Middle Grade Presenters
These presenters will be in area schools on Friday of the Festival and general sessions throughout the weekend.
Arree Chung
Arree Chung is the author and illustrator of Ninja! and Ninja! Attack of the Clan, as well as the illustrator of How to Pee: Potty Training for Boys/Girls. Prior to writing and illustrating picture books, Chung worked at Pixar, where he learned the secret to success: loving what you do. When he is not practicing his ninja moves, you can find Chung playing basketball or riding his bike in San Francisco, California, where he lives with his family.
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Twelve-year-old Ming Lee hopes middle school will be the fresh start he needs.
But stepping into school with the same bowl haircut his mom insists on giving him, and wearing the extra-discounted thrift shop clothes she buys him doesn't quite make for the first day of his dreams. Things only get worse when he’s placed in an ESL class despite English being his first (and only) language. The journey ahead is full of awkward, painful, and downright embarrassing moments.
Ming’s dad always tells him, “Get good grades! Don’t cause trouble!” But with two new friends by his side, and a few tricks up his sleeve, Ming is determined to make some changes.
Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jerry Craft, Don’t Cause Trouble is a funny, warmhearted graphic novel that will resonate with readers who are looking for a place to belong.
Michael Grover
Michael Grover wants to make a lot of comics before he dies. His work has been nominated for several awards with old man names (Oscar, Eisner, Harvey). He lives in a house with his wife and kids. Read Deeply Dave online with looping animation and music at www.deeplydave.com.
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Based on an Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated webcomic
For fans of Adventure Time, Deeply Dave is a madcap, hilarious adventure graphic novel about a young deep sea diver who heroically plunges into the abyss to save his astronaut mom from the monsters that lurk below.
Immerse yourself in this unique reading experience, where you flip the pages up and read downward as you descend into the ocean's depths!
Dave's mom is missing…and he’s going after her.
She’s lost somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, stranded in the wreckage of her sunken spaceship. Only Dave can save her from the alien monsters and bizarre sea creatures that lurk in the depths.
So Dave is going deeper...
and deeper...
and deeper...
and deeper…
and deeper…
and deeper…
and deeper...
and deeper...
Allie Millington
Allie Millington is a New York Times Bestselling author of books for the young and young at heart. Her debut middle grade novel, Olivetti, was an instant national bestseller and received a glowing review by Tom Hanks. Allie released two new books this year--her second middle grade novel, Once For Yes, and her debut picture book, When You Find a Hope. She lives near Atlanta with her husband, a dog called Crumpet, and a collection of clacking machines.
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This heartfelt novel celebrates the healing power of community and the endurance of love, perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo and Peter Brown.
The Odenburgh, an old apartment building made of brick and blunt opinions, is the last of its kind in a swiftly changing neighborhood. After years of putting up with people and their many problems, the Odenburgh knows there’s no point in getting attached. They all just leave eventually. A truth that comes all too soon when the building is sold and slated for demolition, giving tenants a month to move out.
No one is more troubled by the news than eleven-year-old Prue, who refuses to leave her family’s apartment. Not when it was the last place she lived with her sister Lina, before she lost Lina forever. When Prue launches a plan to save their home, the Odenburgh joins in—flickering lights, jamming elevators, triggering fire alarms—all to try and bring a building full of bickering residents together. In the process, Prue meets Lewis, an eccentric boy who lives across the street—and the only one who can help her discover the missing elements of her sister’s story.
Heartfelt and bursting with a community of unique characters, Once For Yes is a testament to the endurance of love and the people we carry with us, wherever we go.
Daniel Nayeri
Photo Credit: Reams Photography
Daniel Nayeri, an Iranian refugee who immigrated to Oklahoma, is an award-winning author who has captivated readers with his poignant memoir Everything Sad Is Untrue (Printz Award Winner) and the epic adventure The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams (Newbery Award Honor). A former publisher, editor, and pastry chef, he resides along the East Coast with his family.
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1941. The German armies are storming across Europe. Iran is a neutral country occupied by British forces on one side, Soviet forces on another. Soldiers fill the teahouses of Isfahan. Nazi spies roam the alleyways.
Babak and his little sister have just lost their father. Now orphans, fearing they will be separated, the two devise a plan. Babak will take up his father’s old job as a teacher to the nomads. With a chalkboard strapped to Babak’s back, and a satchel full of textbooks, the siblings set off to find the nomad tribes as they make their yearly trek across the mountains.
On the treacherous journey they meet a Jewish boy, hiding from a Nazi spy. And suddenly, they are all in a race for survival.
