Atlanta authors publish three new books for young readers of all ages

Two Atlanta authors publish three new books this winter aimed to enthrall readers between the ages of 2 and 18.

Earlier this month, prolific Brookhaven author Aisha Saeed released “You and Me, Baby” (Nancy Paulsen Books, $18.99), a picture book for ages 2-5 that’s also a love letter to first-time mothers inspired by Saeed’s first year of motherhood.

“I dealt with years of infertility and miscarriages. I didn’t know if I was going to be a mother, but that was what I wanted most in the whole world,” said Saeed, mother to three boys ages 10-15. “And then when (her first son) was born … I knew how to do testing, and I knew how to go to the ultrasounds, but now they’ve just handed me this child. I’m supposed to take him home, and that’s it! There’s no more hand-holding.”

She needn’t have worried. Over time, she said, “he taught me how to be his mother, and that’s where that story came from — that fear you have as a brand-new parent.”

Filled with images of mothers of all stripes and colors gazing lovingly at their adorable babies, the book is sweetly illustrated by Atlanta artist Ebony Glenn.

Coming out March 10 is “Hafsa’s Way” (Nancy Paulsen Books, $17.99), Saeed’s latest book for middle-grade readers. The standalone novel is the third and final book set in the universe of “Amal Unbound,” Saeed’s 2018 New York Times bestselling novel about a young girl who escapes servitude in modern-day Pakistan. The new novel is about Amal’s friend Hafsa, a strong-willed girl who doesn’t back down from her convictions, and how she reacts when someone tells her no.

Determined to become a doctor against her parents’ wishes, Hafsa does a lot of finagling to attend a summer camp for kids interested in medicine. When she discovers she mistakenly signed up for a climate studies program instead, she’s disappointed but makes the best of it.

During the program, Hafsa encounters a poorly cared-for elephant at the zoo and tries to muster up support to save it. The incident is based on a real-life elephant named Kaavan who lived in the now-shuttered Islamabad zoo. The five-year campaign to save him was initiated by a young veterinary student visiting from the U.S., said Saeed, and it eventually attracted the attention of Cher, who helped bring public scrutiny to the elephant’s plight. In 2020, Kaavan was rehomed to an elephant sanctuary in Cambodia.

Ultimately, said Saeed, the story is about “what you do when there are so many forces that work against you. How do you keep on going?”

An ambitious writer who has all the demographics covered, Saeed also has a new adult novel coming out this summer. Look for “The Wedding Week” (Bantam, $20), about nuptials gone wrong in the Florida Everglades where Saeed grew up, in July.

For readers ages 12-18, Atlanta author and high school science teacher Channelle Desamours has a doozy of a horror story to tell in her sophomore novel for young adults, “They Call Her Regret” (Wednesday Books, $21), publishing Feb. 17.

Inspired by creepy Doll’s Head Trail in southeast Atlanta, the action takes place at Doll’s Head Lake, where Simone hosts her Halloween-themed overnight birthday bash. Part of the festivities includes gathering around a fire and telling spooky stories, including the local legend about a witch named Regret.