Archives de catégorie : Middle Grade

WILDCATS de Crystal Velasquez & Eva Cabrera

Mina is just an average middle schooler. But when she starts attending a new boarding school that her parents also attended, she and three other girls learn that they have generational powers that turn them into wild cats. Navigating this new reality, the girls will have to use their powers to figure out the mysterious temple that sits under the school’s museum, and defeat the evil forces who want to unleash chaos on the school…and the world.

WILDCATS (Volume 1): A Graphic Novel
by Crystal Velasquez
illustrated by Eva Cabrera
Andrews McMeel, June 2025

As Mina struggles to navigate the cliques of her new school she is taken under the wing of Miss Benitez, a mysterious but kind history teacher. She tells Mina and three other girls—Lin, Ana, and Shani—that their families gifted the priceless objects housed in the school’s museum. Ms. Benitez thinks it’s important that the girls understand their ancestry.

It turns out that Ms. Benitez is the curator of the museum, and it sits on top of a mysterious temple, the ancient meeting place of a dangerous group called the Brotherhood of Chaos. When one of the priceless objects is shattered, the girls find out exactly why their heritage is so important: it gives them the power to turn into wild cats. Now, in the form of a jaguar, a tiger, a puma, and a lion, they must work together to fight the chaos spirits that were unleashed when the object was shattered…and uncover the terrifying plans of those who want to resurrect the Brotherhood of Chaos.

WILD CATS is full of adventure, heart, and friendship. This full-color graphic novel is ripe for fans of mythology, superheroes, and, of course, cats!

Crystal Velasquez is a prolific writer who has written numerous graphic novels as well as middle grade books for children, including Hunters of Chaos, the inspiration for Wildcats. She lives in Flushing, New York.

Eva Cabrera is an illustrator and the co-founder of Mexican studio BoudikaComics. She was born in Veracruz, Mexico. You can find her on all her social networks as @evacabrera.

PACHECO AND THE WITCH OF THE MOUNTAIN de Juan E. Zambrano

Welcome to the island of Asunción, home to the most powerful witches—and Pacheco, their biggest fan. In this beautifully illustrated graphic novel, debut creator Juan E. Zambrano will take readers on an epic adventure that’s all about magic, identity, and staying true to yourself.

PACHECO AND THE WITCH OF THE MOUNTAIN: A Graphic Novel
by Juan E. Zambrano
Andrews McMeel, June 2025

Pacheco’s biggest dream is to practice magic! There’s just one problem: commoners, and especially boys, aren’t allowed to learn witchcraft. 

However, once his family’s fishing business begins to suffer, Pacheco is determined; he’s certain that learning magic is the best way to help his family and community. He meets Doris, a grumpy, old witch, and he decides to become her apprentice.

As Pacheco enters the world of magic, he finds himself caught up in the rules and schemes of a whole new society and surrounded by magical creatures in need of protection. Pacheco will have to dig deep to muster the courage—and magic—to defend his future.

Debut creator Juan E. Zambrano presents a breathtaking graphic novel that delves into the importance of staying true to oneself while courageously addressing challenging themes such as gender roles and environmental protection. Perfect for fans of Joe Latham’s Haru, Emma Steinkellner’s The Okay Witch, Claribel Ortega’s Witchlings, and Hayao Miyazaki’s films like Kiki’s Delivery Service and Spirited Away.

Juan E. Zambrano is an illustrator and cartoonist from Venezuela. He loves fun, heartfelt stories, and his work is usually focused on nature, magic, and staying true to yourself. In his free time, he likes watching birds and going out for a hike. Pacheco and the Witch of the Mountain is his debut graphic novel.

HEIDI de Mariah Marsden & Ofride

Discover the heartwarming magic of Johanna Spyri’s beloved tale in this gorgeous graphic novel adaptation. From the author of the critically acclaimed Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel comes another thoughtfully retold children’s classic.

HEIDI: A Graphic Novel
by Mariah Marsden
illustrated by Ofride
Andrews McMeel, March 2025

When young Heidi is sent to live with her grandfather in a small shepherd’s hut in the Swiss Alps, everyone expects him to turn her away. He has a bad reputation: mean, growly, and harsh as the cold mountain winds. But Heidi is quick to take on any challenge, whether it’s keeping an eye on the rebellious goats, learning to read, or melting Grandfather’s icy heart.

Heidi’s adventures take her up and down her beloved mountain, from picnics in the high alpine meadows all the way to the distant streets of Frankfurt and a city life she could never have imagined. But when homesickness strikes, Heidi must weigh old friendships with new ones and find her place in an expanding world.

