Archives de catégorie : Children’s Books

THE BRAVEST WARRIOR IN NEFARIA d’Adi Alsaid

Phineas and Ferb meets the Despicable Me series in this hilarious and heartwarming middle-grade debut from acclaimed author Adi Alsaid about a wannabe hero who lives in a goofily evil kingdom where nefarious schemes abound.

THE BRAVEST WARRIOR IN NEFARIA (Book 1)
by Adi Alsaid
Alladin/Simon & Schuster, September 2023
(via Park & Fine Literary)

Welcome to Nefaria, where nearly every day the kingdom faces another evil scheme. Most are harmless, though, so the citizens of Nefaria simply learn to live with the latest hijinks and go on with their lives. This includes Bobert Bougainvillea, who is much more concerned with the fact that he seems to be invisible. From the teachers in his school to his classmates, almost no one notices Bobert, no matter how visible he tries to be. Then everything changes when Bobert follows his classmates to a cursed gumball machine.
Before he knows it, Bobert is sucked into one of Nefaria’s most villainous evil schemes, a plot that has been a long time in the making—too long, in the evil wizard Matt’s opinion. And retreating into invisibility this time won’t do, not when Bobert is the only one with the drive, knowledge, and—if his newfound courage doesn’t fail him—bravery to foil Matt’s plan.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Adi Alsaid is the author of several young adult novels including Let’s Get Lost, We Didn’t Ask for This, and North of Happy, a Kirkus Best Book nominee. He also edited Come on In: 15 stories about Immigration and Finding Home. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and two cats, where he occasionally spills hot sauce on things (and cats).

BRING ME YOUR MIDNIGHT de Rachel Griffin

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches and Wild is the Witch comes a lush romantic fantasy about forbidden love, the choices we make, and the pull between duty and desire.

BRING ME YOUR MIDNIGHT
by Rachel Griffin
Sourcebooks, August 2023
(via Park & Fine Literary)

Tana Fairchild’s fate has never been in question. Her life has been planned out since the moment she was born: she is to marry the governor’s son, Landon, and secure an unprecedented alliance between the witches of her island home and the mainlanders who see her very existence as a threat.
Tana’s coven has appeased those who fear their power for years by releasing most of their magic into the ocean during the full moon. But when Tana misses the midnight ritual―a fatal mistake―there is no one she can turn to for help…until she meets Wolfe.
Wolfe claims he is from a coven that practices dark magic, making him one of the only people who can help her. But he refuses to let Tana’s power rush into the sea, and instead teaches her his forbidden magic. A magic that makes her feel powerful. Alive.
As the sea grows more violent, her coven loses control of the currents, a danger that could destroy the alliance as well as her island. Tana will have to choose between love and duty, between loyalty to her people and loyalty to her heart. Marrying Landon would secure peace for her coven but losing Wolfe and his wild magic could cost her everything else.

Rachel Griffin writes young adult novels inspired by the magic of the world around her. She is the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches and Wild Is the Witch. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Rachel has a deep love of nature, from the mountains to the ocean and all the towering evergreens in between. She adores moody skies and thunderstorms, and hopes more vampires settle down in her beloved state of Washington.

IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND OTHER CONFESSIONS OF ALEJANDRA KIM de Patricia Park

The award-winning author of Re Jane makes her young adult debut in a funny, poignant, and powerful novel about a multicultural teen struggling to fit into her whitewashed school, her diverse Queens neighborhood, and even her own home as her family reels from the loss of her father.

IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND OTHER CONFESSIONS OF ALEJANDRA KIM
by Patricia Park
Crown Books for Young Readers, February 2023
(via The Gernert Company)

Alejandra Kim doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere. At her wealthy Manhattan high school, her súper Spanish name and súper Korean face do not compute to her mostly white « woke » classmates and teachers. In her Jackson Heights neighborhood, she’s not Latinx enough. Even at home, Ale feels unwelcome. And things at home have only gotten worse since Papi’s body was discovered on the subway tracks.
Ale wants nothing more than to escape the city for the wide-open spaces of the prestigious Wyder University. But when a microaggression at school thrusts Ale into the spotlight—and into a discussion she didn’t ask for—Ale must discover what is means to carve out a space for yourself to belong.
Patricia Park’s coming-of-age novel about a multicultural teen caught between worlds, and the future she is building for herself, is an incisive, laugh-out-loud, provocative read.

“…A dazzling YA debut…that is deep, real and scathingly funny.” —Gayle Forman, New York Times best-selling author of If I Stay.

