New Releases by Varian Johnson

From New York Times bestselling creators, Varian Johnson and Reggie Brown, comes an adorable tale about a little boy who learns the value of working hard and playing hard. Elijah can''t wait to take his brand-new kite for its first flight! But with a new baby in the family, Daddy has to work this weekend. Elijah finds a clever way to help out and pitch in with his family while also reminding his dad how to still have a little fun. Beloved children''s book author, Varian Johnson’s debut picture book highlights the fun journey of a young child building his confidence as he steps up into the big kid role, specifically as the little big man of the house.

Scott Free wants nothing more than to leave Apokolips for planet Earth, and he knows exactly how to do it. But his plan never involved falling in love with the head of the Female Furies, Big Barda-the one person tasked with ensuring he never escapes. From Varian Johnson, the author of the Coretta Scott King Author Honor book The Parker Inheritance, and Afrofuturist artist Daniel Isles (a.k.a. DirtyRobot) comes the story of an escape plan that will take a miracle to pull off. Luckily for Scott, everyone calls him Mister Miracle! Okay, no one calls him that…yet.

“With a deft hand, Johnson shows us there''s no such thing as "too young" when it comes to questioning big ideas like manhood, or even family.” –Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author of Look Both Ways and Stamped Literary powerhouse and Coretta Scott King Honor- and Boston Globe / Horn Book Honor-winning author of The Parker Inheritance Varian Johnson explores themes of toxic masculinity and family legacy in this heartfelt, hopeful story of one boy discovering what it really means to be a man. SECRETS ARE ALWAYS A GAMBLE Ten-year-old Anthony Joplin has made it to double digits! Which means he''s finally old enough to play in the spades tournament every Joplin Man before him seems to have won. So while Ant''s friends are stressing about fifth grade homework and girls, Ant only has one thing on his mind: how he''ll measure up to his father''s expectations at the card table. Then Ant''s best friend gets grounded, and he''s forced to find another spades partner. And Shirley, the new girl in his class, isn''t exactly who he has in mind. She talks a whole lot of trash -- way more than his old partner. Plus, he''s not sure that his father wants him playing with a girl. But she''s smart and tough and pretty, and knows every card trick in the book. So Ant decides to join forces with Shirley -- and keep his plans a secret. Only it turns out secrets are another Joplin Man tradition. And his father is hiding one so big it may tear their family apart...

Coretta Scott King Honor author Varian Johnson teams up with rising cartoonist Shannon Wright for a delightful middle-grade graphic novel! Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran -- a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable outfits that set her apart from Maureen. A girl who seems happy to share only two classes with her sister! Maureen and Francine are growing apart and there''s nothing Maureen can do to stop it. Are sisters really forever? Or will middle school change things for good?

Coretta Scott King Honor author Varian Johnson teams up with rising cartoonist Shannon Wright for a delightful middle-grade graphic novel! Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran -- a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable outfits that set her apart from Maureen. A girl who seems happy to share only two classes with her sister!Maureen and Francine are growing apart and there''s nothing Maureen can do to stop it. Are sisters really forever? Or will middle school change things for good?

This baseball league that was made up of African American players and run by African American owners ushered in the biggest change in the history of baseball. In America during the early twentieth century, no part was safe from segregation, not even the country''s national pastime, baseball. Despite their exodus from the Major Leagues because of the color of their skin, African American men still found a way to participate in the sport they loved. Author Varian Johnson shines a spotlight on the players, coaches, owners, and teams that dominated the Negro Leagues during the 1930s and 40s. Readers will learn about how phenomenal players like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and of course, Jackie Robinson greatly changed the sport of baseball.

Edited by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi, and featuring some of the most acclaimed bestselling Black authors writing for teens today—Black Enough is an essential collection of captivating stories about what it’s like to be young and Black in America. A selection of the Schomburg Center''s Black Liberation Reading List. Black is...sisters navigating their relationship at summer camp in Portland, Oregon, as written by Renée Watson. Black is…three friends walking back from the community pool talking about nothing and everything, in a story by Jason Reynolds. Black is…Nic Stone’s high-class beauty dating a boy her momma would never approve of. Black is…two girls kissing in Justina Ireland’s story set in Maryland. Black is urban and rural, wealthy and poor, mixed race, immigrants, and more—because there are countless ways to be Black enough. Contributors: Justina Ireland Varian Johnson Rita Williams-Garcia Dhonielle Clayton Kekla Magoon Leah Henderson Tochi Onyebuchi Jason Reynolds Nic Stone Liara Tamani Renée Watson Tracey Baptiste Coe Booth Brandy Colbert Jay Coles Ibi Zoboi Lamar Giles

A Coretta Scott King Author Honor and Boston Globe / Horn Book Honor winner!"Powerful.... Johnson writes about the long shadows of the past with such ambition that any reader with a taste for mystery will appreciate the puzzle Candice and Brandon must solve." -- The New York Times Book ReviewWhen Candice finds a letter in an old attic in Lambert, South Carolina, she isn''t sure she should read it. It''s addressed to her grandmother, who left the town in shame. But the letter describes a young woman. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding its writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle.So with the help of Brandon, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert''s history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter''s promise before the answers slip into the past yet again?

