Books of Wonder event recap

Here are some photos from Cool Teen Reads at Books of Wonder (see also my previous post). All the participants were authors of teen novels. Here is the line-up: Shawn Goodman (Kindness for Weakness), Corey Ann Haydu (OCD Love Story), Jennifer Lyne (Catch Rider), Michael Northrop (Rotten), Lili Peloquin (This Side of Jealousy), Lindsay Ribar (The Art of Wishing), Evan Roskos (Dr. Birds Advice for Sad Poets), Katie Sise (The Boyfriend App) and some dude called Paul Hoppe.

It was really interesting to hear about everybody's books which were about a wide range of topics. They also talked about how it is to be a writer, which was really inspiring.

Most of the other authors were reading from their books, but with PEANUT being a graphic novel that's tricky. Also, let's not forget, I didn't write the book, it was Ayun Halliday! When it was my turn, I talked about being an illustrator, told the plot (without giving away the end!) and also about the process of making such a book. All while also doing a "live" drawing of Sadie, our main character.
All in all I was a great day. I was very honored to be part of this group and this event, at such a great place. Many thanks to the friends and colleagues who came for support (especially Dingding Hu and Jen Hill for taking some of these photos) Books of Wonder did also a recap with some photos, which you can see here.

You can buy signed copies of all the books that were featured in the panel, including PEANUT, online or in store, and I also signed a lot of HATs for them. Please support this great place. Cheers!

Books Of Wonder event: Cool Teen Reads

I'm part of an event at Books of Wonder this Sunday, August 11th, from 1-2:30 pm:

Cool Teen Reads for Summer will be a panel of YA novelists, featuring Shawn Goodman (Kindness for Weakness), Corey Ann Haydu (OCD Love Story), Jennifer H. Lyne (Catch Rider), Michael Northrop (Rotten), Lili Peloquin (This Side of Jealousy), Lindsay Ribar (The Art of Wishing), Evan Roskos (Dr. Birds Advice for Sad Poets), Katie Sise (The Boyfriend App), and yours truly! I will be talking about my graphic novel Peanut (written by Ayun Halliday, who can't join us this time).

We'll be introducing our books, answer questions from the audience, and sign copies of our newest and other books. Ages 12-16.

Books of Wonder (18 W 18th St,  NY, NY) is a lovely store entirely dedicated to children's books and young readers. This is my first event at Books of Wonder, and am thrilled to be invited. Would love to see you there!

Peanut Review by The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (circ: 4,000) did a very nice review of Peanut. Thanks so much for the kind words!

"Anxious about fitting in at a new school, sophomore Sadie Wildhack tries to seem more interesting by inventing one little lie about herself: a severe peanut allergy. Soon she is telling elaborate stories of near-death experiences, vigilantly avoiding peanut products, and dodging the school nurse who wants medical forms signed by Sadie’s mom. When she starts to make real friends and catches the eye of a cute boy who is interested in more than her allergy, Sadie wants to leave the lie behind but can’t find a way to come clean.

A simple, honest, yet light-hearted story about a small misstep becoming a big deal, this graphic novel strikes just the right balance between charm and seriousness. Sadie and her friends are eminently likable and real, and readers will enjoy watching Sadie grow more confident amongst her peers, even as she grows increasingly anxious about her lie. Her relationship with boyfriend Zoo is sweetly supportive, even in the face of her eventual humiliation, and understanding adults help temper the impact when her lie is revealed.

The illustrations keep the focus on Sadie, leaving her the only spot of color (she’s always in a bright red top) amid the otherwise black and white scenes. This tale of a lie gone very wrong will strike a chord with readers who have fudged the truth to get attention."  AM

Original art from PEANUT in The Steps Shown gallery at "3rd In The Burg"

I am showing original art from my graphic novel PEANUT at The Steps Shown stairwell gallery in Harrisburg, PA, this weekend! Jonathan Bean is not only a friend, but a supremely talented children's book illustrator and author, and I'm honored to be shown at his event.

