JENNIFER MATTSON'S
REPRESENTATIVE BOOKS
Some client books Jennifer feels represent her tastes
jmatt@andreabrownlit.com
REPRESENTATIVE BOOKS
Some client books Jennifer feels represent her tastes
jmatt@andreabrownlit.com

PROPULSIVE, SMART YA: Debut author Katy Loutzenhiser’s IF YOU’RE OUT THERE, pitched as WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE meets Veronica Mars, in which a girl’s best friend moves away and inexplicably ghosts her. But what if she isn’t just not answering her calls, texts, and emails—what if she can’t? (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, March 2019)

HIGH-CONCEPT MIDDLE GRADE WITH SUBSTANCE: Kate Hannigan's CAPE, the first in the The League of Secret Heroes series, a World War II–era adventure with graphic novel elements, in which three puzzle-loving girls discover superpowers, assist real-world wartime heroines, and battle supervillains. (S&S/Aladdin, June 2019)

FAST-PACED GRAPHIC NOVEL FOR MIDDLE GRADE: Kate Hannigan’s THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: RISING FROM THE ASHES, illustrated by Alex Graudins, is an entry in the History Comics series that introduces the catastrophic 19th-century fire through the fictional story of two children caught up in the crisis. (First Second/Macmillan, 2020)

COMMERCIAL PICTURE BOOK FOR THE VERY YOUNG: Lisl H. Detlefsen’s ON THE GO AWESOME is an energetic picture book that zeroes in on a common kid obsession and explores it with playful language and punchy visual beats. (Knopf/PRH, 2020)

CREATIVE NONFICTION WITH RESONANCE: Caroline McAlister’s FINDING NARNIA: THE STORY OF C.S. LEWIS AND HIS BROTHER (illustrated by Jessica Lanan) is a picture book that celebrates a childhood literary touchstone, but also tells the affecting story of two brothers whose severe loss in childhood drew them to find solace together in imaginative play. (Roaring Brook/Macmillan, 2019)

GORGEOUS, EMOTIONALLY RESONANT PICTURE BOOK: In J. R. Krause’s first solo picture book, DRAGON NIGHT, a boy and a dragon, initially under the impression that the dragon’s “knight” fear and the boy’s “night” fear refer to the same thing, join forces and ultimately help each other overcome their anxieties. (Putnam/PRH, 2019)

FUN AND SLYLY INFORMATIONAL PICTURE BOOK: Noted children's poet Kim Norman’s GIVE ME BACK MY BONES! (illustrated by Bob Kolar) is a rhythmically arresting read-aloud with more than one layer of relevance for the early elementary crowd, including a gentle Halloween tie-in and verses that incorporate scientific language for human bones. (Candlewick, 2019)

HUMOROUS AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR PICTURE BOOKS WITH HEART: Author-illustrator Brandon Reese’s CAVE DADA and its companion, CAVE DADA AND THE PICKY EATER, feature sweet, silly portraits of a doting caveman father and his adorable cave baby, distinguished by relatable humor, graphic novel influences, and a sharp design sensibility. (Chronicle, 2020 and 2021)