Archives de catégorie : Middle Grade

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 GRAPHIC NOVELS 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!

THE SWEET VALLEY TWINS GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES
by Francine Pascal
adapted by Nicole Andelfinger
art by Claudia Aguirre
Random House, November 2022 – January 2026
(via Writers House)

BOOK 1: BEST FRIENDS (November 2022)

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.

BOOK 2: TEACHER’S PET (June 2023)

The Wakefield twins return in this graphic novel adaptation of the New York Times best-selling Sweet Valley Twins series! It’s Elizabeth’s turn in the spotlight… but does Jessica deserve it more?

Jessica knows she’s the better dancer – but their teacher only seems to have eyes for her sister Elizabeth! No matter how hard or perfectly she dances she’s not getting recognized – which becomes a huge problem when it becomes clear that her sister is going to get the main role of Swanilda instead of her. Even worse, Elizabeth refuses to believe that their teacher is favoring her! With Jessica’s attitude rapidly souring and Elizabeth slowly realizing that Jessica might actually be right, will they be able to find a way to get Jessica her leading role?

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.

SUEE AND THE SHADOW de Ginger Ly & Molly Park

The Zero Detective Club is back in this highly anticipated sequel to Suee and the Shadow!

SUEE AND THE SHADOW (Book 1)
SUEE AND THE STRANGE WHITE LIGHT (Book 2)
by Ginger Ly
illustrated by Molly Park
Abrams, September 2017 – May 2023
(via Writers House)

Suee and the Zero Detective Club are back and ready to unravel some mysteries! However, other than a bunch of missing cat cases, there really isn’t too much to solve . . . That is, until Smartie, Suee’s kid-nemesis from her old school, goes missing leaving only one clue: Central City.
Nemesis or not, it’s up to Suee and the rest of the Zero Detective Club members to find her. But Smartie’s disappearance isn’t the only weird thing going on in this part of town. There’s an army of workers in white uniforms installing strange devices, and all the adults have started acting bizarre and ignoring their kids. With all these odd occurrences, it’s up to the Zero Detective Club of Outskirtsville to find out what’s going on!
Author Ginger Ly and illustrator Molly Park return with fantastic energy and brilliant art for an incredible follow-up to Suee’s first adventure. This fast-paced and spooky tale will is sure to capture the hearts of readers young and old.

“Ly’s haunting story gains depth and texture from Park’s minimalist, thick-lined artwork. . . . the friendships Suee forms prove formidable against both supernatural threats and the twisty social politics of school.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Park’s bold, modish figures, largely in black and white with occasional bright pops of color, add to the eerie atmosphere . . . the stylish art is plenty eye-catching. . . a subtle undercurrent of emotional depth.”—Booklist

Ginger Ly worked as a designer before earning her master’s degree in filmmaking from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She lives in the suburbs of Seoul, South Korea.
Molly Park lives in Seoul, South Korea, with two black cats and a mouse, and they all get along very well. SUEE AND THE SHADOW is their debut graphic novel.

WEST OF THE SEA de Stephanie Willing

Sold in a heated auction, Stephanie Willing’s spellbinding debut is Tae Keller meets Tracey Baptiste, with the literary heart of The Higher Power of Lucky. In a tale of generational trauma, told with a cryptozoological twist, this outstanding new middle-grade novel seamlessly blends history and mythology with humor, big feelings, and even bigger questions.

WEST OF THE SEA
by Stephanie Willing
Viking, August 2023
(via Writers House)

When her mom disappears from their small Texas town, paleontology-loving Haven is determined to find her. But as she uncovers truths about her mom’s identity, Haven also uncovers a monstrous family secret. Her mom can take the shape of a human and, in the right environment, also turn into an amphibious creature known as a kitskara. And now that she’s growing up, Haven is discovering she has this ability, too. This newfound identity is her only clue to help her track her mother and bring her back home. And so she, her older sister Margie, and her new friend Rye set off on a road trip across Texas’s Gulf Coast to her late grandparents’ abandoned home, where they’re sure her mom has disappeared to. . . along with plenty of family secrets.
Infused with a deep love of fossils and Celtic mythology, WEST OF THE SEA is a lyrical, heart-filled coming-of-age story for fans of cryptozoology—and anyone who has struggled to find their place in the world when they feel different.

Stephanie Willing started writing stories and poetry when she was a little girl, and while she tried a lot of different kinds of art-making, reading and writing have always been her artistic home. Stories are at the heart of everything she does. As a dancer, she tells stories through movement. As an actor, she creates an emotional landscape through other people’s words. As an audiobook narrator, she gets to play all the parts at once and study how other authors craft their stories, while bringing it to life through audio. Stephanie has her MFA in Writing for Young People from Lesley University.