Archives par étiquette : Writers House

LAST DAY POOL PARTY de Emma Steinkellner

From the bestselling author of the Okay Witch series, dive into a hilarious and heartwarming contemporary graphic novel about friendship, popularity and the messiness of growing up, for fans of Real Friends.

LAST DAY POOL PARTY
by Emma Steinkellner
Labyrinth Road/PRH, April 2026
(via Writers House)

The only thing standing between the kids of Orange Grove Junior High and summer break is one party. . . and a whole lot of drama.

After being left off the roll call during her class graduation ceremony, Rose is done being invisible. She has a foolproof plan for how to stand out, and it all starts with going to the last day pool party. But she’s not the only one who is going to make a splash. . . Liv is on the search for a new BFF after learning that her friend Juhi is totally ruining her life by moving. And even though Maya would rather be caught dead than at unpopular Dustin’s party, her mom says she has to be nice. . . which as it turns out, might not be the same as being cool.

Soon, cliques collide and drama goes off the deep end. Rose and her classmates will face unexpected twists and hilarious (or maybe just embarrassing) mishaps and miscommunications. From cake collisions to best friend blowouts, this party is about to go off the deep end.

Emma Steinkellner is an illustrator, writer, and cartoonist living in Los Angeles, California. She is a graduate of Stanford University and the illustrator of the Eisner-nominated comic Quince. She is the author and illustrator of The Okay Witch graphic novel series.



FINDING LOST de Holly Goldberg Sloan

A stray dog leads to major change for Cordy and her grieving family in this heartwarming new novel by the beloved author of Counting by 7s.

FINDING LOST
by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Rocky Pond Books, October 2025
(via Writers House)

Cordy is looking for good luck, looking for the feeling of safety she lost when her father died in a fishing boat accident, maybe even looking for a hint of magic—anything that will stop her mom from wanting to leave the coastal town she and her brother have always called home. What Cordy finds is a muddy, hungry little dog who ends up bringing all the luck she could want, and more.

Holly Goldberg Sloan writes family stories that wrap around your heart and make you laugh out loud—stories about people you dearly wish lived next door to you. You will fall in love with Cordy and her family as quickly as they fall in love with the stray pup named Lost. Full of unexpected, unforgettable moments, this is a tender and endearing tale of coping with loss and making peace with the inevitable truth that change is a constant.

Holly Goldberg Sloan graduated from Wellesley College and spent some time as an advertising copywriter before she began writing family feature films, including Angels in the Outfield and Made in America. She was the first woman to direct a live action film for the Walt Disney Company when she directed (and wrote) The Big Green. She is the author of seven previous novels, including the E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor Book Counting by 7s, the New York Times Bestseller Short, and the New York Times Editors’ Choice Pick To Night Owl from Dogfish (cowritten with Meg Wolitzer). The mother of two and grandmother of five, Holly lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Gary Rosen.

THE BLOODSTONE THIEF de Sabina Khan

Inspired by Islamic mythology, this hilarious and richly-woven middle-grade fantasy sparkles with humour, magic, friendship, and heart—perfect for fans of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief and Percy Jackson.

THE BLOODSTONE THIEF
by Sabina Khan
Scholastic, September 2025
(via Writers House)

Laila Habib is having the worst birthday ever, as she’s just discovered that her family’s two-year stay in Houston, Texas, is going to be extended . . . indefinitely. With one foot in her current life and one foot back in her old home in Mumbai, she doesn’t feel like she truly belongs anywhere.

But her day only gets worse from there. Opening up what she thinks is a hidden birthday present, Laila unleashes an evil jinn from a magical amulet. Trapped there long ago by Laila’s father, the jinn is eager for revenge, and drags Laila’s father back to the magical world of Qaf.

To save her father, Laila must travel to Qaf, where she discovers that there’s only one hope for freeing him. She must find the Bloodstone, an object that gives the holder absolute power. But doing so will require a quest that changes everything Laila ever thought she knew about who she is, what she believes, and who she can trust. Not fully belonging in the jinn world or our own, Laila has to create her own community, forge friendships, and fight for her family-no matter who or what they are.

Sabina Khan is the author of The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali (Scholastic, 2019). She is an educational consultant and a karaoke enthusiast. After living in Germany, Bangladesh, Macao, Illinois and Texas, she has finally settled down in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, with her husband and three daughters, one of whom is a fur baby.

