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By Gale Galligan
Colors by K Czap

Scholastic/Graphix
October 18, 2022
272 pages
Ages 8-12

A JLG Gold Standard Selection

A fun, high-energy graphic novel about friendship, family, and the last hurrahs of middle school.

Cory’s dance crew is getting ready for a major competition. It’s the last one before they graduate eighth grade and go their separate ways to high schools all over New York City, so they have to make it count! The group starts to have problems as their crew captain gets increasingly intense about nailing the routine, and things go from bad to worse when Cory’s parents ground him for not taking his grades seriously. He gets stuck with a new tutor, Sunna, who he dismisses as a boring nerd… until he catches her secretly practicing cool yo-yo tricks. Cory wants to learn the art of yo-yo, and as his friendship with Sunna grows, he ends up missing practice and bailing on his crew — and they are not happy about it. With mounting pressure coming from all sides, how is Cory supposed to balance the expectations of his parents, school, dance, and his new friend?

Praise for Freestyle

⭐Galligan’s timing — both comedic and emotional — is impeccable, and dynamic paneling paired with vibrant technicolor hues artfully complement the flow and energy of the Eight Bitz’s routines and Sunna’s yo-yo prowess…A thoughtfully rendered portrayal of friendship, growth, and joyful self-expression.
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

⭐ “This inviting, heartfelt story will get readers into the groove of self-expression and lasting friendships.”
— Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

⭐ “A visually kinetic, emotionally complex story of finding a sense of self while navigating relationships and expectations. Fun and full of heart.”
— School Library Journal, Starred Review

⭐ “Galligan’s crisp, bouncy, cartoonlike style captures the story’s constant motion, making for a fast-paced visual experience with yo-yo strings or b-boying limbs constantly busting out of panels.”
The Horn Book, Starred Review