“Ecological messaging surrounding food scarcity and community action ring true amid the humorously high-octane antics. Via expressive and vividly saturated cartooning by Gardner (Long Distance) and punchy text by Cooke (the Oh My Gods! series), the creators subtly raise awareness of waste prevention in this Mission Impossible–leaning graphic novel series launch.”
“This colorful romp of a heist seems straightforward on the surface, but it digs into food waste, “ugly” food, the plight of bodega cats and neighborhood strays, the importance of found family, and more. It’s absolutely absurd and incredibly sharp. I loved reading this and I think Cooke and Gardner are the perfect creative duo to tackle the nuance of this story without losing sight of their core audience.”
“A dumpster’s worth of laughs.”
Live life in the trash lane with this first entry in a hilarious middle grade graphic novel series about a family of sneaky raccoons from graphic novel superstars Stephanie Cooke and Whitney Gardner!
Meet the Bins family, a trio of raccoons in the risky business of dumpster diving for all their needs. With Dusty’s brains, ReRe’s muscle, and Scraps’s gadgets (please don’t tell him he’s almost definitely an opossum), the Binses are determined to leave no garbage bin unturned in their pursuit of the tastiest, most delicious trash they can find.
When the family discovers a new upscale grocery store that’s throwing away their perfectly good food at the end of each day, the Binses hatch a heist so daring it’ll have them rolling in garbage all winter long. But a critter-despising CEO, Jeff Beans, and the high-tech defense system he’s installed means liberating that trash is going to take all the skills the Racc Pack have…and maybe some help from a cat burglar with a mysterious past.
“This lighthearted romp by the author/illustrator of the 2018 graphic novel “Fake Blood,” with information about astronomy interspersed throughout, is a quintessentially campy (sorry, there’s no better word for it) tribute to long-distance friendship.”
“[A] goofy take on the perpetual middle grade conundrum of balancing new and old friendships, and the extraterrestrial twist offers a playful silliness but keeps a knowing sense of compassion for Vega’s struggles to negotiate new social dynamics . . . This recalls Gardner’s Fake Blood but with supernatural elements replaced by intergalactic ones, and the satisfying blend of relatable angst and kooky weirdness will make this a winner for fans of that title.”
“The focus on the difficulties and joys of maintaining different types of friendships is fresh and welcome, especially in 2021. Yes, sharing space and experiences is important, but Gardner shows us how friendships can thrive and grow even when we’re physically apart.”
From the creator of Fake Blood comes another exceptionally charming middle grade graphic novel about friendships both near and far, far away.
Vega’s summer vacation is not going well.
When her parents decide it’s time to pack up and leave her hometown of Portland, Oregon, behind for boring Seattle, Washington, Vega is more than upset—she’s downright miserable. Forced to leave her one and only best friend, Halley, behind, Vega is convinced she’ll never make another friend again.
To help her settle into her new life in Seattle, her parents send Vega off to summer camp to make new friends. Except Vega is determined to get her old life back. But when her cellphone unexpectedly calls it quits and things at camp start getting stranger and stranger, Vega has no choice but to team up with her bunkmates to figure out what’s going on!
Available now in paperback and hardcover.
A Huffington Post Best Children’s Book of 2018
A Kirkus Best Book of 2018
A 2019 YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Banks Street Best Children's Book of 2018
★ “Think Raina Telgemeier with a Noelle Stevenson slant… Gardner’s middle school romp is a magnum opus.” –Kirkus
“Her delightful tale juxtaposes a preteen crush, a tranquil, woodsy neighborhood in the Pacific Northwest, and vampires. It’s the kind of story that connects well with its intended audience — so well that my 11-year-old son pilfered my review copy and refused to return it until he was done.” –New York Times Book Review
“LOL funny.” –Girls Life
A middle schooler comes head-to-head with his vampire slayer crush in this laugh-out-loud funny graphic novel that’s a perfect coming-of-age story for anyone who’s ever felt too young, too small, or too average.
It’s the beginning of the new school year and AJ feels like everyone is changing but him. He hasn’t grown or had any exciting summer adventures like his best friends have. He even has the same crush he’s harbored for years. So AJ decides to take matters into his own hands. But how could a girl like Nia Winters ever like plain vanilla AJ when she only has eyes for vampires?
When AJ and Nia are paired up for a group project on Transylvania, it may be AJ’s chance to win over Nia’s affection by dressing up like the vamp of her dreams. And soon enough he’s got more of Nia’s attention than he bargained for when he learns she’s a slayer.
Now AJ has to worry about self-preservation while also trying to save everyone he cares about from a real-life threat lurking in the shadows of Spoons Middle School.
Written by Debbie Levy and Illustrated by Whitney Gardner
Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a modern feminist icon—a leader in the fight for equal treatment of girls and women in society and the workplace. She blazed trails to the peaks of the male-centric worlds of education and law, where women had rarely risen before.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg has often said that the true and lasting change in society and law is accomplished slowly, one step at a time. This is how she has evolved, too. Step by step, the shy little girl became a child who questioned unfairness, who became a student who persisted despite obstacles, who became an advocate who resisted injustice, who became a judge who revered the rule of law, who became…RBG.