Archives de catégorie : Bologna 2023 Children’s & YA

MEET ME IN THE FOURTH DIMENSION de Rita Feinstein

A YA novel-in-verse that follows a college freshman as she encounters pushback to her anti-science, New-Age beliefs for the first time and falls heavily into disinformation as a way to cope with her newfound doubt and the separation from her best friend.

MEET ME IN THE FOURTH DIMENSION
by Rita Feinstein
Page Street YA, Winter 2024
(via KT Literary)

An honest portrayal not only of the dangers of misinformation but also the humanness of the people who get pulled into it. It’s a beautiful and painful examination of friendship and unexpected connection and a lesson in empathy, accepting growth, and learning to forgive yourself. Though fiction, MEET ME IN THE FOURTH DIMENSION is heavily based on Rita’s own life and experiences with the allure of antiscience, New Age rhetoric online. For fans of Nina LaCour’s WE ARE OKAY and Amber McBride’s ME (MOTH).

Rita Feinstein is the author of the poetry chapbook Life on Dodge (Brain Mill Press, 2018) and the full poetry collection Everything is Real (Brain Mill Press, 2022). She received her MFA from Oregon State University.

KITTY AND CAT: OPPOSITES ATTRACT de Mirka Hokkanen

Meet Kitty! Kitty wants to play! Meet Cat. Cat just wants to nap. Bold, whimsical artwork and plenty of humor engage little ones in a sly and stylish introduction to opposites.

KITTY AND CAT: OPPOSITES ATTRACT
by Mirka Hokkanen
Candlewick, April 2023
(via KT Literary)

This deceptively simple concept book introduces readers to grumpy, old, exhausted Cat, who just wants to be left alone, and to happy, new, energetic Kitty, who longs to make friends. In a story told entirely through well-chosen pairs of opposites and drolly expressive artwork, author-illustrator Mirka Hokkanen manages to elevate the humble concept book into a true work of art—one that is bound to have readers giggling and crying for more!

Mirka Hokkanen is an author-illustrator who likes fun, quirky animal characters and dislikes soggy cereal that’s been left in a bowl for too long. She began her career as a fine art printmaker before transitioning to picture book illustration. She is the illustrator of Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book by Vivian Kirkfield and the author-illustrator of the early-reader graphic novel Mossy and Tweed: Crazy for Coconuts. When not holding a paintbrush or a pen, Mirka Hokkanen likes to knit, sew, and explore the outdoors with her three energetic kids. But she dislikes stepping on slugs after rain and getting her socks wet after someone has tracked water in the house. Mirka Hokkanen was born in Finland and has lived all around the world as a military spouse.

NILA’S PERFECT COAT de Norene Paulson

An engaging and accessible picture book about having enough and helping others in need.

NILA’S PERFECT COAT
by Norene Paulson
illustrated by Maria Mola
Beaming Books, February 2023
(via Kaplan/DeFiore Rights)

Nila and her mom love shopping at the thrift store. But when Nila finds the most perfect, shiny, puffy coat, Mom says no: Nila’s winter coat still fits her just fine. With a lot of determination and some birthday money from Dad, Nila sets out to prove the coat really is perfect–but along the way, learns maybe it’s perfect for someone else. Someone who needs both a coat and a friend.

Norene Paulson writes picture books that celebrate friendship, acceptance, and inclusion. She is the author of Benny’s True Colors and What’s Silly Hair Day with No Hair? A former language arts teacher, Norene is passionate about sharing her love of words with young readers. She’s a member of SCBWI and lives in Iowa.
Maria Mola is an illustrator from Barcelona currently living in Boston with her husband and their three children. She has illustrated Sparkle Boy, Maya Papaya, Koala Challah, and more.

WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS de Isabel Ibañez

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS
by Isabel Ibañez
Wednesday Books, November 2023
(via Sterling Lord Literistic)

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents―who frequently leave her behind.
When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and a golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.
With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance―or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

« Take a plucky heroine, a historically grounded Indiana Jones-esque adventure through Ancient Egypt, and add a surprising dollop of magic ― it’s a recipe for a delightful read. » ―Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

« Expertly plotted, explosively adventurous, and burning with romance. » ―Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Isabel Ibañez is the author of Together We Burn (Wednesday Books), and Woven in Moonlight (Page Street), a finalist for the William C. Morris Award, and is listed among Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time. She is the proud daughter of Bolivian immigrants and has a profound appreciation for history and traveling. She currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, their adorable dog, and a serious collection of books. Say hi on social media at @IsabelWriter09.

AFTER YOU VANISHED de E. A. Neeves

Sadie meets We Were Liars in this YA heartfelt mystery, in which one girl desperately searches to find out what happened to her missing sister.

AFTER YOU VANISHED
by E. A. Neeves
Disney-Hyperion, June 2023
(via Writers House)

Teddy’s favorite place is Bottomrock Lake, where sunfish swim in their little saucer nests and lilypads edge the shore. She’s worked there as a lifeguard every summer, including last year, when her twin sister Izzy waded into the lake for a midnight swim and never came out. Now, Teddy can’t stop scripting stories for where she went. Izzy was an accomplished swimmer, so she couldn’t possibly have drowned. And if she did somehow drown, where’s her body and why is her passport missing? 
When Toby, the gorgeous jerk who was with Izzy on the night she vanished, comes to Bottomrock to work as a lifeguard alongside Teddy, she can’t help but be suspicious. How many of her sister’s secrets does he hold? And how can Teddy unearth them—without falling for the boy who watched her sister disappear?
Told from Teddy’s point of view directly to Izzy, AFTER YOU VANISHED is a mystery that will have readers trying to piece together the secret life of a sister who’s gone.

E.A. Neeves grew up in New England, where she spent many summers lifeguarding at an idyllic lake, and occasionally catching snapping turtles. She enjoys tea, swimming, and board games that take entire evenings to play. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found spending time with her family at their (probably not haunted) home in Salem, MA. AFTER YOU VANISHED is her YA debut.