Tag: NAT THE CAT

COVER REVEALS: Scare School Diaries: Basement Baddies; Nat the Cat and the Weepy Kitty; and Like & Subscribe: Chocolate Pudding Pool Party

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 2 Comments

2026 has continued to be a super-busy year for me–evidenced by the fact that I am once again here to reveal the covers of not one, not two, but three new, upcoming books.

Up first, Basement Baddies, the fourth installment of my highly-illustrated Scare School Diaries series of chapter books:

There are a ton of things I love about this cover–and I can say that without being accused of immodesty, since the majority of those things I love so much were suggested to me by my brilliant art director for these books, Laura DiSiena. Anyway, here’s a quick list of the top three things I love:

1. This is the first cover of a Scare School Diaries book that features more than just Bash (the ghost whose diaries these books are, in case you’re unfamiliar). He’s joined here, importantly, by a trio of imps.

2. This is also the first cover in which Bash isn’t holding some sort of drawing, writing, coloring, or painting implement. Instead, the imps have gotten hold of Bash’s purple colored pencils. The resulting loss of control Bash has over his own book cover is, again, important.

3. The imp hanging upside down from the curl after the word “Diaries,” as well as the one only half-glimpsed darting off the bottom left edge of the cover (but who you’ll see the rest of once you get your hands on the finished book and take a look at its back and spine).

Okay, okay–I know I kind of squeezed more than three things into that “top three” list. But these details and devices that Laura encouraged me to put in are just genius–and once you actually read the book and see how so much of the content is foreshadowed in this one drawing, I’m confident you’ll fully agree.

Anyway, here’s what my publisher would like you to know about the book:

Bash and his classmates must figure out who is causing all kinds of mischief in this fourth book in the sweet and spooky Scare School Diaries chapter book series by acclaimed author Jarrett Lerner.

Bash is back for his next session at Scare School and can’t wait to learn teleportation, which means he will be able to move from one place to another instantly. However, first he must prove that he has his basic creature skills perfected. But as soon as his lessons start, strange things start happening around school—portraits are suddenly turned upside-down, silly stickers appear on random objects, and Bash’s favorite Spooky Loops cereal gets switched with Boo-Berry Bites. Even his oh-so-serious teacher, Mr. Crane, seems distracted by it all!

It seems there are mysterious troublemakers roaming the halls of Scare School! Can Bash figure out who is causing the chaos?

When, you might be wondering, can you get hands on Basement Baddies? The answer is March 2nd, 2027, just under five months after the third book in the series–The Unfortunate Familiar–comes out, on October 6th, 2026.

Next up, Nat the Cat and the Weepy Kitty, the second book in my soon-to-be-launched series of Nat the Cat early readers (the first book in the series, Nat the Cat and The Mysterious Thing, hits shelves this November):

In The Weepy Kitty, the “mysterious thing” from the first book in this series–revealed (spoiler alert), to have been the kitten you can now clearly seen on the second book’s cover–is, well, weepy. Weep, in fact, is all that Dusty (that’s the name Nat the Cat and Pat the Rat have given to the kitten) seems able to do. As he continues to cry, “Weep! Weep! Weep!” Nat and Pat endeavor to cheer the kitten up, pulling out all the tricks in the book and then some.

Rather than drop any other spoilers, I won’t tell you any more specifics about what happens in Nat the Cat and the Weepy Kitty. But my hope is that both kids and adults will find lots to relate to and laugh about as they watch Nat and Pat try and try and try (and fail and fail and fail) to turn Dusty’s wobbly frown upside down.

Nat the Cat and the Weepy Kitty publishes on February 2nd, 2027, just a couple months after Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing‘s arrival on November 24th, 2026.

These Nat the Cat “early graphic novels” are part of a recently launched line of books from Simon & Schuster’s Simon Spotlight imprint. These books are called Star Chapter Books–easily identifiable thanks to the pair of stars in the upper lefthand corner of each one. My Super Roomies series of early graphic novels are also Star Chapter Books, and just in case you’re not familiar with this new line of titles, here’s a bit more information about them:

Star Chapter Books are the perfect bridge for kids moving beyond beginning readers but not yet ready for longer chapter books. With short chapters, bold two-color illustrations, and fast-paced, funny stories, these confidence-building books make reading fun and rewarding.

