What an honor to have Isabel — and some of her wonderful artwork! — here on my blog. Another honor: Isabel has asked me to reveal the cover of her next book, The Last Dodo, the second book in her The Adventures of Team Pom series of graphic novels. If you have yet to check out the first graphic novel in the series, Squid Happens, hurry up and get yourself a copy! It is a super quirky, wholly unique, downright delightful and exciting story with page after page of Isabel’s extraordinary artwork. And so, now, without further ado, here it is — the cover of Isabel Roxas’s The Adventures of Team Pom: The Last Dodo!
The Last Dodo hits shelves on October 4th, but you can — and should! — preorder it now wherever books are sold.
A few days ago, I learned that my graphic novel chapter book, The Hunger Heroes: Missed Meal Mayhem, had been given a Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award Honor. Like similar awards across the country, the committee behind this one is made up of a group of thoughtful, talented, and passionate librarians — which makes this honor all the more remarkable and exciting for me. These are professionals who know what kinds of books kids — the kids of our world, TODAY — both want and need.
Missed Meal Mayhem was singled out for its excellence as a “transitional” book, meaning it’s uniquely equipped to help grow young readers, boosting their confidence and increasing their abilities as they eagerly turn the pages. These readers are precisely who I had in mind when I created this series of books. The Hunger Heroes series’ unique format — which carefully includes occasional blocks of text within a larger, more traditional graphic novel — was designed to reach these readers and do exactly what these Maryland librarians have said the book has done and is doing with their readers. As a book-maker, there’s not much better than getting this sort of affirmation. The only thing better, in fact, is hearing directly from kids about how much they enjoy your work, and learning that what you hoped your work would do for them has done that and then some.
Click HERE to learn more about the Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award and the books on their lists, both past and present.
Click HERE to learn more about The Hunger Heroes series and the creation of The Hunger Heroes: Missed Meal Mayhem in particular.
And once more: THANK YOU to the Maryland librarians for considering my book and giving it this awesome honor!
Today, February 22nd 2022 (2/22/22!), I have TWO books out. I know, I know — insert mind-blown emoji here. But anyway, the two books are: the paperback edition of The EngiNerds Strike Back (the third Middle Grade novel in my EngiNerds series, originally released in hardcover on February 2nd, 2021) and the paperback edition of Geeger the Robot: Party Pal (the fourth early chapter book in my Geeger the Robot series, originally released in hardcover on February 1st, 2022).
While the hardcover versions of these books have been available for one year and three weeks, respectively, these paperback releases are well worth celebrating. Why? Because paperbacks are cheaper! MUCH cheaper! This means the books will now end up in the hands of even more kids — which, of course, is the goal.
Look for the paperback versions of The EngiNerds Strike Back and Geeger the Robot: Party Pal at your local independent bookstore or the online retailer of your choice. As always, if you order copies of the books from my local indie, Porter Square Books, I’ll sign and, if you wish, personalize the books before the fine folks at Porter send them your way. (Click HERE to head to my page at PSB.) Also as always — and as goes not only for my books, but for any other creators’ traditionally published books — if you can’t find the books on the shelf, ask your bookseller! That’s what they’re there for. They can easily, and happily, get the books in, and by having them do so, you are supporting creators in a big way.
If you’ve read any of my Geeger the Robot early chapter books, you’ve probably noticed something interesting about my author portraits at the back of the books (or, if you’ve got the hardcover versions, on the back flap of the jacket): none of them were drawn by me! All of them were drawn by kids — by the winners, specifically, of my Draw the Author Contest. (You can learn more about the contest, and see the winners’ drawings, here and here.)
When I held that contest, I only knew there were going to be four Geeger books. But not long after the first book came out, I learned that my publisher was extending the series to at least six books. Do you see what I’m getting at? I need some more author portraits! And I’d love for them to be done by kids, so that two more kids out there in the world can go from being illustrators (because if they’re drawing, they’re already that) to published illustrators.
And so, without further ado, I hereby announce and open submissions for . . .
See below for the official announcement, instructions, reference photos, and all the legal stuff I’m required to include. Happy drawing!