The four heroes of Erdas are fugitives on the run in this new chapter of the New York Times bestselling series! The Heroes of Erdas are wanted fugitives. Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan have saved their world from countless threats. They are guardians from across the globe, united by their legendary spirit animals under one banner. But now the young heroes are running for their lives, framed for a crime they didn''t commit.Branded as traitors, the four must uncover the plot against them, all while unraveling the mysteries of a set of powerful relics tied to an ancient secret.Their search brings Conor home to Trunswick, where there will be no hero''s welcome. They find the city transformed: the castle burned to ground and the townsfolk poor and desperate. With a handsome reward offered for their capture, who can the heroes trust?

Gabby has never been so busy! In this third novel featuring American Girl''s 2017 Girl of the Year, Gabby is already juggling homework, school leadership activities, dance classes, and rehearsals for a spoken word competition when she''s offered an exciting dance opportunity. It''s too good to pass up, but soon, Gabby finds there aren''t enough hours in the day to do it all, let alone be a good friend to her BFF, Teagen. And she can''t help but notice that more and more, she wishes she were working on her poetry instead of doing pliés and grand jetés. Gabby''s changed a lot this past year. By the time the competition rolls around, she begins to wonder--have her dreams changed, too?

A new threat faces the world of Erdas in this continuation of the New York Times bestselling series. Split between two worlds, Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan are four young heroes who are racing to stop an ancient evil. Even the spirit animal bond, the sacred link between humans and animals, is on the brink of destruction.The friends face an enemy with the power to enslave others to its will-and to steal spirit animals away from their rightful partners. With their own allies falling to this darkness, the four must look to their bonds to light the way forward. But one of those lights is about to go out. Briggan, Uraza, Jhi, and Essix. Before their journey is over, one of these legends will be lost.

When a video frames Jackson Greene and his friends for a crime they didn''t commit, Gang Greene battles the blackmailers in this sequel to the acclaimed The Great Greene Heist. Jackson Greene is riding high. He is officially retired from conning, so Principal Kelsey is (mostly) off his back. His friends have great new projects of their own. And he''s been hanging out a lot with Gaby de la Cruz, so he thinks maybe, just maybe, they''ll soon have their first kiss.Then Jackson receives a link to a faked security video that seems to show him and the rest of Gang Greene flooding the school gym. The jerks behind the video threaten to pass it to the principal -- unless Jackson steals an advance copy of the school''s toughest exam. So Gang Greene reunites for their biggest job yet. To get the test adn clear their names, they''ll have to outrun the school''s security cameras, outwit a nosy member of the Honor Board, and outmaneuver the blackmailers while setting a trap for them in turn. And as they execute another exciting caper full of twists and turns, they''ll prove that sometimes it takes a thief to catch a cheat.

Saving the school -- one con at a time. "A political heist page-turner set in middle school? Is that even possible? Varian Johnson shows us how it''s done." - Gordon Korman, author of SWINDLE "Do yourself a favor and start reading immediately." - Rebecca Stead, author of WHEN YOU REACH ME Jackson Greene swears he''s given up scheming. Then school bully Keith Sinclair announces he''s running for Student Council president, against Jackson''s former friend Gaby de la Cruz. Gaby wants Jackson to stay out of it -- but he knows Keith has "connections" to the principal, which could win him the presidency no matter the vote count. So Jackson assembles a crack team: Hashemi Larijani, tech genius. Victor Cho, bankroll. Megan Feldman, science goddess. Charlie de la Cruz, reporter. Together they devise a plan that will take down Keith, win Gaby''s respect, and make sure the election is done right. If they can pull it off, it will be remembered as the school''s greatest con ever -- one worthy of the name THE GREAT GREENE HEIST.

Joshua Wynn is a preacher’s son and a “good boy” who always does the right thing. Until Maddie comes back to town. Maddie is the daughter of the former associate pastor of Joshua’s church, and his childhood crush. Now Maddie is all grown up, gorgeous—and troubled. She wears provocative clothes to church, cusses, drinks, and fools around with older men. Joshua’s ears burn just listening to the things she did to get kicked out of boarding school, and her own home. As time goes on, Josh goes against his parents and his own better instincts to keep Maddie from completely capsizing. Along the way, he begins to question his own rigid understanding of God and whether, as his mother says, a girl like Maddie is beyond redemption. Maddie leads Josh further astray than any girl ever has . . . but is there a way to reconcile his love for her and his love for his life in the church?

When she learns that her mother lied and her father is still alive, sarcastic, witty, eighteen-year-old Maxine sets off with her best friend on a cross-country quest to meet him.