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!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments

  1. The cover is gorgeous, and the story sounds amazing. I can't wait to read it!

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  2. Congratulations on your upcoming book birthday! I love that you wove science info from your research into the story.

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  3. So excited for you and this new book, Sylvia! Congrats.

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  4. Farting, huh? Cannot wait to tell Sam. Lol.

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  5. Super jealous that you got to swim with manatees--hope they didn't fart...LOL! Can't wait to read--congrats!

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  6. Wow! The cover is stunning! I can't wait to read this!

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  7. What a great concept and I love the gorgeous cover. Congrats!

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  8. Congratulations, Sylvia! I'm looking forward to reading MANATEE'S BEST FRIEND. The cover is beautiful!!

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  9. Congratulations! I enjoy reading about ocean creatures and can't wait to read your beautiful book.

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  10. What a fantastically beautiful cover! And a fantastic topic as well. This is definitely going on my TBR list as it looks like a great story with lots of heart, and is a topic near and dear to my heart too!

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  11. very intriguing - the viral video sounds like a great element - can't wait to read. congratulations on the beautiful cover

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  12. Love the cover illustration! Perfect!

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  13. After a fun and eye-opening trip to Everglades in December, I'm looking forward to getting another Florida eco-system "fix" with this book. Looking forward to sharing it with my son, who loved that trip, too.

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  14. I Love the cover! I look forward to reading this!

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  15. The cover looks amazing, and the story sounds great! I'm looking forward to reading this story!

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  16. This looks wonderful, Sylvia--hearty congratulations!!!

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  17. Looks wonderful - love the underwater angle of the Manatees, and the girl on the raft. Wishing you all the best.

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  18. Congrats~Love the cover, Sylvia--very clever and captivating! So awesome that you swam with manatees as part of your research.

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  19. Fantastic to see a book about manatees. Thanks.

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  20. LOVE the cover! So beautiful. And quite the fun fact there. I have several grands who will appreciate that one! Congratulations!

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  21. Congratulations, Sylvia! Manatee’s Best Friend will find its way to my mentor bookcase.

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