Cover Reveal for Kristin L. Gray's Vilonia Beebe Takes Charge

Hi, Kristin L. Gray,

Thank you for visiting Watch. Connect. Read. to share the cover for Vilonia Beebe Takes Charge. I hope you'll come back closer to March 7 to celebrate Vilonia, Nana, Leon, and Ava Claire before you send their story out into the world. Many, many thanks!

Happy reading and writing!

-John 

I’m so happy to be here! Thank you, Mr. Schu, for letting me invade your space to share the cover of my debut middle-grade novel, VILONIA BEEBE TAKES CHARGE. I promise to leave everything as neat and tidy as I found it. Wait, are those gummi bears?

So, Vilonia. Her vibrant cover is illustrated by the talented Emma Trithart—seriously, her work exudes whimsy and joy—and designed by Krista Vossen, Art Director Extraordinaire at Simon & Schuster.

Vilonia’s story unfolds exactly forty-three days after her Nana died, and Vilonia is juggling a lot: Laundry. School. Softball. Chores. A pesky big brother. A grieving mother. . . Her fourth-grade self is bound to drop a few balls. And Emma captured Vilonia’s struggle beautifully! Look at the expression on her freckled face. It’s strained yet charming, like Vilonia has just realized she’s bit off more than she can chew. I love it all, but the frazzled chicken may be my favorite. I think we all have days that look something like flying feathers.

I’m over the moon to share Vilonia’s world with students, with teachers, with librarians and booksellers, with bloggers and card-carrying Nerdy Book Club members. I hope you’ll all welcome Vilonia, Leon, Ava Claire, and those prankster Willoughby boys into your hearts and homes. And one last note, if you can catch her before she hops on her bike, Vilonia may bring you a slice of homemade pound cake, or a goldfish. You never know.

Look for VILONIA BEEBE TAKES CHARGE on March 7^th, 2017, wherever books are sold.

Vilonia is determined to prove she’s responsible enough to care for a dog in this hilarious and utterly lovable debut novel.

Being responsible is NOT easy.

Fourth grader Vilonia hasn’t lost her rain coat in the three weeks she’s had it and she’s brushed her teeth every night and she’s volunteered to be the Friday Library Helper. But all that hard work is worth it if it means she can get a dog. Besides, this dog isn’t just because Vilonia has wanted one for pretty much ever. It’s also to help Mama, who’s been lost in one, big sadness fog for forty-three days—ever since Nana died. But Vilonia read that pets can help with sadness. Now all she has to do is keep the library goldfish alive over spring break, stop bringing stray animals home, and help Mama not get fired from her job. And she’s got to do all of it before the Catfish Festival. Easy as pie, right?