Each Star Chapter Book is 112 pages long, divided into six to eight short chapters with illustrated panels on every page to keep kids engaged from start to finish. This highly visual early chapter book format supports the transition from leveled readers to chapter books, making Star Chapter Books a perfect fit for independent reading, classroom libraries, or shared story time.

Last–but DEFINITELY not least–I’m excited to share here the cover of the first book in new, highly-illustrated series of Middle Grade novels. The series is called Like & Subscribe. The book is called Chocolate Pudding Pool Party. And here, without further ado, is the cover:

To say that I’m excited about the release of this book would be one of the biggest understatements in the history of the written or spoken word. I am beyond excited. Like, BEYOND beyond.

Like & Subscribe is narrated by Kellan, a thirteen-year-old kid who, along with his three best friends, runs a super successful YouTube channel. Each book in the series depicts a week in the lives of these kids, as the first come up with an idea for a new video, then set to work figuring out the logistics involved in making it work, and then filming, editing, and posting the thing. And while I’ll share more about the specifics of Chocolate Pudding Pool Party in a second, I want to first tell you about the inspiration for this series.

More than any other book project I’ve so far worked on, Like & Subscribe stemmed directly from experiences I’ve had over the past decade or so visiting schools across the country. For all these years, in almost every single school I go to, two things happen. First, the kids at the school ask me–during the Q&A portion of my presentation, at lunch meetings, during book signings, or even just in the hallway–about YouTube. They want to know if I’m on it, how many subscribers I have, what sort of content I create, and who I like to watch on the platform. The second thing that happens is that the teachers, librarians, administrators, and even parents and guardians in the community, will talk to me about their kids who are not reading, who have yet to find the book for them, the one that will get them looking at books and reading differently and convince them that they are (and hopefully always will be!) a Reader. Very often, in the same conversation, these concerned adults will also bring up the fact that these so-called “reluctant” readers only ever want to watch YouTube. Sometimes, the supposed connection between watching YouTube and not reading is made explicit. Other times, the statements as simply laid out as two bits of information.

But at the end of the day, it’s not important to me to try and figure out the link between loving YouTube, watching a ton of it and wanting to watch a ton of it, and not reading many (or any) books. The important thing to take away from these experiences of mine are that: (1) YouTube is a meaningful part of many, many kids’ lives, and (2) the adults in many, many kids’ lives have found that those kids are less inclined to pick up a book and read than previous cohorts of kids were. Eventually–and honestly, I don’t know why it took me so long–I realized that it wasn’t useful to see YouTube as “the enemy,” and that the productive thing to do was meet these kids where they were and make books about this thing that was so powerfully and richly meaningful to them.

Literally the day I had this insight, I began developing this series of books. I also started doing some research, and was shocked to discover that no one had made a book like this before. I’m sure there are others in the works, and it’s possible other others had been pitched and just not picked up by publishers. But as far as I can figure out, Like & Subscribe will be the first book of its kind, with the particular perspective and content it contains. All of my books–since 2017’s EngiNerds on–have been made with those so-called “reluctant” readers in mind. It’s inspired countless creative decisions over the years, and is now an ingrained part of my process. I’m always hoping my books will reinforce the idea or newly convince kids that reading has a role to play in their lives, and that every time they do it, they’ll be able to take something positive from the experience and bring it directly back into their lives. My hope is that, in checking out the description on the back of Chocolate Pudding Pool Party (or even just hearing about the book from someone else), lots of readers who otherwise wouldn’t give reading a chance will pick it up, open to the first page, and give it a shot.

And now, as promised–here’s a bit more about what readers will find inside Like & Subscribe: Chocolate Pudding Pool Party:

From beloved creator Jarrett Lerner comes a new illustrated middle-grade series about a group of kid YouTubers preparing for their next video: filling their pool with chocolate pudding

When Kellan and his friends Izzy, Dee, and Nessa started their YouTube channel, they never dreamed of becoming as successful as they are now. But after one of their posts went viral a few years ago, their popularity exploded―allowing them to build a headquarters (complete with a swimming pool!) where they plan and film their videos. Their dedicated fanbase can’t wait to see what wild stunt they’ll pull off every week, and Kellan can’t imagine anything better than getting to do this with his best friends.

