the eerie, desperate, and exhilarating vibes of Snowpiercer and The Hunger Games.” —Susan Lee, author of Seoulmates

In a world of constant winter, only the citizens of the climate-controlled city of Snowglobe can escape the bitter cold—but this perfect society is hiding dark and dangerous secrets within its frozen heart.

**The gorgeous first edition hardcover of Snowglobe features two covers in one (a beautifully illustrated hardcover underneath the stunning jacket) and foil-stamped interior papers at the beginning and end of the book!**


Enclosed under a vast dome, Snowglobe is the last place on Earth that’s warm. Outside Snowglobe is a frozen wasteland, and every day, citizens face the icy world to get to their jobs at the power plant, where they produce the energy Snowglobe needs. Their only solace comes in the form of twenty-four-hour television programming streamed directly from the domed city.

The residents of Snowglobe have everything: fame, fortune, and above all, safety from the desolation outside their walls. In exchange, their lives are broadcast to the less fortunate outside, who watch eagerly, hoping for the chance to one day become actors themselves.

Chobahm lives for the time she spends watching the shows produced inside Snowglobe. Her favorite? Goh Around, starring Goh Haeri, Snowglobe’s biggest star—and, it turns out, the key to getting Chobahm her dream life.

Because Haeri is dead, and Chobahm has been chosen to take her place. Only, life inside Snowglobe is nothing like what you see on television. Reality is a lie, and truth seems to be forever out of reach.

Translated for the first time into English from the original Korean, Snowglobe is a groundbreaking exploration of personal identity, and the future of the world as we know it. It is the winner of the Changbi X Kakaopage Young Adult Novel Award.

ALA 2024 Annual Conference & Exhibition

ALA Annual | San Diego, CA | June 27 - July 2, 2024

Make the Most of Your ALA Annual Conference Experience

We can’t wait to see you at ALA!

Visit the Random House Children’s Books booth (1616) to discover free resources, explore upcoming releases, and receive book recommendations.

Download the full RHCB signing schedule so you don’t miss out on meeting your favorite authors and illustrators!

Not attending ALA? No problem!

We’ll miss you, but don’t worry—we’ve got you covered!

Scroll down to download an assortment of our latest digital resources. Check out our New and Noteworthy Discussion and Educators’ Guides page for even more free educators’ guides, catalogs, activity sheets, and other assets for teachers and librarians.

Summer/Fall 2024 Middle Grade & Young Adult Digital ARCs

Be the first to read upcoming middle grade and young adult titles publishing in Summer and Fall 2024!

A Graphic Novel Book Club Guide

Interested in starting a graphic novel book club at your library but not sure where to start? This guide includes general tips for getting started plus title specific discussion questions to help make your first book club meeting a success!

A Chapter Book for Every Reader

Build your reader’s confidence, chapter by chapter.

We are excited to share a brochure with some of our most popular chapter book series as well as new series we are sure readers will enjoy.

Summer of Scares

From creepy thrills to up-all-night chills…

Scary Stories are not only fun to read, they also show young readers that it’s okay to be afraid and help them face their fears in a safe setting. They can also help readers experience courage, learn about different cultures, and increase empathy.

Books in Spanish | Libros en español

The United States is home to the second-largest population of Spanish speakers in the world. Build out your collection with books in Spanish that are perfect for young readers!

Support and Read Banned and Challenged Books

Random House Children’s Books is committed to those who stand against censorship, and we continue to publish books that celebrate the freedom of expression. We are proud to support our authors’ right to write and our readers’ right to read.

Visit our Support and Read Banned and Challenged Books page for information, resources, and organizations that can help your school, library, or community advocate for their fundamental right to read.

Before They Were G.O.A.T.s They Were Kids!

Check out these great sports stories for future Olympians!

Unstoppable Us Series

An exciting, illustrated book series for middle school readers that looks at the early history of humankind

Click here to download the guide for Volume 1.

Click here to download the guide for Volume 2.

Unstoppable Us, Volume 2: Why the World Isn't Fair

Unstoppable Us, Volume 2: Why the World Isn't Fair By Yuval Noah Harari; illustrated by Ricard Zaplana Ruiz

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From world-renowned historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari, the bestselling author of Sapiens, comes the second volume in the bestselling Unstoppable Us series that traces human development from the Agricultural Revolution to Prehistoric Egypt.

Humans may have taken over the world, but what happened next? How did our hunter-gatherer ancestors become village farmers? Why were kingdoms and laws established? How did we go from being the rulers of Earth to the rulers of each other?

