Awards!

AS THE CROW FLIES by Melanie Gillman won the 2018 EGL Best of Middle Grade Award and is on the shortlist for the 2018 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids' Comics.

ELEMENTS: FIRE, edited by Taneka Stotts, won the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Anthology.

MONSTER SCIENCE, illustrated by Phil McAndrew (and written by Helaine Becker), was named a 2018 Forest of Reading Silver Birch Honor book.

O HUMAN STAR by Blue Delliquanti won a 2018 Prism Award in the Webcomics category.

THE CARPET MERCHANT OF KONSTANTINIYYA by Reimena Yee was nominated for a 2018 Eisner Award in the Best Digital Comic category.

THE WITCH BOY by Molly Ostertag won the 2018 EBSCO SEE-IT Award, won a 2018 Prism Award in the Mainstream Comics and Graphic Novels category, and is on the shortlist for the 2018 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids' Comics.

New Release: THISBY THESTOOP AND THE BLACK MOUNTAIN

THISBY THESTOOP AND THE BLACK MOUNTAIN
by Zac Gorman, art by Sam Bosma (HarperCollins, Apr 2018)

Surrounded by all creatures gruesome and grotesque, Thisby Thestoop, the gamekeeper for the Black Mountain Dungeon, is getting roped into another job -saving the princess’s skin - in the debut fantasy-adventure series by Zac Gorman, contributor to the hilarious Rick and Morty comic series.

In the absurd land of Nth, Thisby Thestoop can be found within the forlorn walls of Castle Grimstone, down the precarious steps of the Black Mountain dungeon, up to her nose in griffon toenails, gnoll spittle, and troll meat (to give to them, not made of them).

When the prince and princess arrive for a Royal Inspection, the much too good-looking Princess Iphigenia winds up lost in the tunnels of the dungeon - without her guards, her staff, or her younger twin brother - and it’s up to Thisby to guide the princess safely past the hoards of minotaurs, wyverns, ghouls, and who-knows-what-else that would love nothing more than to nosh the royal highness for dinner.

Thisby Thestoop and Princess Iphigenia have a dangerous adventure ahead of them. If they’re going to a rescue the missing prince, stop a mounting war, and keep safe all the creatures who call the mountain dungeon home, they’ll have to learn how to trust each other.

Select Praise for THISBY THESTOOP:

- Kirkus review: “A proper adventure story.”

- School Library Journal review: “Tweens will instantly connect with innovative, hardworking Thisby and cheer her on. ... The story is an intriguing page-turner.”

- Publishers Weekly review: “Gorman makes a strong children’s book debut ... delivering a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure. Clever Thisby and forceful Iphigenia make a delightfully odd pairing as they form an unlikely friendship amid the chaos and danger, and Bosma’s ghoulish b&w illustrations further help bring the characters and creatures to life.” 

- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books review: “The strength of this first novel of a planned series is certainly its menagerie of familiar and unfamiliar monsters, which Thisby helms as a young and extraordinary zookeeper.”

Awards and Nominations round-up!

AGENTS OF THE REALM by Mildred Louis was nominated for the 2018 Slate Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Webcomic of the Year.

AS THE CROW FLIES by Melanie Gillman was named a 2018 Stonewall Honor Book, is a 2018 EGL finalist in both the Best of Middle Grade and Mosaic Award categories, and is one of YALSA's 2018 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

ELEMENTS: FIRE, edited by Taneka Stotts, won a silver medal in the 2018 Independent Publisher Book Awards in the Graphic Novel / Drawn Book category and was nominated for two 2018 DINKy Awards. Shivana Sookdeo's contribution "Breath, Plucked From Heaven" was nominated for the 2018 Slate Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Print Comic of the Year. 

FULL CIRCLE by Taneka Stotts and Christianne Goudreau was named a 2018 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity nominee.

THE HAUNTED HOUSE PROJECT by Tricia Clasen is a 2017 Voya Top Shelf Fiction selection for middle grade readers. 

NO BETTER WORDS by Carolyn Nowak was nominated for a 2018 DINKy Award.

O HUMAN STAR by Blue Delliquanti made the 2017 James Tiptree Jr. Award longlist.

POCKETS by Melanie Gillman was nominated for two 2018 DINKy Awards and won in the Best Mini Comic category.

THE PRICE OF ACCEPTANCE by Sarah Searle was nominated for the 2018 Slate Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Webcomic of the Year.

THE WITCH BOY by Molly Knox Ostertag is a 2018 EGL finalist and one of YALSA's 2018 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

New Release: SPEAK: The Graphic Novel

SPEAK: The Graphic Novel (FSG, Feb 2018)
by Laurie Halse Anderson, art by Emily Carroll

The critically acclaimed, award-winning, modern classic SPEAK is now a stunning graphic novel.

"Speak up for yourself - we want to know what you have to say."

From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless - an outcast - because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her.

Through her work on an art project, she is finally able to face what really happened that night: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her.

With powerful illustrations by Emily Carroll, Laurie Halse Anderson's SPEAK comes alive for new audiences and fans of the classic novel.

Select praise for SPEAK: The Graphic Novel:

- Kirkus starred review: "A masterful graphic novel transformation... this visual adaptation takes readers outside Melinda’s head and sits them alongside her, seeing what she sees and feeling the importance and power of her desire to create art and express herself. Carroll’s stark black-and-white illustrations are exquisitely rendered, capturing the mood through a perfectly calibrated lens. With the rise of women finding their voices and speaking out about sexual assault in the media, this reworking of the enduring 1999 classic should be on everyone’s radar. Powerful, necessary, and essential."

- School Library Journal starred review: "This potent retelling of the modern classic SPEAK blends words and images to create magic: a new representation of a teen whose voice is ripped from her, the battles she must wage to find it again, and the triumph of finally being able to speak out. Carroll’s grayscale artwork perfectly depicts the starkness of Melinda’s depression...This gripping, powerful work will introduce SPEAK to a brand-new audience and enthrall longtime fans."

- Booklist starred review: "Carroll, well-known for her horror comics, does an excellent job of bringing the vignettes of Anderson’s novel to the graphic format...Carroll powerfully evokes moods with creeping, smudgy shadows; faces with missing eyes and mouths; and jagged panel borders. Grasping hands reach down from tree branches until trees and hands are tumbled together in a juddering haystack of overlapping lines. Those moments are striking, but they’re even more striking when set against scenes of Melinda’s quiet, isolated day-to-day reality, as well as her gradual growth and steps toward recovery. Carroll strikes a deft balance, gracefully juggling the acute terror of Melinda’s rape, the pernicious paranoia that follows her in its wake, the swirling rumors and bullying surrounding her, and glimmering moments of hope and comfort. With spellbinding artwork, this exceptional adaptation masterfully does justice to its source material while adding new depth and nuance." 

- Horn Book starred review: "In this new graphic novel adaptation of Anderson’s SPEAK - a powerful narrative of a freshman’s year of self-preservation after a brutal sexual assault - artist Carroll starkly renders protagonist Melinda’s pain and healing in black and white, expertly deploying visual perspective and tension to sharpen the emotional impact."

- Shelf Awareness starred review: "The entire graphic novel is illustrated in grayscale, allowing the work to be as visually dark as its content. Strong lines, overlapping panels and clever use of blank space show Carroll's skill in creating Melinda's stifling, near-silent world. SPEAK: The Graphic Novel is hypnotizing and heart-breaking, with the kind of empowering finish that unshackles protagonist and readers alike."