They only have one week to execute their latest idea―filling their pool with chocolate pudding! As they work through logistical challenges―how much pudding do you need to fill a full-size pool? How dense does the pudding need to be to safely accommodate a proper belly flop?―they face off with Victor Russo, a jealous YouTuber spreading lies online that they’ve stolen his video ideas. When Victor is believed, suddenly Kellan and his friends aren’t just trying to throw an epic chocolate pudding pool party by the end of the week . . . can they also find a way to clear their names?

In the coming weeks and months, I’ll be sharing a lot more about this book, including some sneak peeks at the pages, almost every single one of which features some kind of illustration (if not multiple illustrations). Like & Subscribe: Chocolate Pudding Pool Party comes out on March 2nd, 2027–the same day, actually, as Scare School Diaries: Basement Baddies, and exactly one month after Nat the Cat and the Tricky Trick. All of these books, however, can be preordered today, and if you know you’re going to be purchasing any (or all!) of these titles, I’d very much appreciate those preorders. As always, you can preorder/order any of my books from my local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn, and get your copies signed, doodled-in, and personalized (if you want) by yours truly. To do that, click HERE.

If you’ve made it this far, and are still reading: THANKS! And keep an eye on my social media feeds for more information and sneak peeks inside all of the books mentioned above.

~ Jarrett

NAT THE CAT SETS A TRAP, NAT THE CAT FIVE BOOKS IN ONE, and THE SUPER ROOMIES: LAKE OF SLIME pub day!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ Leave a comment

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!

NAT THE CAT FINDS A MAP pub day!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 2 Comments

Today’s the day: my fifth Nat the Cat early reader–Nat the Cat Finds a Map–is officially out!

I’ve said it here and elsewhere, but THIS Nat book is my favorite so far. I also think it’s my best so far, in that it most fully, sweetly, and funnily captures the personalities and growth of both Nat the Cat and Pat the Rat.

Here’s what my publisher has to say about the book:

Nat the Cat goes on a treasure hunt in this fifth book in the hilarious, fourth wall–breaking Pre-Level 1 Ready-to-Read series about a grumpy cat, a curious rat, and an exasperated narrator from powerhouse creator Jarrett Lerner!

Nat the Cat finds a treasure map. Nat the Cat loves treasure! Pat the Rat loves treasure too. Nat the Cat does not want Pat the Rat to get his treasure, but there is something funny about this map…and the treasure too!

Starting today, you can find Nat the Cat Finds a Map anywhere and everywhere books are sold. However, if you want yours signed, doodled-in, and personalized, make sure to order from my local indie, the Silver Unicorn. You can do so–and also order and/or preorder signed, doodled-in, and personalized copies of any of my other books!–by clicking HERE.

I can’t wait to hear what my readers make of Nat the Cat Finds a Map. So if you and/or the young readers in your life check out the book, let me know what you all think!

Thanks!

~ Jarrett

COVER REVEALS — PLURAL! Plus: a roundup of what’s in store for 2026!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ Leave a comment

I’ve had an exceptionally busy fall — one filled with school visits all over the country, a handful of conference appearances, a family trip to Disney World, and a whole bunch of book-making. Because of all this busyness, I haven’t been keeping up with sharing new book covers and new news here on the blog. Add all that to the fact that 2026 is going to be the biggest publisher year of my career so far, and I’ve fallen way behind.

What makes next year such a big one for me? Well, I’ve got nine — yes, NINE! — books coming out. Two of these are bind-ups of previously released series of books. But still. It’s a lot! So, below, here’s a catch-up/roundup of what I’ve got in store for 2026.