From Jonathan Bean's Blog:

I am thrilled to be showing the work of the very talented Paul Hoppe for this month's 3rd in the Burg. All around illustration juggernaut, Paul does it all: picture books, children's magazines, zines, graphic novels and editorial! The Steps Shown stairwell gallery will feature Paul's drawings from Peanut, the recently released, and deservedly praised, YA graphic novel by Ayun Halliday. Paul is busily at work in NYC and won't be present, but you can visit him online and tell him how much you like his work at www.paulhoppe.de. 

This month's open studio: Friday, July 19, 6-9pm.

1320 North 3rd Street, 3rd Floor 

Harrisburg, PA 17102

Hope you can make it. A visit includes a refreshing drink, an activity for children and air conditioning! 

PEANUT Reviews RoundUp

PEANUT, my graphic novel that I was working on for about 3 years and which is written by Ayun Halliday and published by Schwartz & Wade / Random House, got some very nice reviews from respected publications and also online. Here is the lowdown!

Earlier in the year, we got two (!) Starred Reviews, from Publishers Weekly and from School Library Journal, and a super-nice review from The New York Times, who calls it "…a smart, affecting graphic young adult novel…"

I've also already posted about the very nice reviews in The Horn Book and in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Additionally, we were very happy that The Miami Herald featured PEANUT in its Spring graphic novel round up, calling it "…a terrific all-ages effort. Halliday’s bittersweet script is expertly illuminated by Hoppe, whose savvy camera angles and naturalistic layouts add inestimably to the experience."

Also The Buffalo News  wrote a very nice review, calling our book "…a page-turner from beginning to end, as Sadie learns there were probably easier ways to get comfortable with new people in a new place."

VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) wrote:
“Emphasis is put on the importance of Sadie having friends, which will resonate with teenage girls who put popularity at a premium... The black-and-white illustrations are well drawn, with the choice to depict Sadie wearing a red top in each frame a symbolic color for her situation... This is a good selection for both public and school libraries with graphic novel collections.”

There was also a nice endorsment by The Eisenhower Public Library, saying that "…Sadie’s friends are not two-dimensional. Instead, they are slow to forgive and continually transform. The storyline is simple, but Sadie is a complex girl spinning lies with big consequences."

There were also some very kind reviews online / on blogs:

Reading Rants said it "…will feel very familiar to anyone who’s ever tried to break into a new table in the cafeteria…"

On the PlayBack Blog, the Love Fool column said it was "…thought-provoking on a personal level."
And then there was this great mention in Bust magazine:

Many thanks again to the reviewers for spending time with our book, and for the kind words!
If you have reviewed Peanut and you're not on the list, let me know and I'll post it here!

A Peanut Evening at BookCourt

Many thanks to everyone who made it out to BookCourt last Sunday, Ayun Halliday and I had a great time.

 At first, author Ayun Halliday did a reading with panels from the book, a really fun way to present a comic for the audience.

Then I gave a "Making-Of" presentation, showing how the book evolved from sketches to finished product.

Afterwards we had a fun Q&A session with the both of us. Thanks again to everybody who came out, and to BookCourt for hosting!

PEANUT event at BookCourt Brooklyn

The first event to celebrate to release of my graphic novel PEANUT is happening this weekend at Brooklyn's BookCourt.
The author, Ayun Halliday, is doing a reading with projections, while I will give a little making-of presentation, showing sketches and process work.
It should be a lot of fun, so come out to celebrate with us!

Sunday, February 24th 2013
7:00pm
BookCourt
163 Court Street,
Brooklyn, NY

(For the Facebook Event page, click here)

Peanut review in the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cleveland loves Peanut, reviewer Michael Sangiacomo wrote a very kind and thoughtful article about our book, you can read the full review on The Plain Dealer's website.

Here is the second half of the text, which has some very nice things to say about the art as well:

"[…] Halliday, the self-described "chief primatologist" of the popular New York zine "The East Village Inky" writes a simple yet compelling story that offers lessons without being preachy. She found a perfect partner to illustrate the work in Paul Hoppe, who previously wrote and drew a children's book of childhood fears, "The Woods."

