Archives de catégorie : Nos incontournables

THE DRAGON’S APPRENTICE de James Riley

In this hilarious fantasy adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Story Thieves series, a 12 year old girl strikes a deal with the ancient, cranky dragon she accidentally summoned to teach her the magic she needs to save her mother from the tyrant terrorizing their town.

THE DRAGON’S APPRENTICE
by James Riley
Random House BFYR, April 2025
(via Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)

Ciara lives in the village of Skael under the thumb of the Warden (ugh), who enforces the rule of the Emperor (double ugh). When she accidentally gets her mom arrested for possessing a banned book by the (allegedly) disgraced apprentice of the Dragon Mage, Ciara uses the maybe-dangerous, definitely-forbidden book to summon a very cranky dragon.

Scorch the dragon had no idea he’s been asleep for a thousand years. All he wants is to discover what happened to the Dragon Mage, who tasked him with teaching magic to all humans, and why this tiny annoying child summoned him. Although they make an unlikely pair, Scorch agrees to teach Ciara magic, just as he once taught his apprentice Bianca. Together, they just may be able to rescue Ciara’s mom and unravel the lies of the Empire…if they can stop bickering for long enough to make a plan, that is…

James Riley is the New York Times bestselling author of the Half Upon a Time series, The Story Thieves series, and The Revenge Of Magic series for middle grade readers. In his most recent series, Once Upon Another Time, which is set in the world of the popular Half Upon A Time series, storybook characters collide in a trilogy of twisted fairy tales. His newest novel for young readers is THE DRAGON’S APPRENTICE.

PERFECT LITTLE MONSTERS de Cindy R.X. He

Someone has murdered the queen bee of Sierton High School. All the dead girl’s friends are suspects. And each one has a reason for wanting her to die.

PERFECT LITTLE MONSTERS
by Cindy R.X. He
Sourcebooks Fire, May 2024
(via Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)

Ella Moore was the most popular girl in school…and also the most hated. When she’s murdered at her own party, there are too many suspects to count. And too many people who think she deserved it.

The police’s prime suspect is the new girl, Dawn Foster. Dawn was the last to hand Ella a drink on the night she died. Plus, all of Ella’s friends with a motive for wanting her dead are more than willing to throw Dawn under the bus if it means keeping the heat off themselves.

But Dawn refuses to go down without a fight. She’s determined to clear her name. As she delves deeper into the past, she discovers that Ella and her friends had major enemies, and someone is out for revenge. Dawn must uncover the truth before the police arrest the wrong suspect… and before the next person dies.

« A dark, voicey, and inventive debut from an explosive new talent. Prepare to be captivated from start to pulse-pounding finish, and blown away by the many twists and turns. Perfect Little Monsters is at once a fast-paced thriller and a thoughtful, incisive look at the impact of bullying. » ― Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here and All Eyes On Her

« This tense and twisty thriller will keep readers looking over their shoulder. » ― Natalie D. Richards, New York Times bestselling author of Five Total Strangers

Cindy R.X. He was born and raised in multicultural Singapore. She has always enjoyed losing herself in the pages of a book, and started reading Stephen King at a much earlier age than she should have. Her favorite works are by Shirley Jackson, Courtney Summers, and Catriona Ward. She currently resides in the French Alps with her husband, children, and rescue cat.

THE SUMMER LOVE STRATEGY de Ray Stoeve

A sweet and swoony YA rom-com about two friends making a pact to find summer romance like they’ve seen in the movies—and finding love where they least expect it along the way!

THE SUMMER LOVE STRATEGY
by Ray Stoeve
Abrams, May 2024
(via Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)

Hayley always has a crush. The problem is, her crushes never like her back. After her latest unrequited love—a girl from her basketball team—gets a boyfriend, she decides she’s done falling for girls who are unavailable. Her best friend, Talia, wants romance too, but rarely gets crushes on anyone, and she’s tired of watching Hayley get her heart stomped on over and over. So the two girls make a pact: they’ll help each other find summer love by putting themselves in situations that always lead to romance in movies.

To help carry out their summer love strategy, they make a list of all the places they could find their real-life rom-com: the beach, the Pride parade, the pool, a MUNA concert, and a party. But as they go to each place and try to find the one, it seems like they just can’t catch a break—they don’t know how to talk to cute strangers, someone mistakes Hayley as straight, and Hayley does a truly unfortunate DIY haircut (that she cannot be held responsible for––it was a crisis!). But when Talia and Hayley finally manage to score dates, will they be able to get out of their own way and really dive into the romances they deserve? Or is summer love not as far off as Hayley thought?

