Few moments are as exhilarating as finishing a truly exceptional book by a debut author. I still remember reading Drew Daywalt’s The Day the Crayons Quit (2013) and Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give (2017) and wondering what other captivating tales these writers had in store. Watching new authors hone their talents, take risks, and evolve is one of the most satisfying elements of my job. This year, several children’s book authors are making illustrious debuts. I can’t wait for young people to get their hands on these books, and I’m just as eager to see what paths these artists chart in the years to come.

Angie Kang’s first picture book, Our Lake (Kokila, March 4), centers on two siblings as they go for a swim. Though Brother leaps into the water enthusiastically, his younger sibling hangs back, afraid, before finally jumping in, with Brother’s support. Memories of their dad loom. Kang never explicitly states what’s happened to Father, but this is clearly a tale of loss—and a nuanced one at that. Joy and melancholy mingle as the children recall happier times and learn how to move on while still honoring Father.

Author Kesi Augustine and illustrator Mokshini are both making impressive debuts with Faith Takes the Train (Harper/HarperCollins, March 11). Accompanied by Mama, a Black child named Faith rides the New York City subway home. Most passengers look away when a man—whom Faith and Mama recognize as their old neighbor Isaiah, who’s fallen on hard times—asks if anyone can spare some change, but Faith offers him a sandwich. The artwork pulses with movement as a newly energized Faith waves goodbye to the grateful Isaiah, shimmies to the music performed by buskers, and mulls other ways to help him. With respect and empathy, Augustine and Mokshini demonstrate the transformative power of a single act of kindness.

Several first-time middle-grade authors are making names for themselves, too. Jung-soon Go’s Okchundang Candy (Levine Querido, March 4), translated from Korean by Aerin Park, is a far cry from the more upbeat graphic memoirs familiar to many young readers in the U.S. Go reflects on the deaths of her grandparents: Grandpa’s decision to hide his lung cancer from the rest of the family, and Grandma’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis soon after. Her spare yet exquisitely crafted text and her artwork, rendered in pencil, imbue her story with a searing intimacy. Details such as Grandma’s incontinence offer an unflinchingly honest view of the aging process, but one that’s threaded with love and tenderness, too.

With The Peach Thief (Candlewick, March 4), Linda Joan Smith proves that she’s a historical fiction writer worth watching. Set in Victorian England, the tale follows a 13-year-old orphan named Scilla who disguises herself as a boy and sneaks onto the Earl of Havermore’s estate in the hopes of stealing a sumptuous peach. Instead, she’s caught and put to work on the estate garden—an opportunity that turns out to be far more rewarding than she initially anticipated. Smith’s writing is immersive; readers will root for Scilla and fear for her, too, lest her employers discover that she’s a girl.

Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.