The Autumn releases come at the busy time of the year as it is pre-holidays. And some years what you will find is good and other years not as much. But Fall of 2026 will be filled with new publications. And some really good ones too, like Ege and Avra.
Publisher description says it is a story about connecting Türkiye and Greece on the Aegean Sea. And that is how it ends, but the start is where the goodness happens. We follow two girls, Ege and Avra, who go out to sea with their respective grandfathers, excited about the trip until they accidentally tangle their fishing equipment with the other boat. The girls, whose people are far from friendly, at first are both hateful, standoffish and think it’s the other boat’s fault. The fear of the girls is not completely shared by their grandfathers, and when the four characters put aside their differences, they find that similarities can be more abundant and sweeter than they thought.
This idea of two different people, different languages, faith and taught to not trust each other is not really new, but the way Evgenia Mantikas and Elifgul Buyukoral created a story and Nazli Tarcan illustrates, makes things fresh and sharp. Current events allow this book to be (unfortunately) needed and it would work for multiple ages, but best for at least five and up (around 8 or 9). The picture book format might turn off the older readers, but it would be a good read for those solidly solo reading, but a good read together. I would love to see this as read aloud in a classroom.
The illustrations are what makes it all be wrapped together. The boldness of colors and the right details are strong, yet have a softness that makes the story cozy and approachable. Read via an online reader, it is due in September 2026.
