Archives de catégorie : Children’s Books

ELLA PORTER, TELEPORTER de Dori Hillestad Butler

Bestselling author Dori Hillestad Butler brings teleportation to life in her new middle-grade series.

ELLA PORTER, TELEPORTER
by Dori Butler
Aladdin/Simon & Schuster, TBD 2025
(via JABberwocky)

Meet spunky nine-year-old named Ella, who lives with her mother after her father died when she was young. Ella never met a rule she didn’t want to break. Her favorite thing is to do secret acts of random kindness with her best friend, Manny.

One day Ella meets her dad’s uncle Geoff and learns a family secret. Some people on her dad’s side of the family can teleport. Ella has part of the family mark—a dot on one of her pinkie toes. Ella can’t teleport at first, but if she develops the ability, she and her mother are to alert Great Uncle Geoff immediately and he will train her properly at his home.

Great Uncle Geoff lives alone at a lighthouse on a rock in the middle of the ocean. Ella is intrigued by the idea of teleportation, but the last thing she wants to do is go live with a stranger in the middle of nowhere. So when Ella discovers she can indeed teleport, she doesn’t tell anyone other than Manny. She decides she doesn’t need to be trained. She’s doing just fine figuring things out on her own. And by being able to teleport, she and Manny can now do even bigger secret acts of random kindness than they were ever able to before.

But teleportation doesn’t always work the way Ella wants or expects it to. She doesn’t always feel so good after teleporting. She doesn’t always end up exactly where she thinks she will. And sometimes it doesn’t even work. She’s also been almost caught teleporting. More than once.

When Ella is finally caught teleporting by her mother, she must admit the truth about her powers and learn how to use them properly.

Dori Hillestad Butler has published magazine stories, educational materials, plays, book reviews, characters for a board game, and over sixty children’s books. A two-time Geisel Honor Book winner for King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats and King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth, she has also been nominated for children’s choice awards in nineteen different states and won the 2011 Edgar Award for the best juvenile mystery for Buddy Files: Case of the Lost Boy. She lives in Washington.

WHERE SHADOWS BLOOM de Catherine Bakewell

Fans of Allison Saft and Margaret Rogerson will be swept away into this lush and beguiling sapphic romantasy from the bestselling author of Flowerheart.

WHERE SHADOWS BLOOM
by Catherine Bakewell
HarperTeen, February 2025
(via JABberwocky)

Ofelia has lived her life dreaming of entering Le Château Enchanté—the mysterious court of the gods-blessed King Léo, where the shadow monsters that roam Ofelia’s home never trespass.

Lope has lived her life as a knight, defending Ofelia and her home from Shadows even as she dreams of escaping with Ofelia by her side.

When the Shadows venture too close, Lope and Ofelia are thrust into a journey that will lead them to the heart of the darkness haunting their home: the dazzling and deceptive Château Enchanté itself.

A mesmerizing daydream with a subtle edge of darkness that will leave you utterly unable to put it down, WHERE SHADOWS BLOOM pits terrifying monsters, chilling secrets, capricious gods, immortal kings, and death itself against the unstoppable love between two girls.

“A magical blend of romance and whimsy, equal parts devastating and hopeful. With a touching, tender slow-burn romance at its core, Where Shadows Bloom is a lovely and rich confection of a book.” — Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning

« An uplifting and meaningful tale bursting with floral imagery and cottagecore aesthetics. » — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Catherine Bakewell is a writer, artist, and opera enthusiast. She has lived in Spain and in France, where she romped through gardens, ate pastries, and worked on her novels. She is also the author of We Are the Song and the bestselling Flowerheart, and you can find her at catherinebakewell.com.

ÀKÀNNÍ de Jessica Tagbajumi

Àkànní, a young warrior in training, and a team of unlikely-heroes-turned-friends set out to uncover a conspiracy that threatens their entire solar system—and challenges everything Àkànní’s grown up believing. An adventure-packed African space opera perfect for fans of Star Wars and Iwájú on Disney+!

ÀKÀNNÍ
created by Jessica Tagbajumi
illustrated by Jason Lamy, Obaseun Ogunkeye & Etubi Onuchyo
Kugali Ink/Disney, Fall 2025
(via Writers House)

All her life, Àkànní has dreamed of being an onija—brave in the face of danger, strong in the face of opposition, and honourable in the face of injustice. And as a student at the prestigious Onija Institute, she’s on her way to becoming part of the elite force that defends her solar system.

