Archives de catégorie : Bologna 2024 Children’s & YA

THE RULES OF ROYALTY de Cale Dietrich

The Princess Diaries meets Red, White & Royal Blue in this delightful queer romance about two princes of neighboring nations who fall in love.

THE RULES OF ROYALTY
by Cale Dietrich
Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press, December 2024

American-raised Jamie has just found out that he’s the prince of a small country, and now he’s being thrown head first into the world of royalty with no idea how to navigate it. Erik, the reluctant “spare” prince of the country next door, who’s dealing with family drama of his own, agrees to show him the royal ropes after they meet at an event. In the following months, between archery lessons, balls, a ski trip, and even a royal wedding, they must find out what they each want from their future as royals, and if that future can include the two of them together.

Cale Dietrich is a YA devotee, lifelong gamer, and tragic pop punk enthusiast. He was born in Perth, grew up on the Gold Coast, and now lives in Brisbane, Australia. His debut novel, The Love Interest, is his first novel.

SUCH LOVELY SKIN de Tatiana Schlote-Bonne

For fans of The Ring, this debut is a techno-horror about a streamer finding supernatural evil in her video game.

SUCH LOVELY SKIN
by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
Page Street YA/St. Martin’s Press, September 2024

After spending the summer wracked with guilt about causing the accident that killed her little sister, ambitious gamer and chronic liar Viv returns to Twitch streaming. She never told her parents the truth about the accident, but she hopes that maybe making it big in streaming and giving the money to them is penance enough for her mistakes. The weekend before school starts, Viv finds the perfect horror game to make her Twitch comeback, and during an offline practice run, an NPC asks Viv for a secret. She decides to tell them the truth about her sister’s death since a game could never share her secret—in doing so, she accidentally welcomes a demonic mimic into her life. No one believes Viv when she tells them about her evil doppelganger. Viv has lied to get her best friend’s sympathy and has spread rumors for attention, so why should anyone trust her now? The only person who believes her is Ash, a cute social outcast whom Viv once bullied. In trying to clear her name and kill the mimic, Viv discovers that her lies have hurt people who never deserved it, herself included.

“Evil is lurking behind every corner in this impeccably paced and immersive supernatural horror debut. Surveillance, guilt and a need to belong collide with blood-curling demonic terror. Utterly compelling!”—Katya de Becerrra, author of When Ghosts Call Us Home

“Perfectly creepy and utterly transfixing, I devoured SUCH LOVELY SKIN in a single sitting. Schlote-Bonne has masterfully crafted a story of a flawed and sympathetic teen enduring a demon’s torments while battling her inner ones, delivering spine-tingling tension, terrifying jump scares, and heart-wrenching moments alike. I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.”—Diana Urban, award-winning author of Under the Surface

“SUCH LOVELY SKIN is a gripping and layered coming-of-age story about guilt—and features one of the scariest demons I’ve read in YA. Fans of J-horror and video games will absolutely devour this one. Visceral, twisty, and terrifyingly real. This book sinks its claws into you and doesn’t let go.”—Catherine Yu, author of Direwood and Helga

Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is a writer, weightlifter, and gamer. She has an MFA in creative writing from The Nonfiction Writing Program at University of Iowa.

THE HARROWING de Kristen Kiesling, illustré par Rye Hickman

In this YA graphic novel, a psychic teen hunts potential killers until she discovers the boy she loves is her next target.

THE HARROWING
by Kristen Kiesling, illustrated by Rye Hickman
Amulet/Abrams, April 2024

Rowan Sterling should be worrying about normal teenage things like attending college and whether her best friend, Lucas, is maybe more than a friend. . . . Instead, she’s having terrifying visions of blood and violence. As the premonitions increase in number and intensity, Rowan seeks her father’s help, but instead finds herself drugged, kidnapped, and sent to a mysterious facility called Rosewood. It isn’t long before Rowan discovers Rosewood isn’t a boarding school or an asylum: it’s a training center for teens with special abilities who are known as Harrows.

Harrows can view the actions of would–be murderers before they commit crimes, and the scientists at Rosewood believe it is their duty to use the Harrows’ powers to make the world a safer place. Rowan is immediately drawn to Rosewood’s mission; after all, she lost her mother to a random act of violence two years prior. Empowered by the skills she’s acquired and ready to change the world, Rowan returns home, but when a series of visions lead the Harrows to pursue Lucas, Rowan starts questioning everything she learned at Rosewood—and sets out to protect him at all costs.

Kristen Kiesling grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated from the University of Oklahoma. She is an active member of the SCBWI and lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and two boys.

Rye Hickman is a visual storyteller and a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design’s sequential art program. They are co–creator and artist on the upcoming Little Brown for Young Readers graphic novel Buzzing. Past work include TEST, Moth & Whisper, Bezkamp, Jem and the Holograms, the Femme Magnifique anthology, and more.

