Cover Reveal: Manatee's Best Friend

April 29, 2020

We are thrilled to reveal the cover of the middle grade novel, MANATEE'S BEST FRIEND, by Sylvia Liu (Scholastic, April 6, 2021) along with a mini-interview with the author.  Enter to win a pre-order of the book using the Rafflecopter below. . .THREE winners will be chosen!

Enjoy the adorable cover, designed by Stephanie Yang, art by Scott Dorman:

Design by Stephanie Yang, art by Scott Dorman

About the Book

Becca Wong Walker may be so shy that most people at school think she doesn't speak at all, but why should she care? She has more important things to worry about. Missy, the manatee who visits the dock in Becca's backyard, and Becca's only friend, hasn't been seen for a long time. When Missy finally does return, she has a new baby with her!  Becca wants to be excited, but more than ever inconsiderate boaters are speeding through the river, putting the lives of Missy and her baby in terrible danger.

One day, Becca spots a dolphin in the river too! By bonding over the dolphin and manatees, Becca finally starts to make friends at school. But when Becca takes a video that goes viral, it seems like it will be harder than ever to save the manatees... and trying might just tear Becca's new friendships apart.

About the Author

Sylvia Liu is a children’s author inspired by oceans, kraken, ghost crabs, and cephalopods. Her picture book, A Morning with Grandpa, illustrated by Christina Forshay (Lee & Low Books 2016) was a New Voices Award winner, and her middle grade novel, Manatee’s Best Friend (Scholastic), will be available in April 2021. Sylvia co-runs the kid lit resource website, Kidlit411.com. She grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, went to Yale College and Harvard Law School, practiced environmental law for a decade, and volunteers with stranded sea turtles. She lives in Virginia Beach with her husband, two daughters, and a hypoallergenic cat. Find out more at her website, enjoyingplanetearth.com or follow her on Twitter @artsylliu.

Mini-Interview

What kind of research did you do for the story?

I read a lot about manatees and dolphins and interviewed scientists and experts from aquariums, nonprofit groups, and the state government. Manatees are a threatened species and face many threats, and I wove the information into the story. The best part of my research was a trip to western Florida, where I got to swim with manatees, kayak, and visit a middle school. It was utterly magical to be in the presence of these magnificent creatures.

Snorkeling with a manatee!

What is an interesting fact about manatees you learned?

Manatees manage their buoyancy through farting--a quintessential middle grade-friendly fact, if there ever was one!

Where can we buy the book? 

You can pre-order the book at your favorite independent bookstore, Indiebound, or other places books are sold. 

Be sure to add the book to your Goodreads list. Thank you for your support and enter to win one of three free copies of the book when it comes out!


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