But when a surprise attack decimates her home planet and the government refuses to respond, Àkànní no longer knows who to trust. She rushes home to Asa to search for survivors—and there meets a misfit group of rebels seeking answers.

When they discover evidence that the attack on Asa was just the beginning, it’s up to Àkànní and her new friends to open the eyes of those in power to the real threat of war.

Author: Jessica Tagbajumi

For Jessica Tagbajumi, writing was an imaginative expression—a creative escape from the chaos around her as a teenager. In 2015, Jessica started her blog to practice her writing, but she would not post any of her stories until 2017, when she realized that there was nothing to be ashamed of—that her writing was enough for her. In July 2019, she published her first novel, Wings of the Night Sky, an African fantasy novel for young adults, showing them they are bigger than their fears. That was just the start for Jessica. She has published novellas, anthologies, and comics. Jessica is enthusiastic about writing more novellas and collaborating with more writers. She is not afraid of expressing her imagination on paper. The characters and stories in her head always come to life in a way that has you awed by the myriad of possibilities. Read more on her website: jessicatagbajumi.com.

Illustrator: Jason Lamy, colors by Obaseun ‘godofiron’ Ogunkeye & Etubi Onucheyo

Jason Lamy (penciller, inker) is a Zimbabwean-born UK artist. Having grown up in Zimbabwe, Jason discovered Japanese manga and anime and immediately fell in love. Ever since then, Jason has worked tirelessly to realize his dream of becoming an artist, and now his work speaks for itself. Over the course of his time with Kugali he has learned to incorporate various African art styles into his work, and works tirelessly to ensure that every visual representation of African culture within his work is as accurate and as well-informed as it can be. He is the chief designer and illustrator at Kugali who has worked as the inker and colorist for the Nommo Award-Nominated graphic novel Nani, as well as Kokou and Murenga.

Obaseun ‘godofiron’ Ogunkeye (colorist) is a British-Nigerian who has been a professional illustrator for over a decade. He has a great love and passion for animation, videogames, books and comics, finding joy in creating art that might inspire other people in the way he himself has been inspired by the creatives whose works he was lucky enough to watch, play, and read during his childhood. This love eventually drove Ogunkeye to further hone his craft as a self-taught visual artist, exploring the mediums of animation, tabletop games and graphic novels. His experiences have allowed him to apply unique perspectives and dimensions to the creative fields he currently works in.

Etubi Onucheyo (colorist) is a visual artist, a product of Nsukka Art School. He has practiced professionally for a decade through digital and traditional paintings (acrylic on canvas). His portfolio dips into both the entertainment industry and surrealist figurative painting.

About Kugali: With authenticity and creativity at its heart, Kugali is an African-owned and operated storytelling collective spearheading Africa’s modern emergence into the AAA media landscape. Founded in 2017 by Tolu Olowofoyeku, Olufikayo Adeola and Hamid Ibrahim with the purpose of taking African stories to the world, Kugali Media has paved the way for a generation of new African storytellers to find their voices in graphic novels. Their most notable achievements include record-breaking crowdfunding campaigns, a slew of award-winning graphic novels and their Disney+ series in collaboration with Disney Animation, Iwájú. You can read more about them on their website: https://kugali.com/.

RUNELESS de Bill Masuku

In a world in which magical runes determine a person’s fate, runeless best friends find themselves on opposite sides of an epic fight for justice. For fans of Amulet and Avatar: The Last Airbender, a sweeping tale of friendship and power set in an Africa-inspired fantasy world.

RUNELESS
created by Bill Masuku
illustrated by Daniel Quartey, Mario Cau & Barlo Moreira
Kugali Ink/Disney, Fall 2025
(via Writers House)

In the wealthy city of Dura, a person’s fate is determined by the magical runes they’re born with. And Fungai and Ngoni, both born without runes, have nothing—except each other.

But when a mysterious, hooded figure known as the Vagabond offers to magically grant them runes, the boys see their chance for a normal life . . . though it comes at a terrible cost. For the first time ever, Fungai and Ngoni disagree—and their choices change everything, pitting them against each other in a bitter fight for justice.

Full of action and emotion, RUNELESS is the epic story of friends torn apart—and, against all odds, reunited—in an adventure that transforms their world.

