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The Trouble With Robots

A book cover with a light blue background and a large yellow robot in the center, surrounded by kids drawn in a cute cartoon style. The center two kids are arguing. One has wavy red hair and blue headphones, while the other has straight blond hair and is holding a notebook. Around them, the rest of their team looks annoyed. One kid has brown hair with gears shaved into it and looks irritated. Beside him a girl with long brown hair is watching the argument and looking bored. To the other side a Black boy with glasses is filming, and beside him a bow with golden brown hair is holding up his hands trying to make peace. Atop this image, the story title says “The Trouble With Robots” with the tagline “It’s easy to fail on your own, it’s harder to win as a team.”

Cover art by Kris Mukai, design by Maria Fazio, and art direction by Adela Pons.

Evelyn strives for excellence. Allie couldn’t care less. These polar opposites must work together if they have any hope of saving their school’s robotics program.

Eighth-graders Evelyn and Allie are in trouble. Evelyn’s constant need for perfection has blown some fuses among her robotics teammates, and she’s worried nobody’s taking the upcoming competition seriously. Allie is new to school, and she’s had a history of short-circuiting on teachers and other kids.

So when Allie is assigned to the robotics team as a last resort, all Evelyn can see is just another wrench in the works! But as Allie confronts a past stricken with grief and learns to open up, the gears click into place as she discovers that Evelyn’s teammates have a lot to offer—if only Evelyn allowed them to participate in a role that plays to their strengths.

Can Evelyn learn to let go and listen to what Allie has to say? Or will their spot in the competition go up in smoke along with their school’s robotics program and Allie’s only chance at redemption?

An excellent pick for STEAM enthusiasts, this earnestly told narrative features a dual point of view and casually explores Autistic and LGBTQ+ identities.

An image of two boxes full of robotics parts, with a small clawbot style robot on the top of the larger box.

The Problem with Gravity

An image of a rocketship and a spaceship, with hand drawn stars all around and the words "<3 Space" in the middle.
The Problem with Gravity cover featuring two girls holding hands. One is holding an astronaut helmet and the other has a baton for twirling. Both girls are smiling at each other.

Cover art by Kris Mukai, design by Maria Fazio, and art direction by Lily Steele.

A heartfelt selection for STEAM, LGBTQ+, and neurodivergent readers, this companion novel to The Trouble with Robots charmingly explores first crushes.

Autistic seventh-grader Maggie Weir loves spacecraft, but aerospace engineering isn’t the only thing that gives her butterflies: she’s teamed up with the amazing, baton-twirling Tatum Jones for an engineering contest! It’s an out of this world chance for Maggie to tell Tatum, her long time crush, how she feels.

 

Only, Tatum is distracted with her own troubles at home. Worse still, when Maggie learns that her dad wants to move to Houston, her whole universe gets shaken up! Now she has a big decision to make: does she stay with her mom and remain in Tatum’s orbit, or does she launch her dreams of visiting NASA by following her Dad? If the stars are meant to align between these two, they’ll both have to admit their feelings before Maggie leaves forever.

An easy-to-follow, dual perspective narrative that compassionately explores themes of separation, healthy friendship, and sibling rivalry. Another lovable cast of characters in the Barton Junior High universe!

Kingdom of Pages

Join Cleo MacGuffin, self-proclaimed 'adventuring enthusiast', their cousin Samara and their friend Prince Mateo as they find themselves caught up in thrilling quests in the fantasy world of the Kingdom of Pages.

A cover for Kingdom of Pages: The Lost Prince, featuring three teens running down a fantasy looking alley at sunset.
The cover for Kingdom of Pages: The Hidden Gemstone. The cover features watercolor style art with three kids climbing a tower staircase.
The cover for Kingdom of Pages: The Wandering Watchers. The cover features watercolor style art with three kids running through mysterious ruins.
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