~ Jarrett
. . .
CALLING ALL YOUNG ARTISTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 5 AND 12! If you would like to enter this Draw the Author contest for a chance to have your artwork appear in Jarrett Lerner’s upcoming Geeger the Robot books, first talk to your parent or legal guardian to make sure you have their approval, then take a look at the reference pictures of me, make your portrait, and follow the submission directions below!
Please note: Submissions will be open until midnight (Eastern Standard Time) on April 30th, 2022.
RERERENCE PHOTOS:
SUBMISSION DIRECTIONS:
First, please read the Official Information and Rules below. Then, once you have completed your portrait, follow these steps:
(1) copy and paste the Submission Form (below, in bold) into a blank email
(2) fill out ALL of the requested information
(3) attach your portrait of Jarrett Lerner to the email (if possible, please save the image as a .jpg or .pdf file)
and
(4) send the email to DrawTheAuthorContest@gmail.com
SUBMISSION FORM
Name of Artist:
Age of Artist:
School Grade of Artist:
Location of Artist (State, or Town/City and State):
Name of Artist’s Parent or Legal Guardian:
Email address of Artist’s Parent or Legal Guardian:
Additional Comments (optional):
By submitting this information and artwork, we, the above-named Artist and the above-named Artist’s parent or legal guardian, acknowledge that we have read and understand this Contest’s Official Rules.
(IMPORTANT: Please make sure to include the acknowledgement statement above in your submission!)
OFFICIAL RULES AND INFORMATION:
CONTEST
Jarrett Lerner (the “Author”) needs new author portraits for his upcoming Geeger the Robot books (published by Simon & Schuster/Aladdin). Rather than create the portraits himself, Jarrett would like to give young artists the opportunity to have their artwork (and name) published in the books. Please read all of the information below to find out more about the contest.
THE PRIZE
One (1) winner will have their portrait of the author published in Geeger the Robot Book 5 and one (1) winner will have their portrait of the author published in Geeger the Robot Book 6.
HOW THE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN (CRITERIA)
All entries will be judged by Jarrett Lerner (the “Author”) according to the following criteria:
To enter the Contest, follow these steps: (1) copy and paste the Submission Form that is shared above the Official Information and Rules into a blank email, (2) fill out ALL of the requested information, (3) attach your portrait of Jarrett Lerner to the email, and (4) send the email to DrawTheAuthorContest@gmail.com. Art can be done with any materials the artist wishes/prefers to use (pencil, pen, marker, crayon, paint, collage, digital methods, etc.). Art can be any size, but please note that the Contest Winner’s portrait will need to be scaled down to fit into the book.
IMPORTANT: Please read these rules (the “Official Rules”) before entering this contest (the “Contest”). Participation in the Contest constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the contest sponsor (the “Author”), which are final and binding. Winning the prize is contingent upon being compliant with these Official Rules and fulfilling all other requirements set forth herein. NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST.
OFFICIAL RULES
The Contest is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are between the ages of five (5) and twelve (12) at the time of entry and who have approval of their parent or legal guardian. The Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Participation in the Contest constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Author, which are final and binding. Winning the prize is contingent upon being compliant with these Official Rules and fulfilling all other requirements set forth herein.
The Contest begins on Friday, February 4, 2020 at 7:30 am Eastern Standard Time and ends on Saturday, April 30 at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (the “Contest Period”). Submissions that are made before or after the Contest Period will be disqualified. Only those submissions made by the proper method and completed in full will be eligible for consideration for the duration of the Contest Period. Author will not be responsible for and will not consider incomplete or incorrect submissions. Author is not responsible for submissions that are sent to but not received by Author for any reason.
The Contest Winner and their Parent or Legal Guardian will be notified by email using the email address provided to Author when they initially entered the contest. If the Contest Winner and their Parent or Legal Guardian do not respond to the notification within five (5) business days, another winner will be chosen. Failure to respond within the time frame listed above shall mean that the provisional winner forfeits the prize.
Only one submission per artist will be considered for contest entry.
