We consider our RainTown Originals to be the classics of tomorrow. Each title we choose tells a compelling story that engages intellect, emotion, and imagination. We are fiercely unapologetic for the choices we make when selecting which authors to promote. Their undying passion for their work is inspired by and dedicated to the independent young readers we make our books for. We are confident that opening a RainTown Original will be like hanging out with a close friend and will provide an experience our readers will want to repeat over, and over, and over again. So close the umbrella. Enjoy. And let it drizzle.
Spartacus and the Circus of Shadows
Written by Molly E. Johnson, Illustrated by Robin E. Kaplan.
When Spartacus Ryan “Poop Lip” Zander finds his house destroyed and his wacko, Human-Cannonball mother missing, it’s obvious that she’s been kidnapped by Bartholomew’s World-Renowned Circus of the Incredible. But when his dad and brother refuse to believe it—because they’re morons, obviously—it’s up to Spartacus to be the hero. With the Internet-wizardry of his best friend and clues from his mom’s postcards, Spartacus sets out on a rescue mission. But as the stories about the circus get stranger (and Spart’s enemies get weirder), he realizes the only way to bring his family back together is to bring the big top down, once and for all.
Coming Spring 2012
Visibility
By Sarah Neufeld
Natalie is the disappointingly normal daughter of Jadyn Irving, a universally reviled woman with the power to turn invisible at will. When Natalie discovers she has inherited more than just her mother’s metallic eyes, she decides it’s about time she travels beyond the boundaries of her suffocating life. Desperate to escape Jadyn’s indifference and disdain, Natalie soon finds herself pulled into a web of blackmail, false identities, and lies that threaten to turn mother against daughter…
Coming Fall 2012
Wax
By Phil Duncan
Yancey Muncy is awkward, geeky, and—dead. Brought back to life by a secret serum and released into his unsuspecting town, Yancey is now determined to do all the things he had always wanted but felt too timid to do. Unfortunately, the inventors of the serum have other ideas for Yancey. A little mayhem, maybe a little rampaging, ensues. In the end, all we have to say is “watch out Frankenstein, there’s a new reanimated guy on the block, and our guy is a lot younger than yours and can talk—in full sentences.”
The Last Burning of New London
By Danielle Myers
Technology and feudalism come together in this offering of speculative fiction. There is a Robin Hood for every age. In a future London, a small band of teenagers try to find a way to survive their rebellion against a despotic government. But it’s the secrets they keep from each other that may be their ultimate enemy. At only 19 years old, Danielle Myers has created a title driven by finely honed characters set in a world a slight step away from the average dystopia.