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Dreaming of a Furry Life

Jess E. Owen is an author who has written several fantasy novels for young readers. Her series The Summer King Chronicles features a whole new world of gryphon and wolf characters. But now, writing under the name of Jessica Kara, she is taking on a whole new kind of fantasy with her new young adult novel, A Furry Faux Paw. The story goes like this: “Online, MauveCat (a cool, confident, glittering pixie cat) has friends and a whole supportive furry community that appreciates her art. At home, Maeve Stephens has to tiptoe around her hoarder mother’s mood and mess. When her life is at its hardest, Maeve can always slip into Mauve, her fursona, and be ‘the happy one’, the bubbliest, friendliest artist in her community ― it’s even how she made her best friend, Jade. With graduation around the corner, Maeve is ready to put her lonely school days behind her and move on with her life. And while her father hasn’t been home since the divorce, he does offer her a dream come true: an all-expenses paid trip to the regional furry convention. Furlympia will have everything Maeve’s been missing ―  friends, art mentors, and other furries! So when her mother forbids her from going, Maeve decides to sneak out on her own.” And what happens then? Find out when A Furry Faux Paw comes out in hardcover this May.

image c. 2022 Page Street Kids

The Furries Called For Help…

Years ago, author Jane Lindskold wrote The Marks Of Our Brothers, an interesting science fiction novel with some neat anthropomorphic aliens in it. Now, she is moving into the realm of fantasy — and even more anthropomorphics — with her new series called Over Where. From her web site: “The Over Where duology is the tale of how three young adults decide to use a shrine to summon supernatural guidance.  Except, instead of getting what they expected, they summon three monstrous creatures from another world. Wait…   Let me try again… Maybe it’s the story of three women past the first blush of youth (or even older) from our Earth who are summoned to a land where magic is real, and all the people are therianthropic (that is, they have a mixture of human and animal traits).  Everyone, including the three summoners, figure this is a huge mistake but, when the humans learn that the summoners can’t get any other help, they decide to stay. According to a mysterious cryptic verse, the first thing they must do is find the Library of the Sapphire Wind.  There’s just one problem.  The Library was destroyed some twenty-five years before.” Library of the Sapphire Wind and Aurora Borealis Bridge are both available now.

image c. 2022 Simon & Schuster

This Cat LITERALLY Walks Through Walls…

Seven Seas Entertainment pretty much says it all here: “Flora moves into a mysterious mansion and finds it inhabited by a strange creature: Creepy Cat! Thus begins her strange and sometimes dangerous life with a feline roommate. This Gothic comedy brings the chuckles…and the chills! Since 2014, Cotton Valent’s hilarious webcomic Meawbin The Creepy Cat has charmed online audiences across the world. Enjoy this full-color graphic novel series for audiences new and old!” Creepy Cat is available now in paperback.

image c. 2022 Seven Seas Entertainment

You Can’t Fight City Howl

Another new and interesting graphic novel for young folk, from Random House: Mayor Good Boy, by Dave Scheidt and Miranda Harmon. “The votes are in and the new mayor is… A dog?! This dog will do more than shake paws. Mayor Good Boy is here to help Greenwood become a town filled with kindness, starting with fetching help for the local zoo. With foes around every corner trying to put a stop to Mayor Good Boy’s campaign of fun, are there cheese snacks and belly rubs in his future? Or will the town suddenly have a flea problem?” Find out now.

image c. 2022 Random House

Those Other Pets Need Love Too

The campaign to legalize ferrets as pets in California (yes that’s a thing) recently let us know about My Name Is Musky, a picture book for young people written by Matty Giuliano and illustrated by Morgan Spicer. It’s rare to find a cute book about pets that actually focuses on ferrets! “Poor Musky! A small white ferret is abandoned and left by the side of the road. Things start to look up, though, when a nice lady named Stephanie shows up and saves the day. It’s off to the cozy, warm animal shelter for this little ferret—but will anyone want to adopt a different kind of furry animal friend?” Check out the official web site too.

image c. 2022 Humane Press

The Rabbit Has Magic

At a recent convention we came across The Secret of the Wind, the first volume in the new graphic novel series Cottons — written by Jim Pascoe and illustrated by Heidi Arnhold. “In Cottons, rabbits and foxes inhabit a world where magic, technology, and art are used as weapons of war… To her neighbors in the Vale of Industry, Bridgebelle is an ordinary rabbit. All day long, she toils at the carrot factory. After a hard day, she returns home to care for her ailing auntie. And whenever she’s out, she’s watchful of the murderous foxes who prey on her kind. But Bridgebelle is not ordinary—she’s a rabbit with talents beyond her own understanding. Using cha, the mysterious fuel that powers her world, she can change everyday objects into thokchas—magical, transforming works of art. Bridgebelle makes thokchas because they’re beautiful. But there are those in her world who want to harness her powers and turn her art into a weapon.” The book is available now in hardcover and paperback from First Second.

image c. 2022 First Second

Big and Ready to Rumble

Things take a turn for the decidedly strange in Louie and Bear in the Land of Anything Goes, a new graphic novel written and illustrated by Brady Smith. “Welcome to the Land of Anything Goes! It’s a world filled with wild creatures, absurd chicken-boy hybrids, and oh, did we mention the giant, winged, kid-eating monster called a Cacapoop? When Louie and his pet hamster get sucked through a portal into a bizarre new land where truly anything can happen, they have no idea the adventure that’s waiting for them. Really, they’re less focused on adventure and more concerned about the fact that Louie has turned into a wrestler, Scooty the hamster has become Bear the giant bear, and they’re now being chased across a purple planet by a terrifying monster!” Told you! The book is available now in hardcover from Penguin Workshop.

image c. 2022 Penguin Workshop

Would You Turn Back?

We really don’t know how to properly summarize this “modern fairy tale” by Shelley Moore Thomas — so we’ll let the publisher do it for us. “Off the coast of Ireland, on the island of Hybrasil, lives a Magician and four enchanted rabbit sisters. One by one, the rabbits have been leaving the island, accompanied by a Boy and his boat. When the rabbits leave, they can turn back into girls. The last rabbit, Albie, remains. She doesn’t want to leave, but the island is sinking. Before deciding where she wants to go, Albie visits each of her sisters. Caragh has joined a circus. Isolde is the captain of a pirate ship. And Rory wants to go home to the family’s house in Cork. Through many furry twists and hoppity turns, we learn how one mistake can lead to many consequences, and that forgiveness and family are always within reach.” The Last Rabbit is available now in hardcover.

image c. 2022 Penguin Random House

Snout for Justice

Recently Penguin Books published When Pigs Fly, a new full color graphic novel by Rob Harrell. We’ve mention Mr. Harrel before, as he’s the creator of Monster on the Hill — which of course was the basis for the recent animated film Rumble. Now we have this: “Gary Yorkshire was your perfectly average, fuzzy pink pig who loved tasty sandwiches, video games, mud baths, and hanging out with his friends Carl the fish and Brooklyn the bat. Until one day . . .  a radioactive bat bite gives him powers he never would have dreamed of! Inspired by his old Crimson Swine comics, Gary decides that he’ll use his powers for good and becomes (drumroll) Batpig! Now he just needs a good zinger of a Batpig slogan, a spandex costume that flatters his rear end . . .  and maybe a little advice about how in the world to defeat supervillains?” Order it now and find out.

image c. 2022 Penguin Books