Get to know some 2026 NHBF KidLit books
NHBF 2026 Author, Christine Hartman Derr
NHBF 2026 Author, M.T. Anderson
NHBF 2026 Author, Rajani LaRocca
Want to know a little more about some of the books from NH Book Festival’s 2026 authors? Read on!
Raven Rising, Christine Hartman Derr
Christine Hartman Derr is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Her debut novel, Raven, Rising, follows a Cherokee girl who, after the tragic loss of her parents, tries to acclimate to difficult social dynamics in her new school and a curious magic that her mother may have passed down to her.
“Warm and winning interactions between family and friends buoy the somber undercurrent that runs through each smoothly layered, expertly conceived plot thread. The outcome is a gentle, uplifting portrait of a tween seeking and finding support. Includes an author’s note and Cherokee glossary.” [Publishers Weekly]
For fans of: Christine Day and Cynthia Leitich Smith
Stealing Saint Nick, M.T. Anderson
National Book Award winner M.T. Anderson has written a thrilling new nonfiction book for teens and adults about the race between two rival groups of thieves to steal the body of St. Nicholas – Santa Claus – from his tomb in Turkey.
This nonfiction narrative brings together the bizarre miracle tales of the “real” St. Nicholas with the astonishing story of how his body was stolen by a crew of adventurers – the true story behind Anderson’s rollicking historical fiction novel Nicked.
For fans of: Steve Sheinkin and Ally Carter
Such Great Heights, Rajani LaRocca
From Newbery-medalist author Rajani LaRocca comes a contemporary retelling of the Ramayana. A teen joins mock trial to honor her late lawyer mother, but when a case mirrors her mom's death, and romance gets complicated, she questions if truth-seeking is, as her mother always told her, “the flame that burns away all lies.” Sometimes, is the past better left behind?
LaRocca was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in Massachusetts, where she practices medicine and writes award-winning books for young readers, including her award winning novel in verse, Red, White, and Whole.
For fans of: E. Lockhart and Alice Oseman