THE HUNGER HEROES: MISSED MEAL MAYHEM Wins the OTTER Award!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

A little over a year ago, I shared some excited news about Missed Meal Mayhem, the first graphic novel chapter book in my Hunger Heroes series. The news was that the book had been nominated for an OTTER Award, one of three state book awards the book had been put up for. (You can read the original blog post about the OTTER Award HERE.) The OTTER Award, which is given out by the Washington Library Association, is an especially special award. The list of nominees is put together by a group of librarians, and after a year of reading and discussing all the nominees, the winner of the award is chosen by the KIDS of Washington state. And I am beyond delighted and honored to share that, last week, it was announced that The Hunger Heroes: Missed Meal Mayhem WON the award.

There are even MORE reasons why the OTTER Award is so darn awesome, though, one being that the award highlights and celebrates a very specific type of book: so-called “transitional chapter books.” These books — which fall between picture books/early readers and longer, full-fledged chapter books — aim to both attract AND assist readers. In other words, these books need to be ones that kids will not only love to read, but ones that will help them in their journey to becoming stronger, more confident readers. And that is precisely what I tried to accomplish with Missed Meal Mayhem and its sequel, Snack Cabinet Sabotage. The carefully balanced blend of comics and text was designed to grow readers just as it excited and entertained them. To have a bunch of librarians acknowledge the work I did to make such a book — and, by nominating it for their state’s award, let me know they think I made a successful one — and THEN have thousands of young readers use their vote to declare it their favorite? I can’t think of anything better.

THANK YOU to the Washington Library Association, and THANK YOU to every Washington kid who read The Hunger Heroes: Missed Meal Mayhem, whether they ultimately voted for it not. Because getting kids reading and voicing their thoughts and feelings about books — that’s the real prize.

To learn more about the OTTER Award, click HERE.

To see the official announcement about Missed Meal Mayhem‘s big win, click HERE.

~ Jarrett

A WORK IN PROGRESS Update: Educator’s Guide, Another STARRED Review, and More

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

I just returned home from the final out-of-state school visits of my A Work in Progress tour, and have some news to share, in case you missed my posting about it on social media.

First, this website now has its very own A WORK IN PROGRESS page. On it you’ll find some general information about the book, a list of accolades (with links), and — drumroll please — the Educator’s Guide! This IS deserving a drumroll, because this guide: it’s EPIC. And you can trust me on that, because it wasn’t me who made it.

The Educator’s Guide was made by award-winning middle school media specialist Carrie Friday, and she did SUCH a fantastic job. Using both carefully crafted questions and thoughtful extension activities, Carrie has not only created a resource that will help educators ensure their readers get everything out of A Work in Progress that I could’ve hoped and dreamed, but has found so much more in the book. Her experience and brilliance as a librarian really shine through, and I’m amazed by all the ways she has found to use the book as a launchpad for meaningful discussion and productive exploration. Again: you can find the Educator’s Guide at the A WORK IN PROGRESS page of this site, or by simply clicking HERE.

In other A Work in Progress news: the book received another STARRED review. This time, it’s from Shelf Awareness, and the reviewer (Cade Williams) really got what I was going for. In addition to calling “earnest and inspiring,” Williams says:

Lerner’s novel is striking, sincere, and sensitive to the very real problems of bullying and ostracization. Visually, the book recalls a middle-schooler’s notebook, with a font reminiscent of penciled handwriting and striking cartoonish doodles that illustrate the novel’s events and Will’s emotional reactions to them. Throughout the novel Lerner uses repetition, emphases (such as bolding and capitalization), and free-verse forms to illustrate feelings of chaos and disorientation, anxiety, and oppressive self-loathing, and–eventually–determination and self-acceptance. A Work in Progress conveys a resounding and empowering message of self-love.

THANK YOU, Cade, for the kind words — and for that shiny star!

On top of touring to do school visits and bookstore events to share about A Work in Progress, I’ve also been doing lots of interviews, as well as guest posts at various websites. Only a portion of these posts and interviews have been published or aired. But you can find all of those that have — and keep an eye out for more as they are released — at the PRESS page of this website. Click HERE to head over there. As more interviews and filmed appearances are made public, they’ll be linked on that page.

Thanks to all of you who have already shown A Work in Progress so much love and given it so much support. The book has only been out for a few weeks and it’s already been such a wild, enjoyable ride.

~ Jarrett

NAT THE CAT TAKES A BATH Receives a STARRED Review from School Library Journal!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

I know I already gave it all away in the title of the post, but I’m so jazzed about it, I’m going to say it again down here: Nat the Cat Takes a Bath got a STARRED review from School Library Journal!

I want to say a big THANK YOU to School Library Journal — and a big THANK YOU, in particular, to SLJ reviewer Mary Lanni. It’s extra special when a reviewer really “gets” what you’ve tried to do with a book of yours, and Mary did just that and then some.

I’ve pasted below the full text of the review, and you can also click HERE if you want to check it out on SLJ’s site (which I recommend, since there’s TONS of great stuff on there). Also, if you follow me over on social media, you know I’ve been teasing some big news about Nat that I’ve got to share. This wonderful review isn’t it — this was a total surprise, and one that I learned about just last night. But I promise: the OTHER big news is coming soon!

