of Frogboy
To be released May 4, 2027. PRE-ORDER NOW!
Get signed, personalized copies from Chicago’s Book Cellar HERE (they ship!)
Orphan Hank Hollering may have been raised in a clapboard bayou motel by the vile Boazer sisters, but he’s got a secret—Hank can transform into a frog. But when his only friend, a baby kraken with a gift for song, winds up at a carnival of fantastical creatures, Hank sets off on a rescue mission into the heart of the swamp. There he meets a crawfish named Scroggins and a host of other talking tidepool animals brought to life by a recent surge in swamp magic. With his trusty crew and an enchanted houseboat that may hold the secret to his parents’ disappearance, Hank takes on a titanic Judge to rescue his kraken and save his friends from the Judge’s dinner plate.
James Kennedy’s outrageous, rollicking, and occasionally slightly gooey story will delight even the most reluctant readers with a world that’s James and the Giant Peach meets Spongebob Squarepants.
Pre-order your copy now!
“If you can’t handle funny funky phantasmagorical storytelling, do not read this book. The combination of words and perfectly preposterous art will blow your mind. Consider yourself warned. Or maybe now enchanted.”
—Jon Scieszka, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Emeritus
“This is one wild, crazy, unforgettable, laugh-yourself-sick, wonderfully weird book. I loved it. And you will, too.”
—Katherine Applegate, author of Newbery Medal Winner The One and Only Ivan
“Frogboy is everything its swashbuckling cover promises. Kennedy delivers both mythic and downhome storytelling, helmed by a cheer-worthy hero, up against a whole heap of hoo-doo, scallywagging scoundrels, and a swamp-load of peril. As outrageous as our hero is courageous. A non-stop rollicking ride through and through.”
—Rita Williams-Garcia, author of Newbery Honor Book One Crazy Summer
“A swamp fever-dream of a tale including everything you need to know about gator choirs, monster judges, lost cities, flying jails, houseboat repair, and the melancholy life cycle of the eel. As a crawfish bellows early, ‘It’s the season of strange and we’re lucky enough to be there at the very beginning, in the front row seats, for the best and wildest part!'”
—M.T. Anderson, author of Newbery Honor Book Elf Dog & Owl Head
“Behold the most bizarre and lovable cast of characters you’ve met in ages. The Legend of Frogboy is charming, disgusting, heartbreaking, and snort-out-loud funny, and will have kids screaming for one more chapter.”
—Jacqueline West, author the NYT bestselling Books of Elsewhere
“Behold! James Kennedy returns to middle grade with a delicious gumbo overflowing with all the ingredients that makes a story great—songs! Swamp monsters! Zepplins! Zealots! and, of course … toenails! There has never been an adventure quite like Frogboy!”
—Jonathan Auxier, NYT Times Bestselling author of Sweep, The Night Gardener, and the Vanished Kingdom series.