Tag: The Scare School Diaries

COVER REVEALS: The Super Roomies: Paint the Town Pink; Scare School Diaries: The Un-Hauntable House; and Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ Leave a comment

What a month it’s been — and we’re only halfway done with it! In the past couple weeks, I’ve had FOUR books come out. First, on May 5th, it was Nat the Cat Sets a Trap, Nat the Cat Five Books in One!, and The Super Roomies: Lake of Slime, the start of a brand-new series of early graphic novels on a brand-new and very exciting line of books (Star Chapter Books) from Simon & Schuster’s Simon Spotlight imprint. Then, on May 12th, EngiNerds 3-in-1 — a single-volume bind-up of my first-ever series of books, the EngiNerds series of Middle Grade novels — hit shelves. (You can read more about both of these epic release days HERE and HERE.) And now I’m back to reveal the covers of three MORE books I’ve got coming out this year (I know, I know — due to a variety of converging factors, 2026 is a bit of a bonanza year for me, in terms of new books out).

First up, the second installment of my freshly launched Super Roomies series of early graphic novels, Paint the Town Pink:

In Paint the Town Pink, the Super Roomies have to put a stop to one of the crew’s former roommates, Nina Neon, who is intent on painting their city “projectile pink,” a shade of pink so overwhelmingly intense it causes people to projectile vomit on sight. In other words, it’s four against one — a task which should be a breeze for Abby Astro, Blix Blaster, Captain Kooky Pants, and Wanda Weather. Unfortunately, three of the four Super Roomies stayed up all night binge-watching their favorite TV show and, now, they can barely keep their eyes open, meaning they’ve made the task of saving the day significantly harder for themselves. Can they pull it off? You’ll be able to find out when Paint the Town Pink hits shelves on August 25th!

Next up — and appropriately publishing at the very beginning of Spooky Season — is the third book in my Scare School Diaries series of highly illustrated chapter books. This one’s called The Un-Hauntable House, and, notably, it’s the first Scare School book that features real live (that is, neither headless nor zombie-fied) human beings.

In The Un-Hauntable House, Bash and his fellow Scare School students are each tasked with passing an Excursion Exam — a sort of field trip combined with a test. Each kids’ Excursion Exam is specially crafted for them by one of Scare School’s teachers, and the tough, insrutable Mr. Crane gives Bash a real doozy . . . . He must spook every member of the Jones family — that’s nine humans, a dog, and a cat — badly enough that they flee their home (bonus points if they are screaming in terror as they are doing it). Bash plans and prepares for his Excursion Exam as thoroughly as he can, but when the time comes to do the actual scaring, he encounters all kinds of obstacles he couldn’t have foreseen: rambunctious toddlers, phone-obsessed teenagers, and parents so overwhelmed and exhausted they’ve basically been turned into zombies. Meaning if Bash wants to pass his exam, he’s going to have to think on his feet (so to speak) and employ some untraditional methods. You can find out how he does when The Un-Hauntable House comes out on October 6th!

Finally, the last cover I have to reveal is for Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing, the first in an upcoming series of early graphic novel starring Nat the Cat, Pat the Rat, and . . . well, a mysterious thing that I’m not about to tell you about before you get a chance to read the book!

Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing comes out November 24th, and I am beyond excited to share the stories I have cooked up in this new, longer format for Nat the Cat and Pat the Rat. Over the course of my six Nat the Cat early readers, our lovable curmudgeon of a protagonist grows increasingly sweet and in tune with his emotions. Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing picks things up from there, with Nat the Cat being made to venture into far more emotionally tricky terrain. Throughout these early graphic novels (I have finished the first two, and written the third), Nat the Cat continues to develop and grow — mirroring, my publisher and I hope, the development and growth of Nat the Cat’s young readers. I could go on and on about the care and thought my team and I put into Nat’s transition to these early graphic novels and the specific stories that play out in their panels, and I WILL, once we get a little closer to their publication date. For now, though, I’ll just share that Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing was recently named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, continuing a long-running streak of Nat’s books being honored in this way, which is great sign, more than six months before the book’s actual publication.

The Super Roomies: Paint the Town Pink, Scare School Diaries: The Un-Hauntable House, and Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing are all now available for preorder wherever books are sold. As always, if you preorder the books from my local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn, I can sign, doodle-in, and personalize (if you wish) your copies. Click HERE to do that. I’ll be sharing more about these books in the coming weeks and months, both here and, more regularly and thoroughly, on social media, so go and find me over on Instagram (@jarrett_lerner) and/or Facebook if you want to keep up-to-date, learn more, and see some sneak-peeks and behind-the-scenes fun.

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

FOREST FRIGHTS pub day!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 3 Comments

Today, Forest Frights–the second book in my Scare School Diaries series–finally hits shelves!

Like Welcome to Scare School–the first book in the Scare School Diaries series–Forest Frights is the diary of young ghost Bash, now in his second session at Scare School. And in this session, Bash has to contend with something truly terrifying: a group project! Bash survives the ordeal (spoiler alert!), and in the end has several opportunities to be brave, discovering that everyone is scared of something, and that the most important thing is making sure your fears don’t keep you from doing the things that you want and need to do.