First up, in January (on the 13th, one day after my birthday!), is my fifth Nat the Cat early reader, Nat the Cat Finds a Map. I did already reveal this book’s cover (you can find the post HERE). But that was more than four months ago, and at that point, while the cover was done, the interior had yet to be finalized. Now that’s finally, officially done though (and possibly even being printed as you read this), I can say that this installment of the Nat the Cat series is without a doubt my favorite yet. I think it most fully captures Nat the Cat’s and Pat the Rat’s personalities and their (continually developing) relationship. I also think the book most perfectly hits the combo/balance of humor and heart that I strive to achieve in all my books. And I’m not just tooting my own horn here, either — a big part of Nat the Cat Finds a Map was actually thought up by my oldest daughter, Isla. It’s why the book is dedicated to her. For helping me find the most elegant solution to a problem I couldn’t work out myself, she definitely deserves it!

Next up, in March, I have a very special Middle Grade novel coming out — Roohi and Nate Are Not on the Same Page. Looking at this cover, you might notice something unusual about it: it’s not just my name down on there on the bottom! That’s because I co-wrote and co-illustrated this book with Supriya Kelkar! Supriya and I debuted together way back in 2017, and have been good friends ever since. And when, one day, my agent offhandedly asked whether I’d ever be into co-authoring a book with another creator, Supriya was the person who immediately popped to mind. We’d never worked together like this before, but it came naturally, and went wonderfully, resulting in a book that we couldn’t be more excited to share with our readers, both young and old. It’s a book about friendship, about the power of stories, about being true to yourself, and about the importance of school libraries and their librarians. Early next year, Supriya and I will make some announcements about virtual visit opportunities with the two of us. If that’s something that sounds interesting to you, watch this space (as well as my social media feeds), to make sure to see that info when we share it.

A couple months after Roohi and Nate releases, at the beginning of May, I’ve got a whole slew of fun stuff coming your way. On the first Tuesday of the month (May 5th), I’ve got three books you can get your hands on: my sixth Nat the Cat early reader, Nat the Cat Sets a Trap; a bind-up collection of the first five Nat the Cat early readers, Nat the Cat Five Books in One!; and the first installment of a new series of early graphic novels, The Super Roomies: Lake of Slime.

The latter is part of a brand-new line of books coming out from Simon & Schuster’s Simon Spotlight imprint. These books, called “Star Chapter Books,” are all, in fact, early graphic novels — 112 pages, split up into six to eight chapters, with one to four comic panels on each page. Simon Spotlight is the home of the super successful Ready-to-Read lines of books, and these Star Chapter Books are intended to serve as a sort of next step for young readers who have worked their way through books in that program. But the most important thing I can tell you about ALL of the Star Chapter Books (there will be several others releasing right along with my first one) is that they are FUN. Spotlight’s editors and art directors gave us creators the green light to be as silly and wild as we wanted, and we went for it.

The Super Roomies are superheroes who also happen to be roommates — and not very good ones. In each book, the crew are called upon by their city’s mayor to stop one or another bad guy from committing some sort of reprehensible act, but their roommate-related troubles are always threatening to get in the way of them actually accomplishing their mission. For instance, in Lake of Slime, the deranged Dr. Slimepeople has plans to drain Big City Lake of all its water and replace every last drop with slime, thus making it impossible for the city’s citizens to go swimming. (Like I said: reprehensible.) It’s up to the Super Roomies to figure out just how Dr. Slimepeople is going to do all this draining/replacing and stop him before he can. Which they have plenty of time to do — if, that is, they can stop squabbling about who finished their apartment’s milk and then put the empty carton back in the fridge and stay focused… Below is a sneak peek at some spreads of the book’s interior.

One week after all of that — on May 12th — my fourth book of the month hits shelves: another bind-up, this one of my first-ever series of books, EngiNerds. When I learned that my publisher wanted to rerelease these books in this form, I was beyond delighted. The EngiNerds series is comprised of three Middle Grade novels, all of them just under 200 pages and featuring fun, funny, fast-paced storytelling. For all kinds of reasons, books at this length and with such so-called “high-interest” content are needed now more than ever, and I am so excited that this bind-up will introduce a new generation of readers to the EngiNerds and their epic showdowns with a fleet of bottomlessly hungry, aggressively flatulent robots.

