Coming soon!

By Gale Galligan
Colors by K Czap

Scholastic/Graphix
January 7, 2025
288 pages
Ages 8-12

From New York Times bestselling author Gale Galligan comes a funny and vibrant semi-autobiographical middle-grade graphic novel about friendship and belonging.

Ollie Herisson’s dad is a diplomat, which means her family moves around a lot. She has already lived in Singapore, Korea, France, and the United States. When Ollie starts at a new school, she doesn’t worry about making a good impression because she knows that when her family inevitably moves again, she’ll get a fresh start somewhere else. A complete reset. It doesn’t matter if her classmates think she’s weird for pretending that she lives in the world of an imagined anime, or if she makes an enemy out of the most popular girl in her class, or if she just does something hugely embarrassing! And it definitely doesn’t matter that all her mom wants is for Ollie to be more of a proper Thai daughter.

But after moving from Germany to Virginia and having a mortifying first day at her new school, Ollie is shocked to learn that her parents are going to buy a house so that Ollie and her sister, Cat, can finish grade school in one place. Can Ollie figure out how to both be herself and make real friends when she can’t run away from her life?

Praise for Fresh Start

⭐ “The exaggerated manga-inspired illustrations and impeccable comedic timing create a pitch-perfect portrayal of the ebullient highs and mortifying lows of middle school… A hilarious and undeniably endearing tale of tweenhood.”
— Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

⭐ “Beautifully ­tackles ­complex ­friendships, sibling ­dynamics, racial identity, and gender expression. This graphic novel about friendship and identity is a must-have for libraries ­serving elementary and middle school readers.”
School Library Journal, starred review