Archives de catégorie : Middle Grade

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 SHOW STRIDES is the contemporary, bestselling answer to the problems found in outdated classics like The Saddle Club and Thoroughbred.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.

SUPER BOBA CAFÉ de Nidhi Chanani

From award-winning author Nidhi Chanani comes a sweet and magical new middle-grade graphic novel about a boba café, an earthquake-causing monster, and an unforgettable summer!

SUPER BOBA CAFÉ
by Nidhi Chanani
Abrams, October 2023
(via Writers House)

In the fog laden hills of San Francisco sits a sleepy independent boba café. Run by Jing Li and guarded by her kitty Bao, it comfortably fades into the background. But inside the boba café, there’s a secret. Jing is the keeper of the monster of San Francisco. Each day she prepares one giant boba for nine hours to feed it.
When Jing’s granddaughter, Aria, comes to stay with her for the summer she makes it her mission to turn the café around. Aria is quickly aided by Bao, who gives birth to eight perfect kittens. Aria spreads the news of the boba cat café on social media and overnight it is overrun with excited customers. Each day Nainai Li (Grandma Li) finds reasons to close the cafe but the demand only increases.
When she opens, the hill monster is left hungry and small earthquakes begin to plague the city. When Aria secretly follows her Nainai to the hill monster cave she isn’t sure what awaits. Will Aria be able to reason with the monster or become its new favorite meal? Or will she disturb its underground existence and cause the Big One?

Indian American illustrator and writer Nidhi Chanani has published several books for young readers, including YA graphic novel Pashmina, which was a Junior Library Guild selection, Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year, Texas Maverick Graphic Novel, Northern California Indie Bookseller Association Long-List Title and a YALSA Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens. Born in Kolkata, India and raised in California, she holds a degree in literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and in 2012 she was honored by the Obama Administration as a Champion of Change.

SHOCK CITY d’Aaron Alexovich

From debut author Aaron Alexovich comes a middle-grade graphic-novel series following Sunny von Shock—a cheerful monster kid, and her new (well, only) friend Milo, as they try to save their town over the course of one epic night!

SHOCK CITY
by Aaron Alexovich
Viking, Fall 2024
(via Writers House)

When shy, introverted Milo rings the doorbell of the forbidden Shock City castle on a dare, he gets more than he bargained for when Sunny, a peppy young monster, answers the door. He would never have returned a second time—except he feels he owes it to Sunny to tell her that he’s moving away. Not just him, either. The entire Shock City population. But Sunny isn’t about to let her best (only) friend leave her side. In fact, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep Milo in Shock City. So she convinces him to join her on a nighttime romp in an attempt to fix the crumbling metropolis and give everyone a reason to stay. But then Milo unleashes the harsh truth on Sunny—her late grandfather, the great Darkness von Shock, is the very reason the town is on the verge of collapse. Suddenly, their friendship is put to the test, and it’s up to Milo to be brave if he has any shot of saving his beloved Shock City.

Comic artist, writer, and character designer Aaron Alexovich’s first professional art job was working on Nickelodeon’s Invader Zim. Since then, he’s worked on various animation and comic projects, including Avatar: The Last Airbender, Disney’s Haunted Mansion, DC’s Fables, and three volumes of his original comic Serenity Rose. SHOCK CITY is his middle grade debut.

THE MISFIT SERIES de Lisa Yee, illustré par Dan Santat

When a notorious thief is out for priceless treasure (gems! cats! general decorum!)—who’re you gonna call? An elite team of crime-fighting underdogs, that’s who! The Misfits are on the case in this hilarious illustrated series from Newbery Honoree Lisa Yee and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat!

THE MISFITS SERIES
by Lisa Yee
illustrated by Dan Santat
Random House Books for Young Readers
(via Writers House)

Book 1: A ROYAL CONUNDRUM (January 2024)

Olive Cobin Zang has . . . issues. And they mostly aren’t her fault. (No, really!) Though she often slips under the radar, problems have a knack for finding her. So, imagine her doubts when she’s suddenly dropped off at the strangest boarding school ever: a former castle turned prison that’s now a “reforming arts school”!

But nothing could’ve prepared Olive for RASCH (not “rash”). There, she’s lumped with a team of other kids who never quite fit in, and discovers that the academy isn’t what it seems—and neither is she. In fact, RASCH is a cover for an elite group of misfits who fight crime . . . and Olive has arrived just in time.

