Archives par étiquette : KT Literary

KITTY AND CAT: OPPOSITES ATTRACT de Mirka Hokkanen

Meet Kitty! Kitty wants to play! Meet Cat. Cat just wants to nap. Bold, whimsical artwork and plenty of humor engage little ones in a sly and stylish introduction to opposites.

KITTY AND CAT: OPPOSITES ATTRACT
by Mirka Hokkanen
Candlewick, April 2023
(via KT Literary)

This deceptively simple concept book introduces readers to grumpy, old, exhausted Cat, who just wants to be left alone, and to happy, new, energetic Kitty, who longs to make friends. In a story told entirely through well-chosen pairs of opposites and drolly expressive artwork, author-illustrator Mirka Hokkanen manages to elevate the humble concept book into a true work of art—one that is bound to have readers giggling and crying for more!

Mirka Hokkanen is an author-illustrator who likes fun, quirky animal characters and dislikes soggy cereal that’s been left in a bowl for too long. She began her career as a fine art printmaker before transitioning to picture book illustration. She is the illustrator of Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book by Vivian Kirkfield and the author-illustrator of the early-reader graphic novel Mossy and Tweed: Crazy for Coconuts. When not holding a paintbrush or a pen, Mirka Hokkanen likes to knit, sew, and explore the outdoors with her three energetic kids. But she dislikes stepping on slugs after rain and getting her socks wet after someone has tracked water in the house. Mirka Hokkanen was born in Finland and has lived all around the world as a military spouse.

THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER de Maya MacGregor

In this queer contemporary YA mystery, a nonbinary autistic teen realizes they must not only solve a 30-year-old mystery but also face the demons lurking in their past in order to live a satisfying life.

THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER
by Maya MacGregor
Boyds, Mills & Kane/Astra, May 2022
(via KT Literary)

Sam Sylvester has long collected stories of half-lived lives—of kids who died before they turned nineteen. Sam was almost one of those kids. Now, as Sam’s own nineteenth birthday approaches, their recent near-death experience haunts them. They’re certain they don’t have much time left. . . .
But Sam’s life seems to be on the upswing after meeting several new friends and a potential love interest in Shep, their next-door neighbor. Yet the past keeps roaring back—in Sam’s memories and in the form of a thirty-year-old suspicious death that took place in Sam’s new home. Sam can’t resist trying to find out more about the kid who died and who now seems to guide their investigation. When Sam starts receiving threatening notes, they know they’re on the path to uncovering a murderer. But are they digging through the past or digging their own future grave?
THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER explores healing in the aftermath of trauma and the fullness of queer joy.

“This captivating story centers a memorable, relatable protagonist surrounded by a lovable ensemble cast. The central mystery is gripping and fast-paced, but the book never fails to give all the characters motivations and backstories, making even the tertiary characters feel lived-in enough to be believable…A thrilling debut featuring lovable and well-developed characters. » —Kirkus, starred review

“Sam’s intimate developing relationships and outwardly bright future provide respite and optimism, even as they battle internal fears for the future. Equal parts delicate and devastating, MacGregor’s thought-provoking prose, evocative settings, and vividly characterized cast combine to provide a hopeful look at survival and closure.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

Maya MacGregor is a writer, singer, and artist. They sing and write in Gàidhlig and in English. You can find their bilingual work on tor.com, in Steall magazine (summer 2020), and Uncanny magazine, with poetry in Poets’ Republic and elsewhere. They sing with the Glasgow Gaelic Musical Association, the Alba Choir, and Fuaran. THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER is their first young adult novel.

ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE de Jen Marie Hawkins

A love letter to the Beatles, for fans of Love and Gelato and Everybody Sees the Ants.

ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE
by Jen Marie Hawkins
Owl Hollow Press, August 2021
(via KT Literary)

When Jo lost her father three years earlier under mysterious circumstances, he began appearing in her dreams, beckoning her to London where he’d been the lead singer of an internationally acclaimed Beatles cover band. She has long been almost certain he isn’t really dead, but she can’t shake the feeling that something’s being kept from her. So when she has the opportunity to go to London, she jumps at the chance to follow his trail. Once in London, Jo meets Henry, a broody, Beatles-hating photographer who’s an intriguing mix of quantum physics and pseudoscience…and just might have the key to finding her father. Armed with an atlas of Britain’s supernatural ley lines and a tenuous friendship, they set out to uncover the truth and discover what they’ve grown to mean to each other.