Hoppe's style is gentle and engaging. His depictions of the characters are perfect, and, in an unusual touch, he gives Sadie alone a splash of color in the otherwise black-and-white drawings. It sounds so simple, but that slight dash of red on her clothing sets her apart from the other characters in much the same way her fake allergy does.

Most impressive is the lack of stereotypes or overwritten characters. Everyone's actions are normal, plausible, believable. It's a slice of high school life in which a 14- or 15-year-old girl tries desperately to find an identity.

Along the way, Sadie learns about the difficulties of allergies and how constantly vigilant truly allergic people must be. She learns of a girl who was sickened because she kissed a boy who had eaten peanuts. She also learns how tough it is to lie to her mother and the school nurse.
Sadie selects her condition with little thought, reeling from the divorce of her parents and the abandonment by her best friend from the old school.

In some ways, "Peanut" is a universal story about people who are just trying to fit in. Isn't that everyone?"
– Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 31st 2013

PEANUT reviewed by The New York Times

“A smart, affecting graphic young adult novel… Sadie’s allergy may be fake, but the sentiments in ‘Peanut’ are not, and that’s what matters. For adolescents, reality is often more about how you feel about things than about the facts themselves. “
--Pamela Paul, The New York Times

The New York Times reviewed PEANUT on January 23rd, 2013, on their website. It's a very thoughtful and, thankfully, positive review that made me and everybody who was involved in the book very happy. Read the full article here.

I'm especially thrilled about the kind words Pamela Paul had to say about my artwork:

"[…] Hoppe’s panel illustrations are done in a loose, black-and-white pen-and-ink style. Only Sadie’s omnipresent shirt, which goes from tank top to polo to hoodie, according to season, is cherry-red. This highlights her sense of physical and emotional isolation. Hoppe also illustrates Sadie’s thoughts and emotions in inventive ways. A sequence in which she imagines various people’s reactions to her confessing as thought bubbles above her head — each one going pop! as the imagined dialogue sputters — is especially brilliant. […]

I have to admit the "bubbles" sequence was already thought up in author Ayun Halliday's manuscript, and it was one of my favorite parts from when I first read it. I'm glad that the reviewer liked it as much as I did.

Many thanks to Pamela Paul, and once again to Ayun, Rebecca, Ann an Lee!

PEANUT Second Starred Review: School Library Journal

Peanut received its Second Starred Review, this time from School Library Journal. Many thanks to reviewer Andrea Lipinski from the New York Public Library!

“Librarians, teachers, and parents should definitely share this book with teens looking for realistic graphic novels about schools, friendship, peer pressure, or moral choices.”

Previous starred review in: Publishers Weekly
Here is the full starred review:

Worried about transferring to a new school, Sadie comes up with the idea of faking a peanut allergy. She thinks that pretending to have a life-threatening condition will draw attention to her and generate sympathy. Her predictions come true, and she makes several new friends and even attracts a boyfriend. But as time passes, Sadie finds it harder and harder to keep up with her lies, and her story begins to unravel. The girl who became best known for having a peanut allergy is heading toward a future in which she will become best known for being a liar, and she will have to deal with the backlash from people who knew her under false pretenses. Sadie is an empathetic character, and readers will relate to her nervousness about fitting in, her emotional tug-of-war with her mother, and the ups and downs of her friendships. Hoppe’s cartoon illustrations are primarily in grayscale but he also uses one color (red) to highlight Sadie’s character or objects like a flower from her boyfriend. Librarians, teachers, and parents should definitely share this book with teens looking for realistic graphic novels about schools, friendship, peer pressure, or moral choices.–-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library
(January 2013 issue of School Library Journal)

PEANUT is out now!

After working on this project for about 3 years, it's finally out: PEANUT, a graphic novel written by Ayun Halliday and illustrated by yours truly, and published by Schwartz & Wade / Random House.

Here you can see Peanut out in the wild, at Forbidden Planet NYC, amongst the new publications of the week.

The book has 208 fully illustrated pages, and is printed in two spot colors, a very dark indigo and a bright pinkish red.