Nat the Cat Takes a Bath is available wherever books are sold, as is Nat’s first book, Nat the Cat Takes a Nap. As always, if you want your copies of Nat’s books signed (and personalized, if you wish), you can order them from my local indie, The Silver Unicorn. Click HERE to do that.

Thanks!

~ Jarrett

Pub Day Eve for NAT THE CAT TAKES A BATH and A WORK IN PROGRESS!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 2 Comments

Tomorrow, I have TWO books coming out: Nat the Cat Takes a Bath and A Work in Progress. Judging by their covers, the books couldn’t be any more different. But I have similar hopes for both of them. I hope both books find readers, and I hope they both change the way their readers think of themselves.

I hope the kids who discover Nat the Cat Takes a Bath — and have it read aloud to them in their homes or classrooms or libraries — come to think of themselves as kids who love stories, and kids who want to engage with more books. And the kids who read the book on their own — I hope they close the book feeling more certain than ever that they are indeed readers.

I hope the kids who discover A Work in Progress read the book and never again doubt — or never even begin to doubt — that they are worthy of kindness, consideration, compassion, understanding, love, and respect. I also hope the story exercises and expands readers’ empathy, and that it alters the way they interact with the individuals that they cross paths with during their time on this planet.

On the eve of what will be a very big day for me, I also want to make sure to take this opportunity to thank, as always, everyone who supports me and my books, and everyone who puts my books in the hands of the young readers who want and need them. I can’t reach those readers alone. The parents, educators, librarians, administrators, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and others who share my books with the kids in their lives are an absolutely essential part of the equation, and I never, ever take that for granted.

Thank you. And I look forward to hearing what you all think of the books!

~ Jarrett

A WORK IN PROGRESS on the Kids’ Indie Next List!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

In case you missed me shouting about it on social media, I figured I’d share the news here…

A Work in Progress was picked for the May/June 2023 Kids’ Indie Next List!

What IS the Kids’ Indie Next List?

It’s a list (I’m guessing you’d worked that much out) compiled every two months by the independent booksellers of the country and published by the American Booksellers Association. The list contains 31 books — the ten kids’ books in each of three categories (Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adult) that those independent booksellers of the country are MOST excited about (plus one “#1 Pick,” which received the greatest number of votes from the booksellers). This is obviously an enormous honor, and also bodes very well for the book’s performance in the independent booksellers of the country. As a longtime lover and avid supporter of independent bookstores and the hardworking, devoted booksellers who run them, this honor is especially meaningful to me.

You can see a preview of the May/June 2023 Kids’ Indie Next List HERE, and in a matter of days, you’ll be able to find beautifully designed and printed copies of the list at any independent bookstores near you. Below are quotes about the book from a few of the booksellers who voiced their support for A Work in Progress being on the list.

“One of the most relatable middle grade novels ever! Almost all of us have been called names, ones that hurt, ones that we internalize. Names that we beat ourselves up over, body shaming names. The incredible graphics in this book and notebook format illustrate brilliantly the power of words meant to hurt and those words we use against ourselves. We are all works in progress. To root for Will Chambers is to cheer for ourselves!” – Becky Anderson, Anderson’s Bookshop (Naperville, IL)

“Jarrett Lerner has put all of himself into this middle grade, novel in verse, graphic memoir, and the results are stunning… It is a harrowing look at what can go through the mind of a young person, and hopefully will serve as a cautionary tale that it’s important for all of us (not just kids) to remember to love who we are. This outstanding and accessible book figures to be on bookshelves for a very long time.” – Paul Swydan, The Silver Unicorn Bookstore (Acton, MA)

“Will’s journey from self-hate to learning that he is – that everyone is – a work in progress is one that will break your heart and stitch it back together with threads of hope. Every human –age 8 to 108– needs to read this book, because every human has felt less than in their lives.” – Lorie Barber, Anderson’s Bookshop (Naperville, IL)

Once again, THANK YOU BOOKSELLERS!

~ Jarrett

GEEGER THE ROBOT GOES FOR GOLD pub day!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

Today is a big day for Geeger the Robot! The fifth book in his early chapter book series, Geeger the Robot Goes for Gold, comes out today!

Goes for Gold takes place on what was always my second favorite day of the school year: Field Day! (My first favorite day of the school year, by the way, was always the book fair — obviously.) The book is all about winning — and what you can inadvertently lose out on when you focus too much on it.

As Geeger would say: “EN-joooooy.”

~ Jarrett

A WORK IN PROGRESS Receives a STARRED Review from Publishers Weekly!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 5 Comments

With A Work in Progress less than six weeks away from publication (I can hardly believe it), more reviews are rolling in, and just the other day I got a big one: a STARRED review from Publishers Weekly!

Publishers Weekly is perhaps THE go-to publication for everything BOOKS. And in case you don’t know what STARRED review means — the star is there “to denote a book of distinction or particularly high quality.” Below are a couple of my favorite portions from the review, but you can read the whole thing yourself by clicking HERE.