THE CHISMOSAS ONLY BOOK CLUB de Laekan Zea Kemp

Won in a highly competitive US auction, this special and beautifully written new series sits perfectly alongside classics like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Babysitters Club, and The Princess Diaries. Follow Cat, Sofia, Mari and Ana as they embark on their first year of high school—each facing their own trials and tribulations, but always maintaining their fierce love for one another.

THE CHISMOSAS ONLY BOOK CLUB
by Laekan Zea Kemp
Putnam, Spring 2026
(via Writers House)

Catarina (AKA Cat) Rubio is the great-great-great-granddaughter of the namesake of the local enchanted bookstore Milagro’s Books, which her family still runs. As Cat and her friends begin 9th grade, Cat is inspired to begin The Chismosa’s Only Book Club to hold her best friends close. The book club is the perfect place for Cat and her friends to gossip about first kisses and stories with happy endings—but is it possible that her own family’s success story could be at risk? And when her family hires a new bookstore employee, does she need a new friend, or will other friends only get in the way?

Sofia has grown up closeted with her strict Catholic grandmother and loving but oblivious mother. High school feels like the first safe space for her, where she can be herself at last. Excited about finally being out, even if it’s only at school, Sofia joins Prism, the on-campus GSA club, where she meets the older, more mysterious girl of her dreams. But can she risk her grandmother finding out her truth?

Meanwhile, Mari and her mother, who is a truck driver, share sketches and stories while during the long stretches when work separates them. But there’s one secret Mari’s mother has never shared with her before, and when Mari learns the truth, her entire world comes apart at the seams. Mari’s sections will include black and white interior artwork.

The last member of this chaotic quartet is Ana, and she’s in need of an escape just as much as Mari is. Afflicted with Oldest-Daughter-Syndrome, Ana is carrying the weight of the world. She works at her family’s restaurant, cares for her ‘Lita and her younger siblings, and is a straight A student. But as her accomplishments continue to stack higher and higher, her worsening anxiety signals that it’s all about come crashing down.

The store—and Milagro, herself—is there to watch over Cat, Sofia, Mari and Ana as their lives grow and change—it’s Milagro who will guide the girls towards the stories they need the most, and who will help them hold each other close as their worlds shift and threaten to tear them apart.

Laekan Zea Kemp is a writer living in Austin, Texas. Her debut novel, Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet was a 2022 Pura Belpré Honor recipient and her most recent novel, An Appetite for Miracles won the Jean Flynn award for YA fiction. She has three objectives when it comes to storytelling: to make people laugh, cry, and crave Mexican food. Her work celebrates Chicane grit, resilience, creativity, and joy while exploring themes of identity and mental health.

CALL OF THE DRAGON de Natasha Bowen

Eragon meets African mythology in a kingdom where dragon gods rule the earth and sky—until the gods are betrayed, and one girl embarks on a journey to save the world from war and ruin. From the New York Times bestselling author of Skin of the Sea.

CALL OF THE DRAGON Book 1
by Natasha Bowen
Random House, February 2026
(via Writers House)

Moremi has only ever known of two dragon gods watching over a prosperous Kingdom of Kwa. It is thanks to the great dragons, after all, that an unspeakable evil is kept at bay. But when someone tries to claim the gods’ power for their own, the process goes dreadfully wrong. The dragons are injured and flee . . . and the world’s darkest shadows are released.

Overnight, Kwa’s ancient tales of monsters become all too real. Yet as death comes for those around her, Moremi suddenly finds herself magically connected to both dragon gods—a feat that should be impossible. However, Moremi is now Kwa’s only hope for restoring the gods to full strength—setting off whispers that she is meant to save the kingdom and rule over them all.

But will Jagun, the mysterious prince, let her anywhere near the gods? And how does her childhood friend, Nox, feel about it all? In any case, if Moremi fails her quest, then she risks the earth caving in and the sky crumbling down. . .

Natasha Bowen is a writer, a teacher, and a mother of three children. She is of Nigerian and Welsh descent and lives in Cambridge, England, where she grew up. Natasha studied English and creative writing at Bath Spa University before moving to East London, where she taught for nearly ten years. Her debut book was inspired by her passion for mermaids and African history. She is obsessed with Japanese and German stationery and spends stupid amounts on notebooks, which she then features on her secret Instagram. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, watched over carefully by Milk and Honey, her cat and dog.