After the EngiNerds 3-in-1, I’ve got a bit of a break, though things ramp back up at the end of the summer and for the end of the year. None of the covers of the remaining books I’ve got coming out have been revealed yet. So, since I can’t show you much, I’ll just tell you about them.

— In August, you’ll be able to get your hands on the second installment of the Super Roomies series, which is called Paint the Town Pink.

— In October, the third book in my Scare School Diaries series, The Un-Hauntable House, comes out.

— In November, I’ve got a second series of Star Chapter Books early graphic novels launching, this one featuring Nat the Cat and Pat the Rat. The first book in this series is called Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing.

— And finally, in December, it’s not another book, but a box of them — a boxed set, to be specific, of all my Nat the Cat early readers.

Whew! That’s it for 2026. Looking ahead at it all like this, I’m feeling incredibly grateful that I get to do this work, and also incredibly excited to share all these books with my readers. If YOU are one of those readers: THANK YOU. It’s because of your support that all of this has been and continues to be possible. As always, if you want signed/personalized copies of any of the books mentioned above (or ANY of my already-released books), you can order/preorder them from my wonderful local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn. Click HERE to do so.

Again: THANKS!!!

~ Jarrett

COVER REVEAL: Nat the Cat Finds a Map — Plus: New Book News!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ Leave a comment

In case you missed it, last weekend I revealed the cover of my next (and fifth) Nat the Cat early reader, Nat the Cat Finds a Map. So, without further ado, here it is:

Of all the Nat books, this new one is my personal favorite. I think it does the best job of capturing Nat and Pat’s personalities while also simultaneously taking their relationship to a bit of a new place.

And speaking of venturing to new places, Nat and Pat are bound for a super exciting one: graphic novel chapter books! In 2027, shortly after the sixth Nat the Cat early reader releases, the first two books in this brand-new series will publish. And if you’re disappointed you’ll have to wait that long to see Nat and Pat in comic book panels, next year, I’ve got another graphic novel chapter book series launching. This one is about a new cast of character, the Super Roomies, and I’ll be sharing a bunch more about them soon. In the meantime, though, you can check out the announcement about their graphic novel chapter book series, as well as Nat and Pat’s, below.

All of these graphic novel chapter books are 112 pages, with each page broken up into at least one but no more than four panels. They perfectly fill a hole currently out there in the marketplace, and are thoughtfully designed and carefully crafted to, first of all, be a total blast, and second of all, to help young readers continue to grow. In terms of Nat and Pat, you’ll also get to see THEM grow. Especially Nat, who in each of these books is pushed to emotional places readers have yet to see him in.

In OTHER book news, I recently announced something else: that my Scare School Diaries series of highly illustrated chapter books has been extended, too! Book 3, The Un-Hauntable House, will be out next fall, with the fourth book in the series coming early on in 2027. Here’s the announcement for THAT:

But back to Nat and Pat! Nat the Cat Finds a Map will be out first thing next year, on January 13th (the day after my birthday!), but you can preorder it right now wherever books are sold. As always, if you preorder it from my astoundingly awesome local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn, I will sign, doodle-in, and (if you want) personalize your copies. You can do that by clicking HERE.

Okay, I better get back to work. I’ve got a lot of books to finish…

~ Jarrett

NAT THE CAT HAS A HAT pub day!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 2 Comments

Today, my newest book, Nat the Cat Has a Hat, officially hits shelves!

Nat the Cat Has a Hat is the fourth installment of my Nat the Cat early reader series, joining Nat the Cat Takes a Nap, Nat the Cat Takes a Bath, and Nat the Cat Has a Snack.

I try to make every one of my Nat the Cat books fun and funny–that is definitely the most important thing. But in each book, I also attempt to explore some emotional terrain that my young readers might also find themselves facing. In Nat the Cat Takes a Nap, Nat struggles with exhaustion and the annoyance and anger that often stem from it. In Nat the Cat Takes a Bath, Nat confronts fear and shame. In Nat the Cat Has a Snack, Nat deals with selfishness and, at least at first, has a tough time with sharing. And in this newest book, Nat the Cat Has a Hat, Nat has to grapple with jealousy and pride.