By making a submission to Author, you represent and warrant that the submission is the sole and exclusive work of the named Artist. By making a submission to Author, you also represent and warrant that the submission does not infringe on any copyright, trademark, property rights, rights of privacy or publicity of any person, or any other right of any third party and that you have the full and unrestricted right to transfer the artwork to Author free and clear of any claims or encumbrances. You also acknowledge and agree that Author shall have no obligation to post, display, or otherwise make publicly available any artwork that you submit.
Contest Winner and their Parent or Legal Guardian may not request substitutions of prize winnings.
Neither Author nor their officers, directors, employees, agents, successors, or assigns shall be liable for any warranty, costs, damage, injury, or any other claims incurred as a result of any submission. Author is not liable for any loss arising out of or in connection with any submission. Entrants assume all liability for and risk of any injury or damage caused, or claimed to be caused, by participation in Contest or use or redemption of prize.
If the specified prize becomes unavailable for any reason, Author in their sole and absolute discretion may substitute a prize.
Contest is null and void in any jurisdiction where it is prohibited by law.
Author reserves the right in their sole and absolute discretion to terminate Contest at any time without prior notice.
Author reserves the right in their sole and absolute discretion to alter Contest rules at any time.
By entering this Contest, you conclusively are deemed to have agreed to be bound by these contest rules and terms and conditions. This is an irrevocable condition of entry.
Contest Winner will be chosen by Author on the merits of their entry, in Author’s sole and absolute discretion (see CRITERIA above for more information).
No purchase or payment of any consideration is necessary to enter the Contest.
Author reserves the right to condition the award of prize upon the execution by the Contest Winner and their Parent or Legal Guardian of a publicity release.
Author reserves the right to require the Contest Winner and their Parent or Legal Guardian to execute an affidavit of eligibility as a sworn document and provide other proof of eligibility as a condition of receipt of the prize or award.
Today, the first day of the month of February in the year 2022, my next book — my TENTH book — is officially out in the world. And it seems appropriate that I’ve reached this milestone with this book in particular. It’s Geeger the Robot: Party Pal, after all. It’s a book about CELEBRATION.
But it’s not just me who needs to be celebrated today. We also need to celebrate Ariah Lowell, one of the winners of my Draw the Author contest, whose brilliant portrait of me appears in Geeger the Robot: Party Pal. Today, Ariah is officially a published illustrator! (Click here and/or here to learn more about the contest — and keep your eyes peeled for an exciting, related announcement coming in the next day or two!)
If you preordered the hardcover version of Geeger the Robot: Party Pal, you should be getting your copy today. Starting today, you’ll also be able to find the hardcover version of the book wherever books are sold. The paperback version, however, is slightly late to the party. Three weeks late, to be exact — which, in the publishing world, really is only a slight delay. If you preordered a copy of Party Pal, you can expect it on February 22nd. And starting that day, you’ll also be able to find the paperback version wherever books are sold. See below to learn a bit more about this fourth book in the Geeger the Robot series. And to learn more about the other books in the series, head to the Geeger the Robot page of this website (or click here).
Thank you to everyone who has supported this series of mine — and who has supported me and my work in general. You have helped get me here, to my tenth published book, and I am enormously grateful. Now, here’s the next ten!
~ Jarrett
. . .
In this fourth book in the Geeger the Robot series, we find Geeger on his way to a birthday party. And not just any birthday party. It’s a birthday party for his best friend, Tillie! But Geeger has never been to a birthday party before. And he’s a bit confused about why all the other guests have brought these boxes with them, each one wrapped in shiny, fancily designed paper. What are they? Was Geeger supposed to bring one, too? When Geeger realizes he’s made a mistake, his excitement about the party sours. Can he figure out what to give Tillie before she realizes he showed up empty-handed? Find out in Geeger the Robot: Party Pal, available wherever books are sold!
It’s been a busy week for a certain group of superheroic ingredients…
I’m talking about the Hunger Heroes, of course!
Not only did their first book, Missed Meal Mayhem, come out, but I also revealed the cover of their second adventure, Snack Cabinet Sabotage. In case you missed it, here it is!
