Every year at BookExpo America there are a series of “Buzz” panels where editors hype the biggest upcoming releases. This years event takes place May 31-June 3, and two graphic novels will be on the Buzz lists, one middle grade, one young adult.
One is Tillie Walden’s Spinning (First Second), a book that has already gotten a ton of buzz as the major publisher debut for the red hot Walden. It’s the story of her days as a competitive skater.
Molly Ostertag’s The Witch Boy (Scholastic Graphix)will be featured on the middle grade panel. This book has gotten less attention in the comics world, but it’s a fantasy about a young boy who learns magic in a world where boys are shapeshifters and women are witches.
Books are chosen by a variety of committees comprising booksellers, librarians and other industry professionals. There have been graphic novels on all three panels before, but it’s another measure of the strength of graphic novels for younger readers both in sales and quality.
“BookExpo’s Buzz program has done an amazing job selecting upcoming bestsellers and books that make a deep impact in the industry,” said Brien McDonald, Event Director for BookExpo & BookCon in a statement about the whole program. “We’re thrilled with these selections and believe this year’s crop of authors and titles will become household names and appear on bestsellers list in the coming months.”
· The Adult Panel will be Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at 1:45 PM
· The Young Adult Panel will be Thursday, June 1, 2017 at 10:00 AM
· The Middle Grade Panel will be Friday, June 2, 2017 at 11:00 AM
Here’s the full list of finalists:
BOOKEXPO 2017 ADULT BOOK EDITORS’ BUZZ SELECTIONS
Unraveling Oliver
Liz Nugent
Scout Press
Publication Date: August 22, 2017
Stay With Me
Ayobami Adebayo
Alfred A. Knopf
Publication Date: August 22, 2017
My Absolute Darling
Gabriel Tallent
Riverhead Books
Publication Date: August 29, 2017
The World of Tomorrow
Brendan Mathews
Little Brown and Company
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
The Immortalists
Chloe Benjamin
Putnam
Publication Date: January 9, 2018
The Woman in the Window
A.J. Finn
William Morrow
Publication Date: January 23, 2018
YOUNG ADULT BOOKEXPO EDITORS’ BUZZ SELECTIONS 2017
Spinning
Tillie Walden
First Second Books
Publication Date: September 12, 2017
Beasts Made of Night
Tochi Onyebuchi
Razorbill
Publication Date: September 12, 2017
All the Wind in the World
Samantha Mabry
Algonquin Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 10, 2017
The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives
Dashka Slater
Farrar Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 17, 2017
Dear Martin
Nic Stone
Crown Books For Young Readers
Publication Date: October 17, 2017
MIDDLE GRADE BOOKEXPO EDITORS’ BUZZ SELECTIONS 2017
Auma’s Long Run
Eucabeth Odhiambo
Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group
Publication Date: September 1, 2017
The Witch Boy
Molly Ostertag
Graphix
Publication Date: September 1, 2017
Greetings From Witness Protection!
Jake Burt
Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
The Stars Beneath Our Feet
David Barclay Moore
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 24, 2017
The Unicorn Quest: The Whisper in the Stone
Kamilla Benko
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Publication Date: January 30, 2018
