The Weekly 411 (9/25/26)
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| © Annette Kraus |
Sept. 25, 2026 vol. 38
The Weekly 411 gathers all the links added to Kidlit411 each week. To receive this post by email, sign up for our email updates. Are you on Facebook? Join our Kidlit411 group for conversations and camaraderie. We can also be found on Instagram and Bluesky. This week's illustration is by Annette Kraus.
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| Cover designer by Karli Hughes & art by Dikshaa Pawaskar |
About the Book: Despite being adopted into a loving family, thirteen-year-old Gloria feels as if her life is a bit too much like the crossword puzzles she and her dad enjoy solving together: too many empty spaces and not enough clues. For as long as she can remember, Gloria has studied the faces of random women in the hopes of finding her birth mother. But when she finally lands on the perfect candidate, it’s in a place she never could have expected—an obituary photo. Determined to learn more about this dead woman who looks just like her, Gloria embarks on a secret mission to fill in the gaps of her origin story.
At first, finding answers about her past feels exactly right. But as the lies Gloria tells keep piling up, and as each step toward her biological family takes her farther from the parents who have loved her forever, she starts to wonder if she’ll ever be able to fill her empty spaces. Because how can you feel truly whole when you’re shattering from the inside out?
About the Author: In the sixth grade, Jenny Mattern’s teacher wrote a note at the top of one of her stories telling her to keep up the “great” work. The quotation marks around the word great have haunted her ever since. In addition to creating heartwarming tales that she hopes will finally meet Mrs. G’s approval, Jenny spends her free moments writing poetry, experimenting with new recipes, and chasing the high of her September 2024 Wordle-in-one. Born and raised in the Seattle area, Jenny now lives in Montana with her family and a menagerie of pets. Where the Light Shines In is her debut novel.
About the Book: You won’t catch this turkey for your roasting pan—Turkey on the Run! A feather-filled fiasco about a turkey determined to see the dawn of another Thanksgiving Day. As the whole town gives chase, this plucky bird dashes, dodges, and schemes his way towards freedom, only to discover that what waits at the end of the dining tale might not be as disastrous as he originally suspected. Told in bouncy, rhyming verse that fans of The Gingerbread Man will gobble right up, this spirited twist on the traditional holiday tale is stuffed with humor, heart, and holiday cheer.
About the Author: Alayne Kay Christian is an award-winning author, a former acquisitions editor, and a writing teacher. Her books include An Old Man and His Penguin: How Dindim Made João Pereira de Souza an Honorary Penguin; The Weed That Woke Christmas: The Mostly True Story of the Toledo Christmas Weed; and Turkey On the Run! Born in the Rockies, raised in Chicago, and now a true-blue Texan, Alayne’s writing conveys her creative spirit, a bit of her funny bone, and the kinship to nature and humanity that lives within her heart. https://alaynekaychristianauthor.com
About the Illustrator: Neha Rawat, from India, is an author-illustrator of children's books and an SCBWI Portfolio Showcase winner. Her illustrated works include What Color is the Baby?, Sounds of Trash, Masala Chai, Fast and Slow, among many others. Her debut author-illustrated picture book Ghungroos for Gauri will be published by Candlewick Press in 2026. She is drawn to character-driven and whimsical stories revolving around relationships, learning, and humor. When not drawing, Neha enjoys calisthenics, yoga, board games, hiking, and cuddling floofs. https://neharawat.com
Turkey on the Run sounds like a laugh out loud read. Where the Light Shines In sounds emotional and is on my Goodreads.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fantastic Thanksgiving day read! Can't wait to share it with my littles!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for Where the Light Shines In! Turkey on the Run sounds like a lot of fun (I hope he escapes).
ReplyDeleteWhere the Light Comes In looks like my kind of book! Thanks Kidlit 411!
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