A funny and unique upper middle-grade standalone about a goofy and awkward science enthusiast who, in a bid to fit in, puts her expertise to good use and writes a manual for understanding boys for the girls at her High School.

THE SCIENCE OF BOYS
by Emily Seo
illustrated by Gracey Zhang
‎ Tradewind Books (Canada), September 2022
(via Emily Randle Literary)

When 12 year old science buff, Emma Sakamoto, starts her first day at High School, she just wants to fit in. Her Dad is struggling with his job and her Mum is still away, just when she needs her most. Aside from her best friend Olive, Emma always found it hard to make friends and has decided that this year – new Emma! New girl Poppy loves books, and Emma thinks maybe this could be a new pal, but Poppy seems completely uninterested. Until she needs Emma’s brains, that is. Poppy wants to attract the new heart-throb and, for an exchange of fashion advice, Emma pretends that in this department, she’s an expert… she knows science… so why can’t she write a manual about ‘The Science of Boys’ to help her new friend? The same principles can apply, right? One twist of the truth leads to a tornado of deceit and Emma must figure out what is truly important before ruining all the good things in her life…

Emily Seo is a Japanese-Canadian chemist who experiments with words and writing stories. Her first product is this book. She currently lives in Richmond, British Colombia with her husband and two young scientists.
Gracey Zhang is a freelance illustrator and animator. She has recently published her first picture book, Lala’s Words, with Scholastic. Born and raised in Vancouver, she now lives and draws in Brooklyn, New York.