Manga is big with tweens and teens, but younger readers are manga-curious too, and booksellers, librarians, and parents are eager for age-appropriate titles to put in their hands. Here are five new kids’ and all-ages manga, featuring samurai cats, interstellar baseball stars, heroic ballet dancers, and more
Ballet Hero Fantasy: Dan’s Adventure feat. Steven McRae
Takafumi Adachi, trans. from the Japanese by Robert Harkins. Manga Mavericks, Oct. 27 ($14.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-968054-25-0)
In this offbeat two-volume series from the creator of Beyblade: Metal Fusion, a ballet student discovers that an upperclassman uses his dance skills to fight evil in a fantasy world, and the two team up to become Ballet Heroes. Ages 13 and up.
GalaXic Baseball League
Acky Bright. Viz, Oct. 13 ($14.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-9747-7258-2)
Viz Media partners with MLB Players Inc. for this sci-fi sports epic set in a future when baseball has become an interplanetary competition. Real-life stars including Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. make appearances as the heroes call on baseball legends to help save the game and the universe. All ages.
Nightmare Library
Taiga Kayama, trans. from the Japanese by David Bove. Tokyopop Kids, Sept. 22 ($16.99, ISBN 978-1-4278-8882-2)
At the Nightmare Library, the Ghostwriters turn bad dreams into stories, which are presented to the reader. This gently spooky series is one of the launch titles in Tokyopop’s new kids’ line. Ages 8–12.
Samurai Pizza Cats
Fred Kennedy and Lorenzo Di Santo. Nakama, Aug. 25 ($10.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5458-2385-9)
The 1990s cult kids’ anime returns in manga form with new fourth-wall-breaking adventures starring three cybernetic samurai cats who work at a pizzeria by day and fight evil in Little Tokyo by night. Nakama is pushing into younger-reader territory for the first time this season, debuting this title as well as the all-ages fantasy adventures Diablomachia and Hokis, Focus! Ages 7–12.
When a Dragon Calls
Sachiko Kashiwaba and Renji Asai. Vertical, Nov. 24 ($14.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-64729-627-8)
A 10-year-old girl is spirited away from her poor “Criminals’ Village” by a dragon and carried off to a new life of magic, curses, and dragon-riding knights. This epic fantasy novel, a hit in Japan, is being adapted into manga by the artist of The Boy and the Beast. Ages 10 and up.
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A version of this article appeared in the 07/20/2026 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline: Kids’ Stuff