Given new life as a graphic novel in artist Ofride’s warm, folk art–inspired style, Heidi celebrates the joy of storytelling, the wonders of nature, and the healing power of kindness.

Mariah Marsden spent her childhood hunting for faeries amidst the old hills of the Missouri Ozarks. Co-author of Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel and The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel, she writes about the dreams and difficulties of girlhood, the folklore of her home, and the complexities of rural life. She’s still on the lookout for faeries.

Ofride is the alias of Italian illustrator and comic artist Elena Bia. Born in a small town near the Alps, Elena draws inspiration from nature and folktales.

THE BEASTS BENEATH THE WINDS édité par Hanna Alkaf

A sweeping and magical story collection showcasing the mythical creatures of Southeast Asia, including work by two-time Newbery medalist Erin Entrada Kelly and National Book Award finalist Shing Yin Khor.

THE BEASTS BENEATH THE WINDS:
Tales of Southeast Asia’s Mythical Creatures
edited by Hanna Alkaf
Amulet Books, October 2025

A turtle the size of an island. A cricket that can possess you if swallowed. A giant who turns enemies to stone. The legends of Southeast Asia—or “the lands below the winds,” as explorers used to call it—are populated with a whole menagerie of colorful beasts that inspire awe and fear in equal measure. Yet, passed on as they are through story and song, so many of these stories remain rooted in some long-forgotten past and bound by the borders of the region, creatures of myth and memory and nothing more. Until now.

Welcome to THE BEASTS BENEATH THE WINDS, a collection of Southeast Asia’s most elusive cryptids by a team of bestselling and award-winning authors. Within these gorgeously illustrated pages, readers will find the stories of seventeen regular kids who encounter these mythical creatures in the here and now, and—fortunately or unfortunately—live to tell the tale.

Contributors include Hanna Alkaf (The Weight of Our Sky, Queen of the Tiles), Nadia Mikail (The Cats We Meet Along The Way), Brandon Hoang (Gloria Buenrostro Is Not My Girlfriend), Mandy Moe Pwint Tu (Monsoon Daughter), Moniza Hossain (Being Ace), V.T. Bidania (Astrid & Apollo and the Happy New Year), Emma Goddard, Dow Phumiruk (One Girl, Maya Lin), Erin Entrada Kelly (Hello Universe, We Dream of Space, The First State of Being), Gail D. Villanueva (My Fate According to Butterfly, Sugar and Spite), Greg van Eekhout (The Boy at the End of the World, COG), Jesse Q. Sutanto (Dial A for Aunties), June CL Tan (Jade Fire Gold), Mae Respicio (The House that Lou Built, Any Day With You), Shing Yin Khor (The Legend of Auntie Po), Van Hoang (Girl Giant & The Monkey King), Veeda Bybee (Courage on Ice, Lily and the Great Quake).

GEORGIE SUMMERS AND THE SCRIBES OF SCATTERPLOT d’Isaac Rudansky

The originally self-published #1 Amazon bestseller, soon to be re-released. In a world where fiction is forbidden and truth is a matter of life and death, one young boy must write a story to save humanity…

GEORGIE SUMMERS AND THE SCRIBES OF SCATTERPLOT
by Isaac Rudansky
Sourcebooks, publication TBD
(via Park, Fine & Brower)

When his father is abducted by a mysterious figure, twelve-year-old Georgie Summers is thrown into the adventure of a lifetime. Georgie’s journey takes him to Scatterplot, a hidden realm where Scribes record human memories to safeguard the truth. But when the evil Flint Eldritch threatens to corrupt those memories and plunge the world into chaos, Georgie must team up with an unlikely group of friends to stop him. As the journey grows increasingly dangerous, Georgie realizes that only he holds the key to defeating Eldritch and saving not just his father . . . but every mind on Earth.

Will Georgie be able to wield the power of the Aetherquill to save his father and protect everyone he loves, or will Eldritch rewrite history itself? In Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot, author Isaac Rudansky spins an exhilarating tale of strength, determination, and the power of friendship to lift you from the depths of loneliness and despair.

After earning his master’s in industrial psychology, Isaac Rudansky founded AdVenture Media, an award-winning advertising agency headquartered in New York that has written campaigns for clients like AMC Networks, Asurion, Hearst, Sports Illustrated, Nasdaq, and many others. His online courses, each #1 bestsellers in their categories, have attracted over 300,000 students worldwide. He writes for industry-leading publications and leads workshops at marketing events around the world. GEORGIE SUMMERS AND THE SCRIBES OF SCATTERPLOT is the result of years of narrative-driven ad copywriting, imagination, and a belief that middle-grade books should only do one thing: entertain.