RYMWORLD ARCANA de Ryan Calejo

A new middle-grade mind-bending adventure from award-winning author Ryan Calejo, destined to be an instant classic.

RYMWORLD ARCANA
by Ryan Calejo
Amulet/Abrams, 2023 – 2025

THE SHAPE OF TIME (Book 1 – October 2023)

Fourteen-year-old Antares De La Vega is a natural born adventurer. He dreams of journeying across burning deserts, trekking through wild and uncharted jungles, sailing the furthest reaches of the seas—and yet, he’s never even stepped foot outside of South Florida . . . But that all changes when strange creatures come leaping out of lightning bolts to kidnap him. Locked away in a secret prison in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, Antares meets fourteen-year-old Magdavellía, a mysterious and iron-willed girl who opens his eyes to a shocking truth: that this world is a far different place than he’s been led to believe. He learns of the existence of The Flat Earth Society, an ancient secret order, whose main function is to keep the world beyond the great Ice Wall a mystery—a land known as Rymworld. But Rymworld is in trouble. Led by a nameless evil, a sinister group of mystics seek to seize control over its only true resource: time itself.
Antares and Magdavellía must set out beyond the edges of any map to discover the undiscoverable: a lost and forgotten island where there is rumored to exist a legendary artifact: a mythical compass that just might hold the key to foiling the mystics’ plans. Following a series of intricately concealed clues left behind by Magdavellía’s parents (clues Antares seems to be the key to unlocking), they must wield both geometry and alchemy, outsmart molemen and mermaids, and outrun fiendish outer space aliens––all while attempting to solve a riddle as old and mystifying as the sun.

THE SECRET OF MATTER (Book 2 – January 2025)

After wielding time itself to save the Rym, Antares and Magdavellía return to Agartha as heroes. But peace is short–lived. As a mystic–led sneak attack plunges the Rym into chaos, they once again find themselves in a world on the brink of doom. Their only hope is a forgotten alchemyst map that supposedly leads to the Elementals—powerful Ancient Astronaut substances that, when combined, create the ultimate instrument of destruction. Antares and Magdavellía will have to race against old and new enemies to secure the Elementals, even as a traitor in their midst plots their long–awaited revenge against the empress. But every step they take toward the forging of the ancient weapon brings them one step closer to uncovering a horrible secret from Magdavellía’s past—a secret that could bring down her throne.

Ryan Calejo is an award–winning author born and raised in sunny South Florida. His critically acclaimed Charlie Hernández series has been featured in half a dozen state reading lists and has earned starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus, was a Texas Bluebonnet Master List Selection, and won an International Latino Book Award, a Sunshine State Young Readers Award, and a Florida Book Award (Gold Medal). He lives in Miami.

HELLO!LUCKY: A SEED WILL GROW de Sabrina Moyle, illustré par Eunice Moyle

From Hello!Lucky, the creators of My Mom Is Magical! and My Dad Is Amazing!, comes a brand–new novelty series with tabs to pull and surfaces to touch.

A SEED WILL GROW
(A Hello!Lucky Hands-On Book)
 Story by Sabrina Moyle; pictures by Eunice Moyle
Appleseed/Abrams, February 2024

Just like a seed, here’s what you need:

patience, warmth, a caring heart,

so you can bloom and play your part

in Mother Nature’s brilliant art!

Filled with exuberant illustrations in Hello!Lucky’s inimitable style, A SEED WILL GROW introduces young readers to the plant life cycle, starting with sowing seeds and nurturing the resulting plants, and ending with a brilliant double gatefold that opens to showcase a garden in full bloom.

With a little water, a little sun, and some pollination from bees and butterflies, out shoot roots and leaves and fruits as plants grow. Each page has a different interactive element to highlight the seed–to–plant–to–fruit transformation, and with a fifth color of ink throughout, this deluxe board book is sure to catch the eye of aspiring gardeners and educators alike!

Hello!Lucky is all about using creativity to spread joy, fun, and kindness. Founded by sisters Eunice and Sabrina Moyle in 2003, Hello!Lucky is an award–winning letterpress greeting card and design studio working with dozens of partners to create products, including Abrams’ pun–derful children’s books: My Mom Is Magical!; My Dad Is Amazing!; My Grandma Is Great!; My Grandpa Is Grand!; My Brother Is the Best!; My Sister Is Super!; Super Pooper and Whizz Kid: Potty Power!; Kindness Rules!; Christmas Is Awesome!; Sloth and Smell the Roses; Go Get ’Em, Tiger!; Thanks a Ton!; School Is Cool!; Bananas for You!; and Halloween Is a Treat! and the Astrid and Stella graphic novel series. They also offer gifts, ceramics, stationery, kids’ partyware, and more. Hello!Lucky is based in San Francisco.