Bill Masuku is an Award-winning Zimbabwean comic book artist and writer currently creating Runeless for Disney Hyperion through the Kugali Ink imprint while self-publishing Captain South Africa and Tokoloshe Hunters. Masuku has worked as a storyboard artist for Triggerfish on a Netflix project and Disney x Kugali’s animated series Iwájú. In 2022, Masuku was featured in Forbes Africa Under 30. He has been a guest speaker at events such as MCM London Comic Con, FanCon Cape Town, Comic Con Africa, Afro Comic Con, and Harare Literature Festival. He was selected as the British Council’s Design Futures Africa Storyteller for Zimbabwe, a project centered around sustainable development, the green future, and the informal economy. Masuku was spotlighted as an up-and-coming artist during DC Comics’s global event DC Fandome. His comic book artwork has been exhibited in Mozambique for Maputo Fast Forward Banda Desinhada Exhibition and in the University of Johannesburg’s Art Gallery for their African Hero exhibition in 2024.

Illustrator: Daniel Quartey & Mario Vitor Gouveia Cau, with colors by Barlo Moreira

Daniel Quartey (penciller) is a comic book artist and 2D animator from Ghana, whose work is primarily inspired by Japanese manga. He has been active in both fields since 2020, freelancing for companies such as AnimaxFYB, Leti Arts, VX Animation, Kugali Limited, and more.

Mario Vitor Gouveia Cau (inker) is a Brazilian graphic novelist, illustrator and teacher passionate about the language of the Sequential Art. His stories cover different genres, always bringing an introspective and poetic look at the characters’ emotions and relationships and inviting the reader to reflect upon the little pieces of life’s puzzle, with inventive page layouts and a range of styles that evoke visually the emotional journeys of the characters. Active in the scene since the beginning of the 2000s, he has published dozens of original titles and participated in several anthologies. Among his main works, the series Pieces, Therapy, and Monsterverse stand out; and the comic book adaptations of Dom Casmurro and Anne of Green Gables. For some of his work he has won the HQMIX, Jabuti, and Angelo Agostini awards. He also makes videos for his YouTube channel and mentors students on editorial and creative projects.

Barlo Moreira (colorist) is a comic book artist and colorist based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, renowned for his vibrant and captivating color work. Specializing in a diverse range of color styles, Bario is celebrated for his ability to breathe life into artwork, collaborating with indie publishers and authors from around the globe. His unique talent enhances narratives, making him an outstanding colorist in the comic book industry. Some of his recent works are Histórias Cósmicas (Cosmic Stories) and A Balada dos Guascas Mascarados (Masked Guascas’ Ballad).

WHEN THE BONES SING de Ginny Myers Sain

From New York Times bestselling author of Dark and Shallow Lies comes a new southern gothic supernatural thriller about a teen girl in a small Ozark town who can hear the bones of the dead.

WHEN THE BONES SING
by Ginny Myers Sain
Razorbill, March 2025
(via Park & Fine Literary and Media)

The past three years have been tough for Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas, a small town quietly tucked away in the Ozark mountains. More than two dozen people have disappeared on the local hiking trails; there one moment, gone the next, not a trace left behind, until their buried bodies are discovered.

17-year-old Dovie doesn’t believe in magic even though she comes from a long line of women who can hear the bones of the dead sing, and for the past few years the bones have been crooning nonstop, calling out to Dovie to dig them up.

Some of the old-timers believe that it’s the monstrous Ozarks howler snatching people off the Aux Arc Trail. Well Dovie doesn’t believe in the howler, and she doesn’t believe her best friend Lo when he tells her he is being haunted by dark shadows. All she believes in is her talent that guides the local sheriff to the bones when they begin their song, then reuniting the dead with their families to give them some peace.

Lo doesn’t know peace, though. The shadows follow him everywhere. He soon learns they’re the murdered hikers and they want answers. But the truth of their deaths isn’t buried with their bones; it’s hidden somewhere deep in the hills. And Lo and Dovie must unearth it before anyone else is killed.

Ginny Myers Sain is the New York Times bestselling author of Dark and Shallow Lies, Secrets So Deep, and One Last Breath. She lives in Florida and has spent the past twenty years working closely with teens as a director and acting instructor in a program designed for high school students seriously intent on pursuing a career in the professional theatre. Having grown up in deeply rural America, she is interested in telling stories about resilient kids who come of age in remote settings.