All the way back in 2016 The Beat was talking about Scholastic’s graphic novel talent hunt: a contest to find up to six cartoonists with stories to tell for the kid/YA focused Graphix line. I was also pleased to moderate the panel where more details of the contest were revealed, including advice from comics star Norm Feuti, Raina Telgemeier, and Mike Maihack and Scholastic editors at NYCC later that year.
And now we are extremely proud to present the first winner of this talent search to hit print, and reveal the cover: Trespassers by Breena Bard. Bard is already the author of Hey Baby: a comic memoir about becoming a mom, and if you check out her website you’ll see she has some very cute comics up there.
Trespassers, which comes out in May 2020, sound like a lot of fun too:
Thirteen-year-old Gabby Woods is looking forward to another summer vacation at her family’s lake house, even though she would rather bury herself in a mystery novel than make new friends. But soon Gabby befriends Paige, a snarky kid from Chicago, and they get caught up in a local mystery: the sudden disappearance of a glamorous couple and the extravagant lake house they left behind. To gather clues about the missing couple, Paige coaxes Gabby into trespassing, even though she knows it’s wrong. Yet, each sneaky visit to the abandoned lake house uncovers new mysteries. With suspicions mounting about foul play, Gabby must decide what she’s willing to risk to uncover the truth, or if solving this mystery — and keeping her friendship with Paige — are more trouble than they’re worth.
A summer vacation mystery and an abandoned lake house? Sign me up!
Congrats to Bard and we look forward to seeing more from Scholastic’s ever growing Graphix imprint. As reported earlier this year, it’s the biggest selling graphic novel imprint, and a few weeks ago Raina Telegemeier’s Guts was the #1 book in the country.