Jen Marie Hawkins is a nurse-turned-writer. She writes books for young adults and the young at heart and is the author or The Language of Cherries. She is a creative writing coach for Author Accelerator, and her short works can be found in literary magazines including the Decameron Journal. Two of her novel-length manuscripts have been finalists for the YARWA Rosemary Award and the RWA Maggie Award. Originally from South Carolina, she now resides in the Houston, Texas area with her husband, two sons, and enough animals to qualify her home as a wildlife center. When she is not reading or writing stories sprinkled with magic, you can find her cuddling her boys and daydreaming about traveling the world.

PORTRAIT OF A THIEF de Grace D. Li

Ocean’s Eleven meets The Farewell in this lush, lyrical heist novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums; about diaspora, the colonization of art, and the complexity of the Chinese American identity.

PORTRAIT OF A THIEF
by Grace D. Li
‎ Tiny Reparations Books, April 2022
(via KT Literary)

History is told by the conquerors. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now.
Will Chen plans to steal them back.
A senior at Harvard, Will fits comfortably in his carefully curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son who has always been his parents’ American Dream. But when a mysterious Chinese benefactor reaches out with an impossible—and illegal—job offer, Will finds himself something else as well: the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless Chinese sculptures, looted from Beijing centuries ago. 
His crew is every heist archetype one can imagine—or at least, the closest he can get. A con artist: Irene Chen, a public policy major at Duke who can talk her way out of anything. A thief: Daniel Liang, a premed student with steady hands just as capable of lockpicking as suturing. A getaway driver: Lily Wu, an engineering major who races cars in her free time. A hacker: Alex Huang, an MIT dropout turned Silicon Valley software engineer. Each member of his crew has their own complicated relationship with China and the identity they’ve cultivated as Chinese Americans, but when Will asks, none of them can turn him down. 
Because if they succeed? They earn fifty million dollars—and a chance to make history. But if they fail, it will mean not just the loss of everything they’ve dreamed for themselves but yet another thwarted attempt to take back what colonialism has stolen.
Equal parts beautiful, thoughtful, and thrilling, PORTRAIT OF A THIEF is a cultural heist and an examination of Chinese American identity, as well as a necessary critique of the lingering effects of colonialism.

Named A Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Marie Claire, Veranda, PopSugar, Paste, The Millions, Medium, Crimereads, Goodreads, Bookbub, Boston.com

Grace D. Li grew up in Pearland, Texas and is a graduate of Duke University, where she studied biology and creative writing. She lives in Northern California and attends medical school at Stanford University. PORTRAIT OF A THIEF is her debut novel and is currently in development at Netflix, with Grace serving as an executive producer for the series.

A SHOT AT NORMAL de Marisa Reichardt

A powerful and timely novel about justice, agency, family, and taking your shot, even when it seems impossible.

A SHOT AT NORMAL
by Marisa Reichardt
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, February 2021

Dr. Villapando told me to get a good attorney. He wasn’t serious. But I am. I’m going to sue my parents.
Juniper Jade’s parents are hippies. They didn’t attend the first Woodstock, but they were there for the second one. The Jade family lives an all-organic homeschool lifestyle that means no plastics, no cell phones, and no vaccines. It isn’t exactly normal, but it’s the only thing Juniper has ever known. She doesn’t agree with her parents on everything, but she knows that to be in this family, you’ve got to stick to the rules. That is, until the unthinkable happens.
Juniper contracts the measles and unknowingly passes the disease along, with tragic consequences. She is shell-shocked. Juniper knows she is responsible and feels simultaneously helpless and furious at her parents, and herself.
Now, with the help of Nico, the boy who works at the library and loves movies and may just be more than a friend, Juniper comes to a decision: she is going to get vaccinated. Her parents refuse so Juniper arms herself with a lawyer and prepares for battle. But is waging war for her autonomy worth losing her family? How much is Juniper willing to risk for a shot at normal?

Marisa Reichardt lives in Southern California with her family. Underwater was her debut novel.