THE CONTENDERS ILLUSTRATED EDITION IS COMING IN 2020!
I never thought when I wrote THE CONTENDERS that it could look like the middle-grade novels that I read growing up like Ramona the Pest, Harriet the Spy, Charlotte’s Web, and Little House on the Prairie, where the illustrations were as important as the story itself. But thanks to the amazing Erin Kubo, THE CONTENDERS now looks how I always want it to look with 20 fun, engaging, and emotionally-truthful pictures throughout the book.
In October 2019, THE CONTENDERS Kickstarter was fully funded! Much love and gratitude to the 64 kind humans that pledged on Kickstarter to bring our illustrated novel to life. Backers who pledged for the paperback will receive their books by December 2019.
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You can still buy the original version by clicking the button below, but I hope you’ll wait for the illustrated one.
Can enemies become friends? That’s the question at the heart of THE CONTENDERS, a middle-grade novel featuring two fifth graders who couldn’t be more different or hate each other more.
THE CONTENDERS is the middle grade novel you’ve been waiting for: diverse characters who are funny and real. Highly recommended for every middle school collection.
— Lizz Zitron, Librarian & Adjunct Professor, Pacific Lutheran UniversityWhat a sweet and uplifting story about learning to understand your enemies. A pitch perfect and timely tale that is certainly about bullying, but also gives young readers a deeper message about the way we all feel like outsiders. — Sandra Evans, Author, This is Not a Werewolf Story
This is a great coming of age story that anyone can enjoy. I got sucked in and couldn’t put it down. — Matthew
The Contenders by Peg Cheng is the kind of story I sift through libraries to find. Cheng’s portrayal of girls, people of color, single-parent and lower-income families, recluse introverts, and the kids who act out in class are positive and fair-minded–encouraging young readers to really get to know others and to look beyond the perceptible, seemingly insurmountable, differences between themselves and those around them. — Noell
What an awesome book. I gave this book to my ten year-old niece, after checking out the synopsis and liking what I read about the story’s themes. To my complete surprise, my niece finished the book quickly, and was very excited to tell me about Eunice’s story. — Patrick