“…brimming with insights while being un-put-downable and just plain fun. Simply brilliant!” —David Yoon, New York Times best-selling author of Frankly In Love

“Park’s work paints an educational but entertaining portrait of what it is like to be a person of color in today’s world…. [A] fantastic read.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“[An] entertaining, well-paced story…. Ale is a thoroughly appealing protagonist.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Alejandra’s powerful story will leave readers with much to think about.” —The Horn Book

“This humor-infused tale poignantly captures one teenager’s experience learning to stand up for what she believes in.” —Publishers Weekly

Patricia Park is an assistant professor of creative writing at American University, a Fulbright Scholar in Creative Arts, a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, and the author of the acclaimed adult novel Re Jane. The Korean American reimagining of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre was named an Editors’ Choice by the New York Times Book Review; a Best Book of 2015 by the American Library Association; an O, The Oprah Magazine pick; and an NPR « Fresh Air » pick, among other honors. Her writing has also appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Guardian, Salon, and others. Patricia lives in Brooklyn, NY.

GIRLS LIKE GIRLS de Hayley Kiyoko

Trailblazing pop star, actor and director, Hayley Kiyoko debuts her first novel, a coming-of-age romance based on her breakthrough hit song and viral video, Girls Like Girls.

GIRLS LIKE GIRLS
by Hayley Kiyoko
Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press, May 2023

It’s summertime and 17-year-old Coley has found herself alone, again. Forced to move to rural Oregon after just losing her mother, she is in no position to risk her already fragile heart. But when she meets Sonya, the attraction is immediate.
Coley worries she isn’t worthy of love. Up until now, everyone she’s loved has left her. And Sonya’s never been with a girl before. What if she’s too afraid to show up for Coley? What if by opening her heart, Coley’s risking it all?
They both realize that when things are pushed down, and feelings are forced to shrivel away, Coley and Sonya will be the ones to shrink. It’s not until they accept the love they fear and deserve most, that suddenly the song makes sense.
Based on the billboard-charting smash hit song and viral music video GIRLS LIKE GIRLS, Hayley Kiyoko’s debut novel is about embracing your truth and realizing we are all worthy of being loved back.

Hayley Kiyoko is an award-winning American singer, dancer, and actress. « At the forefront of an unapologetically queer pop movement » according to Rolling Stone, Hayley is a passionate advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights. Her debut novel, GIRLS LIKE GIRLS, is based on her hit single and music video of the same name.

SHOW STRIDES #1 de Rennie Dyball & Piper Klemm

A contemporary take on bestselling series such as The Saddle Club, SHOW STRIDES brings the world of horses, horse shows, and barn life to a new generation of readers.

SHOW STRIDES #1: SCHOOL HORSES AND SHOW PONIES
by Rennie Dyball & Piper Klemm
Andrews McMeel, Summer 2024
(via Gillian MacKenzie Agency)

SHOW STRIDES follows young equestrian Tally Hart and her stable of friends as they work together to succeed both in and out of the show ring.
As veteran horsewomen and leaders in the equestrian industry, Piper and Rennie want to draw as many children as possible into the magical world of horses. It is no secret that equestrian sports have historically been elitist. But as the sport expands and seeks to be more inclusive, a new generation of riders are now entering the ring and the bookstore—looking for stories they can connect to, but coming up short-handed. SHOW STRIDES is the contemporary, bestselling answer to the problems found in outdated classics like The Saddle Club and Thoroughbred. Gone is the “mean girl” that often populated the pages of those series; instead SHOW STRIDES embraces kids working together and lifting each other up. Gone is the stereotypical arrogant rich girl leading the charge; instead SHOW STRIDES stars Tally Hart, who mucks stalls, bathes ponies, fills water buckets, and sweeps aisles, all to pay for her riding lessons. (To Tally, this isn’t work. As anyone who has ever loved a horse knows, just being around the creatures is reward enough.)
With a diverse cast of characters, this inclusive series is aimed to appeal to everyone—from the kid actively competing in horse shows to the one just reading and dreaming about them from their bedroom. And based on the initial self-published success SHOW STRIDES has found, it looks it is on its way to earning a blue ribbon.

Piper Klemm is the owner and publisher of The Plaid Horse, the leading North-American equestrian magazine with more than 85,000 unique and meaningfully engaged readers; 400,000 monthly webpage views; and over 130,000 followers across Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. In addition, The Plaid Horse gets over 1,000,000 monthly views on Pinterest. Co-author Rennie Dyball has been writing and riding her whole life. She worked for fifteen years at People magazine and has ghostwritten books for Christian Siriano, Andrea Barber, and most recently Terry Crews and Rebecca King Crews, among others. Piper Klemm and Rennie Dyball are a unique and powerful team, combining Piper’s many years as a staple of equestrian sports media, and Rennie’s tenure as an author and 20 years in mainstream media. Both are active members as the equestrian community, not just in media, but as competitors on a national level themselves.