Using succinct and personal-feeling verse, Lerner (the Nat the Cat series) crafts an empathetic illustrated novel about one boy’s experience with body dysmorphia, disordered eating, and stigma… Lerner’s sketch-like illustrations, presented as Will’s own diary doodles, render grayscale caricatures of Will’s classmates, while his own self-portrait, depicted via stark black scribbles, slowly morphs into a monstrous version of himself that fills the page. Employing frenetic pacing and disjointed verse that conveys Will’s growing anxiety and internalized shame, Lerner cultivates a perceptive representation of recovery and self-acceptance.

Publishers Weekly review of A Work in Progress (March 20, 2023)

Thank you to Publishers Weekly for reviewing the book and for honoring it with a STAR.

And just a reminder: you can preorder A Work in Progress wherever books are sold. Click HERE to check out Simon & Schuster’s landing page about the book, where you can access links to a variety of book retailers. And click HERE to visit my local independent bookstore’s landing page for the book. If you order from the Silver Unicorn, I will sign the book, and can also personalize it if you wish.

~ Jarrett

A WORK IN PROGRESS Selected for the 2023 Global Read Aloud!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 8 Comments

Did you hear the news?

A Work in Progress was named the middle school selection for this year’s Global Read Aloud!

To be honest, I’m still finding a bit hard to believe it’s true.

If you know anything about the Global Read Aloud, you can probably understand why that is. If you don’t know anything about the Global Read aloud, you’re probably hoping for an explanation. Well, here you go . . .

The Global Read Aloud was created back in 2010 by the remarkable Pernille Ripp. Every year, she picks a handful of books — each for a different age group. Then, over the course of six weeks in the fall, educators all over the world read that book with their students, all while simultaneously making as many global connections as possible. There are robust, highly active online communities (on a variety of social media platforms) where educators discuss ideas and share student work and — perhaps most amazingly and importantly — make plans to connect. Far-flung classrooms communicate with one another via Zoom, Skype, Twitter, Padlet, Flipgrid, or good old-fashioned letter writing, forging incredibly productive connections, all based around the shared reading and exploration of a single book. In the thirteen years since it’s been around, the Global Read Aloud has reached millions — you read that right: multiple millions — of kids.

I mean, how cool is all of that?!

The creators of the books also often get involved — and I’m already brainstorming ways I can do so — but I feel like that’s just a bonus. The heart of this project, the beautiful, wonderful, profound result, is the global community that is created. The relationships that are formed among educators who would otherwise never meet. The connections that are made among kids, and the ways in which their voices are celebrated and their perspectives are expanded.

To learn more about the Global Read Aloud — especially if you are an educator who wants to get involved! — click HERE.

Thank you (again and again) to Pernille Ripp for selecting this deeply personal, very special book of mine for inclusion in the Global Read Aloud. And to the thousands of teachers and tens of thousands of kids who will be reading my book as part of the project this fall, thank YOU. I’m eager to see what you make of and do with my book, and hope to connect with as many of you as possible.

~ Jarrett

COVER REVEAL: Geeger the Robot: Field Trip

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

I’m thrilled to share here the cover of the sixth installment of my Geeger the Robot series of early chapter books, once again absolutely smashed out of the park by the great Serge Siedlitz and my exceptional team at Simon & Schuster/Aladdin.

Field Trip marks the first time Geeger ventures outside of the safe, comfortable confines of Amblerville Elementary School — a wonderfully exciting but also somewhat scary prospect for the bot. Below I’ve shared my publisher’s official description of the book, which comes out on September 5th, 2023, but is now available for preorder wherever books are sold. As always, if you want your copies of the book signed (or signed and personalized), you can order from my local independent bookstore, The Silver Unicorn. Click HERE to do that!

As always, THANKS!

~ Jarrett

Amelia Bedelia meets James Patterson’s House of Robots series in the adventures of Geeger in the sixth and final story in a fun-to-read Aladdin QUIX chapter book series that’s perfect for emerging readers!

Geeger the Robot and his class go on a field trip to the Amblerville History Museum, and he’s surprised to see all the other incredible inventions that came before robots. But not every museumgoer thinks robots are amazing. Can Geeger change their minds?

Kirkus Reviews’ Review of A WORK IN PROGRESS

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 2 Comments

In case you missed it, Kirkus Reviews — one of the book industry’s top review publications — just printed its review of A Work in Progress. They said some pretty wonderful things.

I especially love how they mentioned that the book will help many readers feel seen, and that it will help others better see them. And, I mean, “very affecting,” “powerful,” “successful” — what more could an author ask for?!

Thank you, Kirkus! I’ve pasted their review in its entirety below.

And just a reminder: A Work in Progress hits shelves on May 2nd (less than two months from today!), but you can preorder RIGHT NOW wherever books are sold. Preorder from my local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn, if you want your copy (or copies) of the book signed (or signed and personalized). Click HERE to do that!

Thanks!

~ Jarrett

. . .

Please note: advanced review copies (or ARCs) rarely contain final artwork. This is the case for A Work in Progress. The majority of the art in the book’s ARC is outlined and unshaded. This is why, in their review, Kirkus says, “All characters appear White.” In the book’s final art, several characters have skin tones of various shades.