THE MEADOWS de Stephanie Oakes

A queer, YA Handmaid’s Tale meets Never Let Me Go about a dystopian society bent on relentless conformity, and the struggle of one girl to save herself and those she loves from a life of lies.

THE MEADOWS
by Stephanie Oakes
Dial/ Penguin Young Readers, September 2023

Everyone hopes for a letter—to attend the Estuary, the Pines, the Glades, the Meadows. These are the special places where only the best and brightest go to burn even brighter.
When Eleanor gets her letter, she knows she’s freed from her hardscrabble life by the sea, in a country ravaged by climate disaster. But despite the Meadows’ luminous facilities, endless fields, and pretty things, it keeps dark secrets.
Four years later, Eleanor and her friends seem free of the Meadows, changed but not in the ways they expected. Eleanor is an adjudicator, ensuring her former classmates don’t stray from the lives they’ve been conditioned to live.
But Eleanor can’t escape her past, or thoughts of the girl she once loved. Because Rose isn’t here anymore. And as secrets emerge that force Eleanor to grapple with her history, she must wage a dangerous battle for her own identity and for the full truth of what happened to the girl she lost, knowing if she’s not careful, Rose’s fate could be her own.

Stephanie Oakes is the author of The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, which was a Morris Award finalist and a Golden Kite Honor book, and The Arsonist, which won the Washington State Book Award and was an ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick. An elementary school librarian, Stephanie lives in Spokane, Washington with her wife and family.

LYING IN THE DEEP de Diana Urban

A juicy mystery of jealousy, love, and betrayal set on a Semester at Sea-inspired cruise ship, with a diverse cast of delightfully suspicious characters who’ll leave you guessing with every jaw-dropping twist.

LYING IN THE DEEP
by Diana Urban
‎ Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers, May 2023

After being jilted by her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Jade couldn’t be more ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime—11 countries in 4 months, all from the luxurious Campus on Board ship—and to wedge an entire globe between her and the people who broke her heart.
But when Jade discovers the backstabbing couple are also setting sail, her obsession with them grows and festers, leading to a shocking murder. And as their friends begin to drop like flies, Jade and her new crush must race to clear her name and find the killer they’re trapped at sea with….before anyone else winds up in body bags.
Perfect for readers of Natasha Preston, E. Lockhart, and Karen McManus!

« A twisted tale of betrayal, heartbreak, and revenge, Lying in the Deep is shocking from the very first page. As gory as a slasher and as fun as a comedy, this book is a must-read for thriller fans. » — Jessica Goodman, bestselling author of The Counselors

Diana Urban is an author of dark, twisty thrillers, including All Your Twisted Secrets (HarperTeen) and These Deadly Games (Wednesday Books). Her novels have been published internationally, and she’ll be featured in the Firsts and Lasts anthology (Penguin Workshop, 2023). When she’s not torturing fictional characters, she freelances in content writing and digital marketing. She lives with her husband and cat in Boston and enjoys reading, playing video games, fawning over cute animals, and looking at the beach from a safe distance.

SOPHIE THE GIANT SLAYER de Kay Carmichael

A delightful black and white comic that defends the stance that heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Set in a dystopian universe where giant monsters invade the Earth – life seems set for destruction when a sword-wielding hero comes to the rescue.

SOPHIE THE GIANT SLAYER
by Kay Carmichael
Publication TBD
(via The Lennon-Ritchie Agency)

Sophie, an eleven-year-old girl in a post-giant world inherits her grandfather Jack’s magical sword and is launched out beyond their island city into a world of treacherous adults and ambitious gods. Driven by the voice inside the sword, she and her companions hunt down the secret of where the giants came from and her own terrible destiny. Sophie finds herself adopted into a group of tree-dwelling refugees, led by a mysterious woman called Rosemara. They capture her and ask her to kill a giant called Ashkeloth, who they claim is a threat. But is everything as it seems? Who exactly is Rosemara? Soon, Sophie finds she also has to stand up for her pursuers and decide whom she can and can’t trust when the giant comes knocking.

Kay Carmichael is a story artist specialising in storyboard work. She’s worked for five years in the animation and live action industries, and done storyboards for a variety of commercial and advertising clients. She also worked on a number of television series and feature films.

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.

THE FAINT OF HEART de Kerilynn Wilson

Utterly immersive and deeply atmospheric, this YA graphic novel is part speculative fiction, party cautionary tale – a true one-of-a-kind project that recalls Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Never Let Me Go, and the work of Charlie Kaufman.

THE FAINT OF HEART
by Kerilynn Wilson
Greenwillow/HarperCollins, June 2023
(via Writers House)

It wasn’t even that long ago. The Scientist discovered that all sadness, anxiety, and anger would disappear when you remove your heart. And that’s all it took. Soon enough the Hospital had lines out the door.
June is an unexceptional teen in almost every way—she’s an average student, she lives at home with her mom, dad, and sister, she loves art. . . but June is the only one in town who still has her heart. Between June’s uncaring family and the blank stare of her former best friend, nothing hurts more than being surrounded by the heartless. Just when June is about to cave to the mounting pressure to remove her heart and stop feeling emotions altogether, she comes across a heart in a jar, left abandoned in an alley. Convincing her family that she went along with the procedure, June instead decides to find a way to put this heart into the person whose love she misses most: her sister Maya. But things get complicated when Max, a heartless boy from school, volunteers to join June on her secret quest. Max has a secret of his own. . . though he removed his heart, he’s starting to feel again. And it hurts.

Kerilynn Wilson is an author/illustrator with a love of the weird and wonderful, who lives in Portland, Oregon. The Faint of Heart is her debut graphic novel.