And why isn’t the world fair?

The answer to all of that is one of the strangest tales you’ll ever hear. And it’s a true story!

From cultivating land and sharing resources to building pyramids and paying taxes, prepare to discover how humans established civilization, endured the consequences for it, and created history-changing inventions along the way. 

In Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World, acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari explored the early history of humankind. In Volume 2, he is back with another expertly crafted story of how human society evolved and flourished. His dynamic writing is accompanied by maps, a timeline, and full-color illustrations, making the incredible story of our past fun, engaging, and impossible to put down.

Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World

Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World By Yuval Noah Harari; illustrated by Ricard Zaplana Ruiz

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From world-renowned historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari, the bestselling author of Sapiens, comes an exciting, illustrated book for middle school readers that looks at the early history of humankind.  

A New York Times Best Book of the Year

"Gripping and thought-provoking." —The New York Times

Even though we’ll never outrun a hungry lion or outswim an angry shark, humans are pretty impressive—and we’re the most dominant species on the planet. So how exactly did we become “unstoppable”?

The answer to that is one of the strangest tales you’ll ever hear. And it’s a true story!

From learning to make fire and using the stars as guides to cooking meals in microwaves and landing on the moon, prepare to uncover the secrets and superpowers of how we evolved from our first appearances on Earth millions of years ago.

Acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari has expertly crafted an extraordinary story of how humans learned to not only survive but also thrive on Earth, complete with maps, a timeline, and full-color illustrations that bring his dynamic, unputdownable writing to life.

Penguin Random House Winter Book and Author Festival

Welcome to Random House Teachers and Librarians’ dedicated page for the Penguin Random House Winter Book and Author Festival!

If you have any questions for the School & Library team, please email us at slmarket@randomhouse.com.

Request Digital Advance Reader Copies of Upcoming Books

To request eARCs for upcoming Picture Book and Graphic Novel titles, please visit our Edelweiss Collection.

To request eARCs for upcoming Middle Grade and Young Adult titles, please visit our NetGalley Catalog.

Discover Random House Children's Books on Audio from Listening Library: Fall 2024 & Spring 2025

Check out the audiobook editions of these top titles from RHCB’s spring 2025 list, plus audiobooks from our Winter 2024 Festival keynote, Carl Hiaasen! Click on the covers to see who is narrating and listen to clips here.

Download FREE Resources for Educators and Librarians

Banned Books

We at Penguin Random House fervently oppose these attempts at censorship because we believe that books make us better, and students, in particular, deserve access to a wide range of perspectives.

Click here to learn what we’re doing – and what you can do – to protect the freedom to read.

Book Résumés

Bookmark this page to access hundreds of book résumés (and growing!) that help teachers, librarians, parents, and community members keep books on shelves.

Book Résumés detail each title’s significance and value and are easy to share with administrators, book review committees, elected officials, and board members.

Sign Up for the Random House Teachers and Librarians Newsletter

The Cookie Chronicles series

Ben Yokoyama and the Cookies of Chaos

What Happens If You Take Your Fortune Cookie Too Seriously?

Hijinks! Mischief! Shenanigans!

In the newest installment of this hilarious series, Ben finds himself in a cookie catastrophe when he receives FIVE conflicting fortunes from fortune cookies! He is confused and doesn’t know which advice to follow. 

Explore the Hilarious Cookie-Filled Series Now!

The Cookie Chronicles Series Educators' Guide

Download the all-new series guide! Packed with questions about each book, a Q&A with the creators, and a bonus letter to Educators from Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr it has something for everyone!

Activity Brochure

Create your own fortunes (and mayhem!) with Ben’s favorite activities.
• Cookie Chronicles Fortune Teller
• Fortuitous Fill-in-the-Blank Fortunes!

Meet Matthew Swanson & Robbi Behr creators of the Cookie Chronicles series

Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr are a husband and wife-team. They are also an author and illustrator team. Together, they have created several well-known book series such as the Cookie Chronicles, The Real McCoys, Babies Ruin Everything, and Everywhere, Wonder (Imprint Books). They used to own two small presses: Bobbledy Books and Idiots’ Books. Nowadays, they devote most of their time to writing and illustrating books while raising their four children, aged 10, 8, 6, and almost 2, in a hayloft of an old barn located in Maryland. They also conduct speaking engagements and teach and lead workshops centered around collaboration and creative entrepreneurship. In their remaining time, they manage a commercial salmon-fishing business on the Alaskan tundra.

Random House Teachers and Librarians