Snack Cabinet Sabotage will soar onto shelves next summer — on August 23rd, 2022, to be specific — but is available for preorder now wherever books are sold.
Thanks to everyone who has celebrated the (long-awaited, I know…) launch of this new series of mine. It’s been amazing to see reviews coming in, and to start receiving fan art of Mr. Toots, Chip Ninja, Tammy, and Leonard from kids. I’m so glad these characters and stories that have been cooped up in my imagination for so long are now out there in the world, filling the imaginations of my readers.
At long last, The Hunger Heroes: Missed Meal Mayhem, the first book in my new graphic novel chapter book series, is OUT! If you preordered the book and have yet to get your copies, they should be arriving soon. And you can now found the book everywhere and anywhere books are sold! (And as always, if you don’t see it on the shelf at your local independent bookstore or library, ask a bookseller or librarian to get a copy for you!)
I can’t wait for kids to FINALLY get to meet Mr. Toots, Chip Ninja, Tammy, and Leonard. I hope they enjoy the crew’s first adventure, and that they’re left wanting more! And if that’s the case, they won’t have to wait too long. I just wrapped up work on the second book in the The Hunger Heroes series. That book, The Hunger Heroes: Snack Cabinet Sabotage, will be released on August 23rd, 2022 — but I’ll actually be revealing the cover for it soon!
And just in case you haven’t checked it out yet, make sure to head over to the page here at my website that is dedicated to all things The Hunger Heroes. (Click HERE to get there now, or find it in the Menu bar up top!) There you can find lots more information about the Hunger Heroes, their books, and a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff about the creation of their world and Missed Meal Mayhem, their first adventure. I hope the insights and information shared there are interesting and encouraging for all the kids out there who love making characters and comics of their own.
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has already supported this book/series of mine. I’m grateful — and glad that it’s finally out in the world!
My name is… Katherine Battersby. If you put my first and last name over the top of each other you’ll notice that four of the letters are exactly the same. Which can make signing books tricky as sometimes I forget which name I’m writing and end up signing ‘Kathersby’. It’s extremely embarrassing to misspell your own name.
I am a… mischief maker, a wanderer, a carefully planned adventurer, a lover of travel and tea and stories in all their forms. I am also an author and illustrator. I’ve always loved books and honestly I feel like the luckiest person in the world that I now get to make them for a living.
As a kid, I was… small. Yes, I was physically small, but I also felt small. I recall vividly what it was like to feel small in a big world. Writing and drawing has always been my way of trying to make sense of this. Even as an adult, I still feel small sometimes – all of my books explore this experience in some way or another. Cranky Chicken, for all her crankiness, ultimately feels a bit lost and alone. Luckily she has a cheerful worm to help balance things out (I would recommend everyone find a cheerful worm).
Writing is… joy. Not always — sometimes it’s just hard work. But it’s the joy that keeps me coming back. Creating something from nothing makes me feel a bit like a magician and when you get it just right it really is magic. Writing has always been my little sanctuary — a place to hide out when the world gets too much.
Drawing is… harder than writing. For me, anyway! As an illustrator I wear a lot of different hats. Some days I’m a costume designer, creating entire wardrobes for my characters to wear. Some days I’m a counsellor, figuring out what all my characters are feeling (and why). Some days I’m a set designer, creating furniture and rugs and living spaces. I even have to be an architect, designing homes and cities and entire worlds. I don’t always feel clever enough to do what I do, but I love to learn and this job is all about learning.
Reading is… escape. I love visiting other worlds and getting to experience lives and characters and events that I never could have otherwise. But when I say escape, I don’t mean an escape from the big things that happen in life. When I read I want to be moved. I want to be challenged. I tend to seek out books that ask something of me.
Books are… a mirror. Anyone can pick up the right book and feel seen and heard and understood. Or at least they should be able to. This is why it’s so important to have diverse books from diverse creators. Every child (and person) deserves the chance to see themselves in a book.