Here’s my publisher’s official description of the book:

Bash the ghost learns to work with trouble-loving vampires in this second book in the sweet and spooky chapter book series by acclaimed author Jarrett Lerner.

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!

Just a few weeks ago, Forest Frights got written up by Kirkus Reviews. They called the book “A warmly reassuring tale for those who prefer their scares on the lighter side,” which is basically exactly what I was going for. (If you want, you can read the full review HERE.)

Kirkus’s positive review followed a string of good news for Welcome to Scare School. The book was a featured fall title for Literati book club, appearing at the company’s book fairs across the country. Up north, in Canada, the book was named one of the Best Books of 2024 by Indigo (Canada’s largest bookseller). The book also received love and praise from bookstores and readers as far away as Australia! In addition to all this, I got some news about the book that I am actually not allowed to share yet–but I can tell you that, because of it, Welcome to Scare School will end up in the hands of even more young readers than it would have otherwise. (Keep an eye on my social media feeds to hear the secret news, which I’ll be sharing there as soon as I’m allowed to.)

I think kids who loved Welcome to Scare School will love this second installment of the series just as much, and I’m glad that those who have yet to discover the first book will be able to dive right into Forest Frights should they want even more of Bash and his friends. If you know some of these kids, make sure you let them know about the SCARE SCHOOL DIARIES page of this website, where you can find all sorts of FREE Scare School-related activities. And as always, if you want signed, doodled-in, and personalized copies of Welcome to Scare School and/or Forest Frights, order from my local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn. (Click HERE to do that!)

~ Jarrett

TWO Cover Reveals + A Paperback Release Date

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

I had a very busy October, and that is why I am only coming on here now, in November, to share a whole bunch of very exciting stuff — specifically, a pair of cover reveals (one of which also happens to be a series reveal) and a paperback release date.

First up, the cover reveal for Welcome to Scare School, the first book in my new series, Scare School Diaries:

Welcome to Scare School is a chapter book — but save for its length, it’s very different from most chapter books you’ll open. The book is what my editor, agent, and I have begun to call a “hybrid,” a blend of both written and illustrated elements that are put together in a way that make it difficult to classify according to traditional categories. In other words, it’s not a straightforward chapter book, with mostly text and some occasionally illustrations. And it’s a not a graphic novel, with comic paneling on every page. The book is set up as a diary (that of Bash, a young ghost just beginning his education at Scare School), but while each entry begins with text, it soon gives way to a mix of spot illustrations and comics. In other words, with each page turn, the reader never knows what they’ll see next! I find storytelling in this form the most natural for me (if you’ve ever seen photos of drafts, which I often share on social media, they almost always appear in this way, whether or not the final product is a novel, a graphic novel, or whatever).

I can’t wait to share more about this book (and series!) with you, which comes out on July 16, 2024, but is already available for preorder wherever books are sold. (As always, if you preorder from the Silver Unicorn, I will sign/personalize — and doodle in! — your copies. Click HERE to do that.)

Lastly, here’s my publisher’s description of the book:

Bash, a young ghost who’s never been good at “ghost stuff” is heading off to Scare School, the world’s leading institution for elementary scare instruction, and he’s not happy about it. In fact, he’s kind of scared! His older sister Bella, precocious in every way, was a star student there and he knows the classes are hard and the teachers are tough.

Even before his first day of school, Bash is worried about how he’s going to make it through the rigorous curriculum when he hasn’t been able to get the hang of basics like making himself invisible or passing through walls (without bonking his head!). Will the young ghost get booooted out of Scare School?

Next up, the cover reveal for my next (the third) Nat the Cat early reader: Nat the Cat Has a Snack!

I’m a bit nervous that if I let myself ramble a bit about this book, I’ll end up spoiling everything. So I’m going to limit myself to saying that it comes out on May 7, 2024, but like Welcome to Scare School, it is already available for preorder wherever books are sold. (And also like Welcome to Scare School — as well as all my other books — if you preorder from the Silver Unicorn, I will sign/personalize/doodle in your copies. Click HERE to do that.) Beyond that, I’m going to let my publisher describe the book for you:

Nat that Cat has a snack. Pat the Rat wants a snack. Nat the Cat can share, right? Nat the Cat does not want to share!

And for my last bit of news today, I’m thrilled to share that A Work in Progress now has a paperback release date!

This significantly cheaper and much more portable edition of the book will come out alongside Nat’s newest adventure, on May 7, 2024. I don’t know much about the paperback A Work in Progress beyond the release date, but I know my publishers are currently working on it, and are exploring some pretty cool design ideas. I’ll be sharing more information about it — and the other two books mentioned above — as soon as I can, in addition to more news about all the other stuff I’ve been working on these past handful of months. Oh! How could I forget? The paperback edition of A Work in Progress is, like Welcome to Scare School and Nat the Cat Has a Snack, available for preorder wherever books are sold. And you know the drill, right? Preorder from the Silver Unicorn if you want YOUR copies signed/personalized/doodled in. Click HERE to do that.

And THANKS!

~ Jarrett