In this 2013 interview, artist and author Gene Luen Yang discusses the evolution of the graphic novel. Yang’s own autobiographical book, American Born Chinese, was the first graphic novel nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association’s Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young-adult literature.
In Greg Howard’s second middle-grade novel, Middle School’s a Drag: You Better Werk!, entrepreneurial pre-teen Mikey Pruitt thinks his new talent agency can’t miss, now that he’s representing an eighth-grade aspiring drag queen. Readers won’t be surprised to find out that things don’t go as smoothly as Mikey anticipates. Howard will discuss the book at Parnassus Books in Nashville on February 11, at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on February 13, and at the SE-YA Book Fest in Murfreesboro on March 12-14.
In Allies, his latest novel for young readers, New York Times bestselling author and Knoxville native Alan Gratz returns to a favorite subject: World War II depicted through the eyes of young people. Gratz will appear at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on October 23.
When 16-year-old Emma Chance loses her best friend to suicide, she never dreams that one of her new classmates will turn out to be his clone. In The Similars, first-time YA author Rebecca Hanover uses a story about human cloning to examine the evils of sexism, racism, and xenophobia.
In We Are Lost and Found, Helene Dunbar tells the story of three teens navigating the turbulent waters of New York City as the AIDS crisis emerges. Dunbar will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on September 6; Ya-Hoo Fest in Chattanooga on September 21; and the Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville on October 11-13.
In The Problim Children: Carnival Catastrophe, Chattanooga author Natalie Lloyd weaves startling visions, family secrets, and magical powers into a perfect balance of sweet and tart that’s just plain fun. Lloyd will appear at the 2019 SCBWI Fall Conference autograph party in Franklin on September 14 and Ya-Hoo Fest in Chattanooga on September 21.
