• Meet the Imprint

Arthur A. Levine Books | October 24, 2017

By Hillary Doyle (ECC Chair, Scholastic)

Imprint origin story:

When Arthur introduced the imprint 20 years ago, what he expressed as his guiding principal was a belief that at the center of every great book is a voice speaking a truth. That truth may make you laugh, it may hurt, it may make you think. But to open a book and have that experience — to have that wonderful, genuine moment of recognition, “yes that’s exactly how it is!” is to gain something real, something of great value. A connection, an insight, a comfort.

Four other principals have guided the shaping of the list over the years. The members of the imprint ask themselves if a book brings to the U.S. a talent that represents “The Best of the World.”  We strive for “Diversity.”  They are excited to find and develop “New Voices,” and they look for books that represent “The Best of its Kind.” Often these categories overlap!

Upcoming titles we’re excited about:

Varian Johnson’s The Parker Inheritance: A stirring mystery that blends past and present. Candice Miller has found a letter in her grandmother’s attic. A letter that describes a young African American woman named Siobhan Washington. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding the letter writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle. Can Candice uncover the truth and fulfill the letter’s promise before the answers slip into the past yet again?

Jean Kim’s Rabbit Moon: Rabbit lives on the moon, loyally turning wishes into stars for the folks on earth. He has a secret wish himself — for friends! This is a tale of wishes come true with pictures as gently luminous as the moon itself.  

Classic titles you should know: 

Norma Fox Mazer’s When She Was Good: The first book published under AALB, in the fall of 1997. A brilliant, unflinchingly honest, and tender novel about a girl fighting for survival and liberation in an abusive family.

Shaun Tan’s The Arrival: In this wordless graphic novel, Shaun breathes life into a world that is both impossible and familiar, following the footsteps of a man who has fled his country to make a new home.

Lisa Yee’s Millicent Min, Girl Genius: In turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Lisa creates a memorable character who is wildly unrelateable (in that she is an eleven-year old college undergrad) and yet intimately resonant (sometimes the hardest course in life is navigating family and friendship).