This excellent addition to the slew of YA friends-to-lovers romance  novels offers a nuanced portrayal of an autistic sapphic trans girl in Talia and a lesbian with ADHD and anxiety in Hayley…[The novel] genuinely shines when it zeroes in on Hayley and Talia’s friendship and blossoming romance. Readers will feel like they’re in a teen summer romance themselves.” –Booklist

« Hayley and Talia’s story has all the butterfly-worthy moments of first love…Readers will appreciate that neurodivergence is normalized and represented positively in the novel: In addition to Talia, two other members of their friend group are autistic. A charming friends-to-lovers summer romance.” –Kirkus

« THE SUMMER LOVE STRATEGY is a bear hug in book form; it’s a love story within a love story. Intimacy takes so many beautifully complicated forms here. These are friends who care enough to carve out space for each other’s differences, even as they feel their way through shifting relationship dynamics. Stoeve explores what it means to find new ways to love a person you know by heart—and they tackle it with such specificity and care. This one’s going to make so many people feel seen. » –Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Ray Stoeve is the author of the young adult novel Between Perfect and Real, which received a starred review and was a 2021 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and Arden Grey. They also contributed to the young adult anthology Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance. They received a 2016–2017 Made at Hugo House Fellowship and created the YA/MG Trans and Nonbinary Voices Masterlist, a database that tracks all books in those age categories written by trans authors about trans characters. When they’re not writing, they can be found gardening, making art in other mediums, or hiking their beloved Pacific Northwest.

LET’S NEVER SPEAK OF THIS AGAIN de Megan Williams

Ella and I have been best friends since grade one. We can spend hours talking about everything and nothing. We know each other’s greatest fears, things that irrationally annoy us, and ideal career if money and skill weren’t an issue. If there was only one Hartford Bakery brownie left in the whole world and it was somehow in my possession, Ella is the only person I’d consider sharing it with.

LET’S NEVER SPEAK OF THIS AGAIN
by Megan Williams
Text Publishing, September 2023

Life is pretty good for sixteen-year-old Abby. Okay, her grandma doesn’t remember things anymore, her relationship with her mum is increasingly strained and she accidently kissed her cousin’s cousin on the weekend, so things aren’t exactly perfect. But everything is manageable with her best friend, Ella, by her side.

And with Ella’s brother, Will—interesting and attentive—on the sidelines.

When new girl Chloe arrives, Abby is pleased to be the one to show her around, to welcome her to the group. But Abby doesn’t imagine Chloe fitting in so well or quite so quickly. And before long Abby is feeling just a little left out, a little unsure of Ella’s friendship. In a moment of anger and confusion she wishes something bad would happen.

When it does—with tragic consequences—everything shifts again. And Abby has to face her own feelings and work out what friendship really means.

Megan Williams’ brilliant debut novel is a tender, moving, often funny celebration of female friendship, about the things that test it, and about what matters most.

Megan Williams won the 2022 Text Prize for her debut YA novel, LET’S NEVER SPEAK OF THIS AGAIN. She lives in Brisbane with her husband and their three children.

BIANCA AND THE BUTTERFLY de Sergio Ruzzier

From two-time Geisel Honor–winning author-illustrator Sergio Ruzzier comes a timeless picture book about a young polar bear who befriends a butterfly and encounters new experiences.

BIANCA AND THE BUTTERFLY
by Sergio Ruzzier
HarperCollins Children’s Books, March 2025

Sergio is one of Maurice Sendak’s artistic heirs, having won the prestigious Sendak Fellowship in 2011. His work has been met with much acclaim, including two Geisel Honor Medals, as well as awards by American Illustration, the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, and the Society of Publication Designers.

Sergio Ruzzier is a two-time Geisel Honor–winning picture book author and illustrator. Sergio has written and illustrated many picture books, including Fox and Chick: The Party, a 2019 Geisel Honor Book; Fish and Wave, a 2023 Geisel Honor Book; Two Mice; and more. He was a recipient of the 2011 Sendak Fellowship and winner of the Parents’ Choice Gold Medal for The Room of Wonders and This Is Not a Picture Book!