March 2026 New Releases

 

Release date not yet known
Young World by Soman Chainani (Random House Books)
Phoebe Yeh at Random House has preempted Soman Chainani's first YA novel, Young World, a geo-political thriller with two-color visuals, pitched as House of Cards meets The Hunger Games. It follows Benton Young, an average 17-year-old who is elected president of the U.S. When Benton is accused of murdering another leader at the G-8 summit, he goes rogue to clear his name and stop a plot that puts the world in danger. Publication is planned for spring 2026; Pete Knapp at Park & Fine Literary and Media brokered the deal for North American rights.

Spiraling Out by Maya Ameyaw (Annick Press)
"Author of WHEN IT ALL SYNCS UP and the forthcoming UNDER ALL THE LIGHTS Maya Ameyaw's SPIRALING OUT, pitched as SOME GIRLS DO meets SPINNING, about a young Black star figure skater who is forced to come to terms with her OCD, sexuality, and growing attraction to her ex-best friend throughout the countdown to Nationals, to Claire Caldwell at Annick Press, in an exclusive submission, by Lesley Sabga at The Seymour Agency (world English)."

March 3rd
The Little Mosque in my Heart by Ahmad Saber (Atheneum) - moved from April 2025, then from May 2025.
An intensely brave, gorgeously written story about a gay Muslim teen who has to choose between being true to himself or his faith—and his realization that maybe they aren’t as separate as he thought.

Now a senior at the top-ranked high school for Muslim teenagers, Pakistani Canadian Ramin can’t wait for the fresh start of college. He’s spent his whole life following the word of Allah, his parents, and his imam. His parents immigrated from Pakistan, sacrificing everything for him and his little brother, and expect Ramin to be halal in all things, meet a nice Muslim girl, and settle into devout family life. However, Ramin’s heart wishes for something—or someone— the strong, athletic captain of the soccer team. But at school, being gay is definitely haram, not allowed, so Ramin limits himself to dreams of moving away to New York City.

Then Ramin learns his graduation is in jeopardy, and the only chance he’s given to get the needed physical education credits quickly is to join the school’s soccer team…and train one-on-one with Fahad, a.k.a. Captain Handsome. It’s a nightmare of temptation and resistance, compounded by threats from a longtime bully who is blackmailing Ramin, threatening to reveal a secret that could ruin him. Ramin’s only ray of light is Omar, a sweet and caring new friend whose family believes in a different, kinder Allah. He gently prods Ramin to consider his faith more deeply, challenging Ramin’s long held belief of Allah as merciless and unforgiving by introducing him to one who is instead merciful and loving.

With graduation, a championship soccer match, and the blackmail looming, the pressure on Ramin is too much to keep buried. He must decide between the consequences of speaking his truth and living a lie. He must decide which Allah lives in the little mosque in his heart.