The story is about a young girl who moves to a new town and struggles to fit in and to make new friends. To make herself more interesting, she tells everybody she has a deadly peanut allergy. Of course, her lies circle out of control.

Since beginning of this month it's available in any bookstore near you. Ask them to order it for you, if they don't have it in stock.

There have been some nice reviews already, including a Starred Review by Publisher's Weekly. Peanut is also a Junior Library Guild Selection.



You can also order it from IndieBound and Amazon.

My advance copies, yay!

"Hip and life- affirming": PEANUTStarred Review in Publisher's Weekly

Here is a wonderful review of PEANUT, from Publisher's Weekly, November 26, 2012! Thanks so much for the great endorsement, and for the kind words especially about my art!
  
    Peanut
Ayun Halliday, illus. by Paul Hoppe. Random/Schwartz and Wade, $17.99 (216p) ISBN 978-0-375-86590-9

    Inventing a deadly peanut allergy isn’t the first thing the average teenager would think of to make herself more interesting, but Halliday (Always Lots of Heinies at the Zoo) takes the idea and runs with it. The moment that sophomore Sadie Wildhack puts her scheme into action, tension starts to build. Chatter from new classmates (“I’m like ‘Oh my God, stop acting like you’ve got cancer!’ ”) makes it clear Sadie will find little sympathy. Commentary from homeroom teacherMr. Larch provides just the right ironic counterpoint: “Ladies, please! This is algebra, not some tatty Guy de Maupassant story.”

The story’s arc is a long, slow fall into public embarrassment; only the attention of Chris “Zoo” Suzuki, a Luddite who hand-delivers his love notes because he doesn’t have a cellphone, saves Sadie from complete social failure. In loose gray cartoons accented with coral, Hoppe (Hat) provides maximum visual information without drawing attention to himself, nailing sequences like one in which Sadie imagines confessing, but struggles to find the words. It’s not easy being both hip and life- affirming, but this team has the secret formula. Ages 11–14. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Jan.)


Coming out January 2013, pre-order on IndieBound or Amazon.

The Horn Book reviews PEANUT

The first Peanut review came in, from The Horn Book!

Peanut by Ayun Halliday; illus. by Paul Hoppe
Middle School, High School,
Schwartz & Wade / Random 210 pp. 12/12

In this introspective graphic novel, Sadie is apprehensive about changing high schools during her sophomore year. She breaks the ice with her classmates by casually dropping hints about her severe peanut allergy. Soon Sadie’s courage in the face of her serious medical condition and her dramatic tales of near-miss incidents attract new friends and a love interest.

There’s just one problem: Sadie isn’t really allergic to peanuts. Inspired by a friend’s suggestion that a new school provides “a do-over” and even the possibility of popularity, she has seized the opportunity to reinvent herself. Sadie orders a medical ID bracelet and researches epinephrine injectors to lend credence to her lies even as she agonizes over whether to ’fess up.

This secret, shared only with readers, places Sadie in a series of increasingly awkward situations, from cringe-worthy (the bronze-plated peanut on a chain with which new beau Zoo proudly presents her) to utterly humiliating (a school bake sale “emergency” where the truth is revealed). Underneath the many funny moments runs a poignant current as readers recognize—better than Sadie herself—the high costs of her dishonesty.

Pen-and-ink drawings, digitally colored in blue tones with Sadie always in red, capture nuances of a wide range of emotions: anxiety, self-satisfaction, guilt, betrayal, and ultimately, forgiveness.
January/February 2013 issue of The Horn Book

Thanks to Katie Bircher and The Horn Book for the great review!

To pre-order Peanut, click here.

PEANUT Advance Readers Copy

Peanut, the big graphic novel I've been illustrating for years, is coming together at long last! I've received my advance readers copy in the mail and couldn't be more excited, seeing it bound as an actual book. Some tiny things left to tweak, and then it's off to the printers!

Peanut is a YA graphic novel written by Ayun Halliday and illustrated by yours truly. It has over 200 pages, will be printed with two spot colors and is coming out in January 2012 from Schwartz & Wade / Random House.  To preorder here, click here.