The release of Nat the Cat Has a Hat is special for another reason, too–it’s my 20th published book! This fact somehow feels both obvious and also impossible for me to wrap my head around. I’ve worked long and hard, and so a part of me thinks, Yeah, that was about 20 books‘ worth of work. But another part of me thinks back to before I’d sold my first book, to the days (and there were LOTS of them) where I’d think, If I could just publish one book–ONE book–in my whole entire lifetime, I’d be happy. For a long time, it was all I wanted. And I try to remind myself of that as much as I can. It helps me take a step back, take a deep breath, and feel a bit of pride about what I’ve done (something I am notoriously quite bad at…). At the same time, it also reminds me that there is absolutely no way I could’ve gotten here without my family, my friends, and also everyone–likely including YOU–who has ever supported me and my work in any way. So, if that’s you: THANK YOU. Books are nothing without readers, and whether you are one of my readers or someone keeping tabs on my career in order to connect my books to the right readers (or both!), you have been instrumental in making these 20 books a reality, and also in bringing about the next 20. You have quite literally helped make my dreams come true. I appreciate it enormously, and will never stop.

~ Jarrett

COVER REVEAL: Nat the Cat Has a Hat

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

I’m delighted to reveal here the cover of my next Nat the Cat early reader, Nat the Cat Has a Hat:

The book is out January 7, 2025, and will be my fourth Nat the Cat book. And while I think all the Nat books are quite fun, this one is especially so. I mean, it’s got hats. A whole BUNCH of them!

You can check out my publisher’s description of the book below. And you can, starting now, also preorder the book. As always, if you preorder from my local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn, I’ll sign, doodle-in, and personalize (if you want) your copies of the book. You can click HERE to do that.

Nat the Cat gets a little jealous in this fourth book in the hilarious, fourth wall–breaking Pre-Level 1 Ready-to-Read series about a grumpy cat, a curious rat, and an exasperated narrator from powerhouse creator Jarrett Lerner!

Nat the Cat has a hat. Pat the Rat has a nicer hat. Nat the Cat wants a hat like that. Will the two friends have a spat?

~ Jarrett

NAT THE CAT HAS A SNACK and A WORK IN PROGRESS (paperback) Pub Day!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ Leave a comment

Okay, fine: the title of this post is a bit misleading. TODAY is not actually the pub day for the books mentioned above. It was last week. But last week, I was busy in New Jersey with school visits, and so didn’t get a chance to post until now. So, a bit belatedly, here’s my celebratory shout: Happy Book Birthday to Nat the Cat Has a Snack and the paperback edition of A Work in Progress! Phew. I’ve been holding that in for nearly a week.

First up: Nat!

The third/newest Nat the Cat book is all about SHARING. More specifically, the book is about how we can share both GOOD things (like snacks!) and BAD things (like problems!) with our friends, and how, even if it’s not always EASY to share, it’s basically always BETTER when we do.

Next up, the paperback edition of A Work in Progress.

To me, the most exciting thing about this edition of the book is that it’s (comparatively) CHEAP! It’s half the list price of the hardcover edition. I hope the means the book ends up reaching the hands of many, many more kids than it already has. This cheaper price also means it’s easier for teachers, librarians, and schools to purchase sets of the book for reading groups and book clubs. The second most exciting thing about this edition of the book is that the cover has this fancy cutaway (you can see it in the picture up there), meaning you can glimpse the notebook lines that carry throughout the book, as well as a few of Will’s scribbles.

In other A Work in Progress news, over the course of the past few months the book has popped up on a bunch of state award lists: Kentucky’s, Georgia’s, Florida’s, and my home state of Massachusetts’s, too.

This means that kids all over these states will spend the year reading A Work in Progress (in addition to the other books on the nominee lists) and then have a chance to vote for their favorites. And while winning would of course be incredible, I am super honored and grateful to simply be nominated. The list of nominees are created by teams of librarians who spent the past year reading more or less EVERY SINGLE BOOK published for kids before deciding on what they deem the 10 to 12 very, very best. Also, being nominated means your work will reach thousands and thousands of kids that it otherwise might not. So, to all the committees who’ve nominated A Work in Progress so far: THANK YOU!