Did you know… that chickens are terrifying? It’s true. They have sharp beaks and beady little eyes and they’re unpredictable. I was chased by many chickens in my childhood. This is where the idea for Cranky Chicken came from. Although as I was making the book I realised I can relate to the cranky worldview more than I care to admit…
You can find me… anywhere there’s water. I grew up overlooking the ocean and have always been drawn to the sound of running water. I don’t live near the ocean anymore but I seek out the river everyday. If you can’t find me there, try here:
The Hunger Heroes, my series of graphic novel chapter books, launches four weeks from today, when the first book in the series, Missed Meal Mayhem, publishes. Starting tomorrow, this crew of superheroic taco ingredients will be dominating my social media feeds, as I share tons of fun, cool stuff about the book and how I made it. There will sneak peeks of the finished book, as well as process pictures/posts and behind-the-scenes insights into just what goes into making a graphic novel.
I hope that all of this not only drums up interest in and excitement about Missed Meal Mayhem and the Hunger Heroes series as a whole, but also serves as a tool for educators, librarians, and parents of kids out there looking to learn more about drawing, writing, storytelling in general, and comic-making in particular. As such, I’ll be including a hashtag — #TheHungerHeroes — on each of these posts (which you can find on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook), and will also be collecting them all here, next month, once I’m done sharing all I have to share and the book is out.
One last thing: if you’re planning to preorder The Hunger Heroes: Missed Meal Mayhem, I hope you’ll consider doing so from your local independent bookstore — or from one of my local indies. Copies of the book preordered from any of the four Massachusetts indies shown/mentioned below will be signed, personalized (if you wish), and doodled in.
Click HERE to preorder The Hunger Heroes: Missed Meal Mayhem from The Silver Unicorn.
Click HERE to preorder The Hunger Heroes: Missed Meal Mayhem from Porter Square Books.
Click HERE to preorder The Hunger Heroes: Missed Meal Mayhem from The Blue Bunny.
Click HERE to preorder The Hunger Heroes: Missed Meal Mayhem from Belmont Books.
I’ve been making my own comics since the third grade (that’s one of the things I’ll be sharing more about in the coming weeks!). That, combined with the fact that I’ve been working on this comic book for so darn long, makes the fact that it’s about to be out in the world all the more surreal. It’s another piece of my dream coming true. I can’t wait to properly introduce the Hunger Heroes to you, in the form of their first adventure, and in the lead up to that moment, I hope you enjoy all the stuff I’ve got to share with you.
Geeger the Robot To the Rescue is now available wherever books are sold!
This is the third book in my Geeger the Robot series of early chapter books, and I believe it to be the strongest one yet. In the book, Geeger’s best friend in the whole entire galaxy, Tillie, is having an off day, and Geeger takes it upon himself to cheer her up. Unfortunately for Geeger, he struggles to do so. His jokes, which usually inspire gut-busting laughter, barely even make Tillie to smirk. His kind overtures and thoughtful questions all fall flat. But in this failure is an important realization, one that Geeger arrives at with the help of his teacher, Ms. Bork: it’s totally okay to have “blah” days. Sometimes, we just wake up on the wrong side of the bed — or, if you’re Geeger, the wrong side of your DIGEST-O-TRON 5000. Bad moods aren’t always necessarily bad. They are a real, inescapable part of life. And Geeger learns that in such situations, one of the best things a best friend can do is simply remind your gloomy pal that you’re there for them if they need you. That can be enough. That, in fact, can be EVERYTHING.
As with all my Geeger the Robot books, I hope Geeger the Robot To the Rescue brings my readers lots of joy and laughter, and that it leads to some interesting, productive conversations in the schools, libraries, and homes in which it is read and discussed. Thank you to everyone who has supported this series, and everyone who plans to support this latest installment by purchasing a copy or checking it out from your local library (and remember: if either your local bookshop or library doesn’t have a copy, just ask, and they can get it there for you!). It’s thanks to all of YOU that this series has become such a success, and I am tremendously grateful.
Now, I’ve got to get back to finishing up Geeger the Robot Books 4, 5, and 6. Geeger and I will see you soon!
Jarrett Lerner 