Archives de catégorie : Middle Grade

PAWS #2: MINDY MAKES SOME SPACE de Nathan Fairbairn & Michele Assarasakorn

Are you a fan of Raina Telgemeier or Shannon Hale? Then you won’t want to miss the second book in this graphic novel series that’s the Baby-Sitters Club for pets! Your favorite dog-walkers are back with even more cute animals—and even more friendship and family drama—in this funny and heartwarming story perfect for fans of Real Friends, Roller Girl, and Allergic!

PAWS #2: MINDY MAKES SOME SPACE
by Nathan Fairbairn
illustrated by Michele Assarasakorn
Razorbill/ Penguin Young Readers, November 2022

Best friends Mindy Park, Gabby Jordan, and Priya Gupta are back in business! After a few ups and downs, their dog-walking business is booming and the girls are closer than ever. It’s a dream come true!
But for Mindy, things at home are beginning to feel like a bit of a nightmare. Her mom just started dating someone, which has Mindy feeling like the odd one out. For as long as she can remember, it’s been just the two of them and she doesn’t want that to change. (So what if her mom’s boyfriend has a cute pet cat, and all of Mindy’s friends seem to think he’s pretty cool?)
And things only get worse when a new student named Hazel arrives in class and seems totally into joining PAWS. Sharing her mom feels bad enough, so there’s no way Mindy’s is going to share her best friends and her business, too! But when Mindy’s stubbornness starts to hurt everyone around her, will she be able to overcome her fears and learn that change doesn’t have to be a cat-tastrophe?

“Reminiscent of Ann M. Martin’s The Baby-Sitters Club, this series starter will be a surefire hit with Raina Telgemeier fans and any reader seeking a solid friendship story. Laugh-out-loud funny and full of heart.” —School Library Journal, starred review ★

“The story is refreshingly inclusive in its depiction of its distinctive characters and their families, offering a reflection of the world that many readers will find familiar. With expressive faces and body language, the artwork poignantly emphasizes the ups and downs of the girls’ experiences. This truly heartwarming story about friendship (and lots and lots of dogs) is a great choice for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Shannon Hale.” —Booklist

« What’s a bigger, tougher balance of fun and responsibility than animals? Friends, maybe. And I was really rooting for the three girls from PAWS as they struggled to navigate both. I liked this book a lot! » —Dana Simpson, New York Times bestselling creator of the Phoebe and Her Unicorn series

Nathan Fairbairn is a New York Times bestselling and Eisner-nominated creator who has worked as a colorist for such iconic characters as Spider-Man, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Scott Pilgrim. He’s also co-creator, writer, and colorist of the graphic novel Lake of Fire. He started writing PAWS, his middle-grade debut, as a way to share his passion for comics and storytelling with his daughter. Nathan lives with his family in Vancouver.
Michele Assarasakorn (also known as MSASSYK) is colorist who worked on comic series such as Eisner-nominated Isola, Gotham Academy, and the Magnificent Ms. Marvel. Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Michele now calls Vancouver home but also likes to travel the world working remotely as an artist.

HELLAWEEN de Moss Lawton

The first in a new middle-grade graphic novel series, featuring over-the-top action and excitement—and a superpower all kids dream of having.

HELLAWEEN
by Moss Lawton
Razorbill/ Penguin Young Readers, August 2023

Learning to become a witch can be difficult. Luckily, Gwen has Sloane (a werewolf) and Miles (a vampire). Except they’re not from this world… they’re from the Hallowlands, a realm with monsters. With the help of a new wand and a grimoire, Gwen’s hoping her friends will see that she’s ready to return with them to the Hallowlands. But Gwen hadn’t counted on running into Hiro, a local kid who’s just a little too obsessed with monster-hunting, and his mission to rid his town of evil.

Moss Lawton is a combination Dracula/Storyboard and Comic artist from the Bay Area, based in Los Angeles. Since graduating from San Jose State they have worked at major studios such as Netflix, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Warner Animation Group, Disney TV and Dreamworks TV. Moss has also worked on projects such as Monsters at Work, Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans and LEGO Movie 2.

THE YEAR LIFE WENT DOWN THE TOILET de Jake Maia Arlow

A hilariously honest book about surviving middle school while navigating a chronic illness from the Stonewall Honor-winning author of Almost Flying. When Al is diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, she thinks her life is over, but then she joins a support group for other middle schoolers with IBD. Her new friends help her navigate life in seventh grade.