Against the backdrop of World War II comes an epic adventure in the faraway places. Through the cacophony of soldiers, tanks, and planes, can young hearts of different creeds and nations learn to find a common language?
Master storyteller Daniel Nayeri keeps you on the edge of your seat, uncertain to the very end.
Nnedi Okorafor
Nnedi Okorafor is an award-winning, New York Times-bestselling writer of mostly science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. Her debut novel, Zahrah the Windseeker, won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. Nnedi has since won World Fantasy, Nebula, Locus, Eisner, Hugo, Lodestar, and Nommo Awards, amongst others, for her work. Nnedi has also written comics for Marvel, including Black Panther: Long Live the King and the Shuri series. She holds a PhD in literature, master’s degrees in journalism and literature, and lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her daughter, Anyaugo.
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Invaders from outer space have descended on Nigeria. They have no idea whose home they're messing with.
Ah, yes, the luxurious life of a well-loved cat. It’s the best. And Periwinkle has it the cushiest. But there’s more to this pampered pet than meets the eye. He’s not just a house cat. He’s a space cat. By day, he’s showered with scritches, cuddles, and delicious chicken fillets. By night, he races through the cosmos in his custom-built spaceship.
Between epic battles with squeaky toys and working on ways to improve his ship, Periwinkle is never bored. And when his humans decide to leave the United States and move to the small but bustling town of Kaleria, Nigeria, he’s excited to explore his new home—even after he learns that many Nigerians hate cats. After all, a born adventurer like Periwinkle doesn’t shy away from new experiences. But not everything in Kaleria is as it seems. Soon enough, Periwinkle finds himself on his most out-of-this-world adventure yet, right here on Earth.
Rosanne Parry
Rosanne Parry is the author of the best-selling Voice of the Wilderness novels and nonfiction picture books. She grew up in Oregon, loving the wild places and fabulous libraries that surrounded her. Parry sells books at Annie Blooms and writes in a treehouse in her backyard. Her newest work is A Wolf Called Fire.
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Warm is the smallest pup, the one his father calls the heart of the pack. But all Warm sees is his bigger brothers Sharp and Swift, even his sisters Pounce and Wag, winning all the wrestling matches. Warm finds his place in the pack helping take care of the young pups, a role he is assured is important, but doesn't always feel like it is.
When enemy wolves attack, the pack is forced to defend themselves. Instead of joining the fight, Warm leads the pups away to safety, only to find himself alone on the mountain with four helpless pups. His pack has scattered. The pups are his responsibility now. Fearful and uncertain, Warm and the pups climb higher and higher into the mountains. Their journey is grueling, lonely, and full of danger, and they face hunger, storms, fire, and enemy wolves nipping at their heels. Will Warm have the courage to be the leader his pack needs when the fiercest enemy of all comes to challenge him? Will Warm and the pups ever find a place to call home?
A Wolf Called Fire is a stand-alone companion novel to A Wolf Called Wander. The story is inspired by Wolf 8, a real Yellowstone wolf who was the smallest of his pack and was constantly bullied by his bigger brothers. Wolf 8 survived a tumultuous first year and grew up to be a different sort of leader—one who fought many rival wolves to submission but never killed any. He became the patriarch of the largest wolf pack in Yellowstone, not by being the biggest or strongest, but by choosing to be collaborative and generous. Features black-and-white illustrations throughout and extensive back matter, including a map.
Rebecca Stead
Rebecca Stead is a New York Times best-selling author of middle-grade novels, including When You Reach Me, Liar & Spy, The List of Things That Will Not Change, and The Lost Library. In 2025, her debut picture book, Anything (illustrated by Gracey Zhang) was published for younger readers. Her books have been awarded the Newbery Medal, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction, and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. Rebecca lives in New York City, where she's always on the lookout for her next story idea.
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From the Newbery Medalist and bestselling author Rebecca Stead, here is a bold story that will appeal to fans of A Wrinkle in Time and The First State of Being.
Nathan wants to help his people, but first he has to figure out who they are...
Nathan never understood what was "fun" about secrets, probably because he’s always had to keep a very big one.
Although he appears to be a typical sixth-grader (with parents, homework and a best friend, Victor), Nathan learned at an early age that his family is from another planet. Now, their time on Earth may be coming to an end.
Nathan, his parents and nine other families are part of an experiment that suddenly seems to be going wrong. Some of the experimenters, including Nathan's first crush, Izzy, are disappearing without a word. After his family is called back to the mothership, Nathan begins to question everything he’s been taught to believe about who he is and why he's on Earth.
The Experiment is a fast-paced coming-of-age novel - with aliens - that asks universal questions about how we figure out who we want to be, and whether it’s ever too late to change.