Filipino Vampires, The Death Card, and More New YA Book Releases for August 12, 2026

Roxana and her family moved from England to Colorado, and all she wants to do is relax. Sleep paralysis, a grieving mother, and a father she wants to avoid are making this tough.

To make matters worse, Roxana runs into a boy named Zain, who she knows from somewhere. Then she realizes he’s been with her in her nightmares; they were both burned at the stake. She then watches Zain kill a man, and everything in her real life changes, too.

But Roxana can’t help but be attracted to him. She knows a relationship with him is a bad idea. But sometimes bad ideas are worth it.

This one’s got djinn and angels in it, too.

Lily and her brother Caleb keep themselves a secret. They’re both manananggal, otherwise known as Filipino vampires. Staying quiet and hiding their true identity is how they can survive, especially as people fear the worst of mythology. They want to keep being accepted by and fitting into their community.

But then a monster hunter shows up and kills a manananggal. Caleb is the hunter’s next target.

Now Calen and Lily have to decide whether to fight back or continue staying silent about who they are. The stakes in either choice are high, and even if they save their community, it may still be long lost.

If The Postal Service is in your head, you’re not alone. Though the song has nothing to do with the book here, you’ll be hearing it in your head as you dive into this contemporary retelling of Ramayana.

Siya Kumar’s mom died when she was 10 in a car accident. To honor her mom’s legacy, Siya joins the school’s mock trial team; her mom was a lawyer deeply invested in getting to the truth.

Raj Raghavan is the co-captain of the mock trial team, a soccer star, and a guy well outside of Siya’s league. But he’s acting interested in her, and she’s flattered. So when the team does an overnight bonding session, and Siya gets locked in a room with another guy–nothing happened!–she has to fight to get Raj to believe her.

Worse, Siya’s seeing a lot of connections between the mock case the team is taking on and the real details surrounding her mom’s death. She’s beginning to wonder if she knows the truth of what happened to her mom or if she’s about to find out about a lot of lies and creative storytelling fed to her over the years.

Banned Together features a wide array of stories, told through fiction, comics, nonfiction, essays, and more. Each focuses on what happens when books are banned, and, in addition to the stories, there are practical ways young people can get involved in preserving the right to read. Debbie Fong illustrated the collection, so in addition to being informative, it’s a visual treat. Among the contributors are Kyle Lukoff, Nikki Grimes, Padma Venkatraman, Maia Kobabe, and so many more. This book includes tons of resources for readers who want even more after they’ve finished. And for teens who like seeing people like them making a difference in the world, they’ll discover teen activists working to end book bans. 

(If you’re interested, I’ve got an essay in here, too!).

Mikaela Broussard works at her family’s occult shop, and when giving a tarot reading to a customer, she pulls the Death card. Immediately, she sees a vision before her of being killed by the stranger.

Mikaela will have to keep this girl, Joelle, close to learn why she wants to off Mikaela. The problem? Joelle is irresistible, and Mikaela cannot handle how much she wants to be in a relationship with her to-be murderer.

Things only get weirder when witches begin to find their magic is being stolen. Mikaela is her coven’s next Witch Queen, so getting to the bottom of what’s happening is her job. Can she get to the bottom of the mystery without being killed? Will she be so consumed by her feelings that she pursues a relationship with the girl poised to kill her? Mikaela is certainly going to be put to the test.

This is a paperback original romantic fantasy.

It’s 2024, and Zinnia Davis needs to find a more compelling angle for her college personal essay. An admissions representative has told her that her adoption story doesn’t have the heart to really do the job, but Zinnia also doesn’t know much about her birth parents. But when her favorite author releases a new book about a girl who was separated from her mother at birth and who has a heart-shaped birthmark on her forehead (just like Zinnia!), Zinnia cannot help but wonder if there’s a connection between her and the author.

It’s 2006, and Tuesday Walker has experienced a tremendous and unspeakable loss. Getting through high school is tougher than it is for most people because of that. Tuesday finds solace in journaling, but when her journal goes missing, she has to relive many of the hardest parts of her life while searching for it.

The two girls have an important and powerful connection that will unlock the stories of both their lives.