Turns out that RASCH is in danger of closing, unless Olive’s class can stop the heist of the century. And as Olive falls in love with this wacky school, she realizes it’s up to her new team to save the only home that’s ever welcomed them.

Book 2: A COPYCAT CONUNDRUM (January 2025)

When San Francisco is under strange attacks—like earthquakes affecting only two city blocks at a time—who’re you gonna call? An elite team of crime-fighting underdogs, that’s who! The Misfits are on the case in this hilarious illustrated series!

“For any kid who’s felt like a misfit, this crackling adventure packs a wallop!” —Lincoln Peirce, creator of Big Nate

Oof! After solving the case of the Royal Rumpus, Olive Cobin Zang and her elite team of underdogs are on top of the world. As the awkward, crime-fighting Misfits, they’re acing every mission thrown at them from NOCK (aka No One Can Know, the covert agency they work for).

But when their classmate Zeke starts receiving threatening notes, the Misfits are stumped. They’re no strangers to danger, but this case is a total head-scratcher. Who would target kind, friendly Zeke . . . unless he’s not what he seems to be?

At the same time, unusual earthquakes start shaking up San Francisco just as priceless art goes missing, and the Misfits are called to investigate. Is it a coincidence that the city is under attack while Zeke is getting mysterious messages? Or is it all just a cover for a scheme bigger than any they’ve faced before?

For other Misfit adventures from Newbery Honoree Lisa Yee and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, don’t miss The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum!

Lisa Yee has taken a private-investigator course, and it’s slightly possible that she’s a secret undercover operative. She’s also a Newbery Honoree and a National Book Award finalist for Maizy Chen’s Last Chance. Some of her other twenty-one novels are the groundbreaking Millicent Min, Girl Genius; Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time; and the DC Super Hero Girls series. A frequent contributor to NPR’s Books We Love, she divides her time between Western Massachusetts and Los Angeles.

Dan Santat is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of over a hundred books. His graphic memoir A First Time for Everything won the National Book Award, and his picture book The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend received the Caldecott Medal. He also illustrated The Blur, Lift, and Drawn Together, both written by Minh Lê, which received critical acclaim. Dan is also the creator of the Disney animated hit The Replacements. He lives in Southern California with his family.

THE (SUPER SECRET) SOCIETY OF OCTAGON VALLEY de Melissa de la Cruz

This new series from #1 New York Times best-selling author Melissa de la Cruz is The Mysterious Benedict Society for reluctant readers, chock-full of humor, adventure and mischief, and set at an exclusive, secluded, high-tech institute everyone wants to get into.

THE (SUPER SECRET) SOCIETY OF OCTAGON VALLEY
by Melissa de la Cruz
Disney-Hyperion, September 2023
(via Kaplan/DeFiore Rights)

You only get in if you’re EXTRAordinary…. A handful of sixth-graders have been chosen to attend an exclusive weekend at the Octagon Valley Institute, the mysterious, high-tech lab of the uber famous multimillionaire, genius, recluse Onassander Octagon. What will they do there? No one is telling. Which just makes everyone want to get in.
Edwin Edgefield has high hopes for the weekend—hopes he’ll meet other kids like him—kids who will accept him even though he’s got a photographic memory, genius level math skills and some very specific personality quirks. But when he meets the other kids, he starts to wonder if they’re all in the right place. There’s amateur rapper Kimmy, who’s obsessed with TikTok, violin-player Julie, who has zero social skills, and surfer dude Dilip, who’s well, a surfer dude. And then, strange things start to happen. Things that involve an escape room challenge, a zero-gravity chamber, a river full of piranhas and . . . some ninjas? Turns out the Octagon Valley is all about using teamwork to make the dream work, and these normally isolated kids might not all survive. But those who do will be treated to the greatest prize—and the biggest surprise—of their lives—a chance to be truly EXTRAordinary.

Melissa de la Cruz is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling Descendants series, as well as many other best-selling novels, including Alex & Eliza, the Never After series and the Blue Bloods series. She recently launched her own imprint, Melissa de la Cruz Studio, which publishes fun, fabulous, feel-good stories for children. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and daughter.