As always, if you want signed/personalized/doodled-in copies of Nat the Cat Has a Snack and/or the paperback edition of A Work in Progress (and/or ANY of my books), you can order them from my wonderful local indie, The Silver Unicorn.

~ Jarrett

A COVER REVEAL and a ONE-MONTH COUNTDOWN!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

Happy April 7th?

What am I celebrating?

In just one month, on May 7th, TWO big books of mine are coming out: (1) my next Nat the Cat early reader, Nat the Cat Has a Snack, and (2) the paperback edition of A Work in Progress.

Nat the Cat Has a Snack — the third book starring Nat and his rat pal, Pat — is about SHARING. Both the beauty of it . . . and the difficulty of it. My hope is that kids get a kick out of watching Nat discover that things are almost always better when we share with friends, and also learn that we can share both good things with friends (like snacks!) and also bad things (like hard-to-solve problems!).

If you read this blog and/or follow me, I surely don’t need to tell you what A Work in Progress is about. But I definitely do need to tell you that the paperback edition of the book — which, again, you can get your hands on in just ONE MONTH — is not only more lightweight and portable than the hardcover, it’s also cheaper. (Hooray!) I hope the lower price leads to the book reaching the hands of many, many more kids. And hey — if you plan to get a copy of the book, you can do it now and enter the book’s paperback preorder giveaway, which’ll give you a chance to win a whole class set of the books! Find more info about that in the image caption below.

To enter the A Work in Progress paperback preorder giveaway: Preorder the paperback edition of the book and send proof of preorder to AWIPpreorder@gmail.com. You will be entered to win an additional 20 extra copies! Multiple preorders and/or preorders from independent bookstores are counted as multiple entries.

And now, last but certainly not least, as promised . . . a COVER REVEAL!

Yes, the first volume of my newest series, Scare School Diaries, is not even out yet (it will be on July 16th), but we are already promoting the second volume, because — excitingly! — it comes out just three and a half months after the first. It’s not unusual for kids to have to wait a whole year, and sometimes even longer, for a subsequent installment of a book series to publish. But, along with my amazing team at Aladdin/Simon & Schuster, I am always aiming to grow readers and keep kids happy, so we’ve worked hard to keep the books coming.

Forest Frights is about one of the scariest things kids will encounter during their educational careers: the dreaded GROUP PROJECT. Here’s my publisher’s official writeup for the book:

At the start of his second session at Scare School, the world’s premiere institution for elementary scare instruction, Bash is feeling a bit more confident and excited about his classes starting up again. But when Vlad and Vicky, the mischievous vampires, join his group project, Bash starts worrying if this mean-spirited duo are going to take a bite out of his good grade!

You can preorder Forest Frights — along with, of course, the first book in the Scare School Diaries series, Welcome to Scare School — anywhere books are sold. As always, if you order and/or preorder any of my books from my local indie, the Silver Unicorn, I can sign, personalize, and doodle in your copies. Click HERE to do that. And THANKS!

~ Jarrett

Nat the “NOTABLE” Cat!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

I had a pretty busy end of January and start of February, and so it’s taken me a while to get around to sharing this news — but I am delighted to share that Nat the Cat Takes a Nap has been named an ALSC/ALA Notable Book!

If you’re not super familiar with the world of children’s literature, this news might leave you with a few questions. Like, What’s the ALSC? And what about the ALA? And what does it mean when they say a book is “notable”?

Well, the ALSC is the Association for Library Service to Children, and the ALA is the American Library Association, and at the end of every calendar year, various committees formed by these groups meet up to discuss all the children’s books that have been published over the course of the previous dozen months. From this mountain of titles, a small number are chosen and given that above-mentioned designation of “notable” — which, according to the ALSC/ALA, means:

Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children’s books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways.

Pretty nice, right?!

I was beyond delighted to get this news, and want to once again thank the ALSC and ALA — and, specifically, the Notable Books committee — for this honor. Below is a graphic my publisher posted, celebrating all of their books that were named notable. Nat the Cat and Pat the Rat are keeping some truly excellent company!

Want to see the full list of ALSC/ALA Notable Books? Click HERE!

~ Jarrett