As you can see from the title of this post, today is BIG day for me. I have not one, not two, but THREE books coming out.
First up, my sixth Nat the Cat early reader, Nat the Cat Sets a Trap. Yes, the trap is for Pat the Rat. But don’t worry, as Nat says in the book–it’s a nice trap.
Nat the Cat Sets a Trap provides readers with another dose of the Nat the Cat format they have come to know–the usual silliness, the emotional roller coaster of it all, and a bit of sweetness to close things out–but also develops the characters and their increasingly caring relationship (which, by the way, is all carefully done to lead the way into Nat and Pat’s new series of early graphic novels, which launch this November with Nat the Cat and Mysterious Thing. More on all that soon…).
This book has also has an extra layer of personal meaning for me, as it’s dedicated to my wife, Danni. Like Pat the Rat, Danni is someone who thoroughly enjoys and celebrates the little, often overlooked things in life. She’s changed how I see and approach the world for the better, in countless ways. Nat the Cat Sets a Trap is, in part, me sharing that with my readers and the world.
Next up, another Nat and Pat-related book: Nat the Cat Five Books in One! This is exactly what it sounds like: five Nat the Cat books all bound-up in a single volume–and, my publisher would probably like me to add in here, all for one very reasonable price, especially when compared to what it’d cost to buy five Nat the Cat books individually. The five books collected in Nat the Cat Five Books in One! are the first five Nat early readers: Nat the Cat Takes a Nap, Nat the Cat Takes a Bath, Nat the Cat Has a Snack, Nat the Cat Has a Hat, and Nat the Cat Finds a Map (in other words, the bind-up is only missing Nat the Cat Sets a Trap).
This past weekend, at the Silver Unicorn’s Kids Graphic Novel Festival, the shop got the go-ahead from my publisher to sell this book a few days early, and it was, I’m pretty sure, my bestselling title of the day. Even kids and families who already owned the first five Nat the Cat books were purchasing a copy of Nat the Cat Five Books in One!, both for the ease of having them all together, and because young readers who can read the Nat the Cat books on their own were delighted and proud to own a book as thick as this bind-up is.
And last of all–but DEFINITELY not least of all–the third book I have coming out today is… drumroll please… The Super Roomies: Lake of Slime.
If you follow me on social media, you’ve been hearing A LOT about this book. Lake of Slime is the start of not only a brand-new series, but a brand-new line of books: Star Chapter Books, from Simon Spotlight/Simon & Schuster. These books are all “early graphic novels,” and every single one of them is 112 pages long, split up into six to eight chapters, with each page containing between one and four panels and, typically, no more than a sentence or two per panel. If that sounds very specific, well, IT IS. But for very good reasons. Simon Spotlight (who also publish all my Nat the Cat books, and all the other Ready-to-Read titles out there) endeavors to make high-interest books that not only delight young readers, but help them learn and grow as readers, building their capability and confidence with each and every turn of the page. All of the Simon Spotlight editors, art directors, designers, and creators are extremely thoughtful about the choices made in these books, wanting to be effective about turning kids into readers by making books that are both FUN and helpful at the same time. These Star Chapter Books fill a hole in the marketplace that has become more and more apparent as we learn more about kids’ reading and observe more about this specific generation of kids’ book-related wants and needs.
I’m so grateful that I was asked to be a part of the Star Chapter Books crew and to help launch this new line, because Simon Spotlight’s core mission perfectly aligns with mine and the goals of my career from the get-go. And, to toot our own horn a bit, I think we absolutely NAILED IT. But you don’t have to listen to me. You can listen to everyone else! Because over the course of the past few months, The Super Roomies: Lake of Slime has been racking up good press and high praise. It received TWO starred reviews (one from School Library Journal and one from Publishers Weekly), and both of those reviews were packed full of wildly kind comments and comparisons. The book was also named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and just this past weekend was named an Amazon Editor’s Pick and Best Book of the Month.
Lake of Slime will be quickly followed up, in August, by the second installment of the Super Roomies series, Paint the Town Pink, with a third book to follow in 2027. Below, you can get a sneak peek at the interior of Lake of Slime. If you want to see more, you can get your hands on the book anywhere books are sold. As always, if you order any of my books through my local indie, the Silver Unicorn, I can sign, doodle-in, and (if you want) personalize the books before you pick them up (if you’re nearby) or they ship them out to you. Click HERE to get shopping for my books at the Silver Unicorn!
~ Jarrett
And here’s that sneak peek at the interior of LAKE OF SLIME (please note: these pages are not in order, but just a handful from here and there that my publisher opted to share to show what readers can expect to find inside the book). Enjoy!
Jarrett Lerner 