THE YEAR LIFE WENT DOWN THE TOILET
by Jake Maia Arlow
Dial/ Penguin Young Readers, August 2023

Twelve-year-old Al Schneider is too scared to talk about the two biggest things in her life:
1. Her stomach hurts all the time and she has no idea why.
2. She’s almost definitely 100% sure she likes girls.
So she holds it in…until she can’t. After nearly having an accident of the lavatorial variety in gym class, Al finds herself getting a colonoscopy and an answer—she has Crohn’s disease.
But rather than solving all her problems, Al’s diagnosis just makes everything worse. It’s scary and embarrassing. And worst of all, everyone wants her to talk about it—her overprotective mom, her best friend, and most annoyingly her gastroenterologist, who keeps trying to get her to go to a support group for kids with similar chronic illnesses. But, who wants to talk about what you do in the bathroom?
The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet is a wildly funny and honest story about finding community, telling the truth even when it’s hard, and the many indignities of middle school life.  

Jake Maia Arlow is a podcast producer, writer, and bagel connoisseur. She studied evolutionary biology and creative writing (not as different as you might think) at Barnard College. They live with their girlfriend and their loud cat in the Pacific Northwest.

FLORA LA FRESCA de Veronica Chambers & Sujean Rim

When fearless and fun-loving Flora Bayano’s best friend Clara breaks the news that she’s moving, the girls set out to find Flora a new BFF, only to discover that replacing one friend with another is more complicated than it seems.

FLORA LA FRESCA
by Veronica Chambers
illustrated by Sujean Rim
‎ Dial/ Penguin Young Readers, July 2023

From New York Times bestselling author Veronica Chambers comes the first in a young middle-grade series about larger-than-life Flora Violeta LeFevre, who uses humor and a little mischief to navigate her best friend moving away, her sister’s overbearing and all-consuming quince preparations, and a surprising new friendship. In the end, Flora realizes that replacing one friend with another isn’t quite as simple as it seems.

Veronica Chambers is best known for her critically acclaimed memoir, Mama’s Girl. Most recently, she was the editor of The Meaning of Michelle: 16 Writers on the Iconic First Lady and How Her Journey Inspires Our Own, which Time magazine named one of the Top Ten Nonfiction Books of 2017. She has written more than a dozen books for young readers and cowritten New York Times bestselling memoirs with Robin Roberts, Eric Ripert, Senator Cory Booker, and many others. She has also been a senior editor at the New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, and Glamour.

SWEET VALLEY TWINS: BEST FRIENDS de Francine Pascal, Nicole Andelfinger & Claudia Aguirre

Jessica and Elizabeth are ready to take on middle school . . . but are they ready to take on each other? The New York Times bestselling world of Sweet Valley returns in these all-new graphic novel adaptations!

SWEET VALLEY TWINS GRAPHIC NOVEL: BEST FRIENDS
by Francine Pascal & Nicole Andelfinger
illustrated by Claudia Aguirre
Random House, November 2022
(via Writers House)

Jessica and Elizabeth have always been inseparable twins, but starting middle school means a chance for new beginnings! Elizabeth is excited to organize a school newspaper, but Jessica is more interested in joining the exclusive Unicorn Club. What will happen when the twins realize they might not be as alike as they thought?
Middle school is hard enough, but with these twins each dealing with becoming their own person–will they be able to stay friends at the same time?
Francine Pascal’s beloved Sweet Valley Twins comes to life in a brand-new graphic novel that will have old and new fans delighted as they meet Jessica and Elizabeth in graphic novel form. With the lively artwork of Claudia Aguirre, Sweet Valley Twins: Best Friends is a contemporary middle-grade graphic novel filled with heart, laughter, and lots of twins.

Francine Pascal is the creator of the Sweet Valley universe, which includes Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High, and Sweet Valley Unicorn Club. Over their lifetime, Sweet Valley books have sold millions of copies, been adapted into a TV series (in the eighties), and inspired board games, puzzles, and dolls. It is one of the most popular kids’ book series of all time. Francine lives in New York and the South of France.
Claudia Aguirre is a Mexican lesbian comic-book artist and writer. She is a cofounder of Boudika Comics, where she self-publishes comics, and is a GLAAD Media Award nominee and Eisner Award nominee. Her comic works include Lost on Planet Earth with ComiXology Originals, Hotel Dare with Boom! Studios, Firebrand with Legendary Comics, Morning in America with Oni Press, and Kim & Kim with Black Mask Studios.