Big-time Books This month, three titles to look out for that are brimming with imagination and creativity. The Comic Book Lesson by Mark Crilley Perhaps the one distraction for younger readers when it comes to tutorials is the fact that many of them are just a little… well, boring. Thus, to present the subject matter in a way that guides someone through a story, as well as building practice, knowledge and confidence, is to be applauded. That’s what illustrator and graphic novelist Mark Crilley has done across two books now – the hugely successful The Drawing Lesson; and now this follow-up, The Comic Book Lesson. The book follows the story of Emily, an enthusiastic young comics fan and aspiring creator who has a story she needs to tell. A series of friends help her blend these teaching moments into a sweet, clever, and poignant story, with each lesson building off the previous information and skills presented. Published by Ten Speed Press on July 5th Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Two kids meet in a hospital gaming room in 1987 and their love of video games becomes a shared world -- of joy, escape and fierce competition. When, eight years later, the pair spot each other in a crowded train station, they are catapulted back to that moment. The spark is
immediate, and together they get to work on what they love - making games to delight, challenge and immerse players, as well as finding an intimacy in digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives. Their collaborations make them superstars. This is the story of the perfect worlds Sadie and Sam build, the imperfect world they live in, and of everything that comes after success: money, fame, publicity, tragedy. Published by Penguin Books on July 14th The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton The sequel to Jessie Burton’s million-copy bestseller The Miniaturist. In the golden city of Amsterdam, in 1705, Thea Brandt is turning 18, and she is ready to welcome adulthood with open arms. At the city’s theatre, Walter, the love of her life, awaits her, but at home in
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the house on the Herengracht, all is not well – her father Otto and Aunt Nella argue endlessly, and the Brandt family are selling their furniture in order to eat. On Thea’s birthday, also the day that her mother Marin died, the secrets from the past begin to overwhelm the present, and so unravels The House of Fortune - a glorious, sweeping story of fate and ambition, secrets and dreams, and one young woman’s determination to rule her own destiny. Published by Picador on July 7th
