Way Off Track

Step aside for a fresh and funny new voice in middle-grade graphic novels. Nansi has never lost a race ? until snobby Tania beats her in an unofficial event. Surely it's Tania's flashy shoes that gave her the edge. Nansi has to get a pair before the track tryouts! But how will she kick up $338? Incorporating Jamaican culture and the West African trickster character, Anansi, debut author Carl Brundtland has created an endearingly self-absorbed heroine who always goes the distance ? even if it's the wrong way. With award-winning illustrator Claudia Davila's expressive art, Way Off Track hits the ground running with humor, hijinks and a whole lot of heart. AGES: 8 to 12 AUTHOR: When Carl Brundtland was growing up, his grandma would share little life lessons in the form of Jamaican proverbs. His favorites were the stories about Anansi the spider, which inspired the antics found in his debut graphic novel. He lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and two kids, who bring their own form of mischief to his life. Claudia Davila is the author-illustrator of Super Red Riding Hood and the illustrator of ThunderBoom. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and two kids. SELLING POINTS: . Introduces a charmingly self-absorbed character readers will fall in love with. . This is right in the middle-grade lane with its themes of friendship, entrepreneurship and athletics. . Incorporates elements of Jamaican culture, along with a West African folktale character, Anansi.