Photo Credit: Jenny Jimenez

Visit Kristin at:

website |  www.kristinvarner.com/
instagram |  varnertown

For more information, please contact Teresa Kietlinski at teresa(a)bookmarkliterary.com.

Kristin’s Bookshelf:

Ski Bunny
by Kristin Varner
S&S Beach Lane Books, forthcoming

Dog Trouble
by Kristin Varner
First Second, 2024
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• a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, 2025
• a Texas Library Association (TLA) Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List selection, 2025
• an ALA Best Graphic Novels for Children Reading List selection, 2024
• an Oklahoma Library Association Sequoyah Children’s nominee, 2026
• an Oklahoma Library Association Sequoyah Intermediate nominee, 2026
• a Michigan Great Lakes Great Books Award nominee, 4th and 5th grade, 27
• a Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Titles Junior List, 2025
• an Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award, 2026-2027, Intermediate Books
• a New South Wales Premier’s Reading Challenge, 2025, 7-9
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“Ash’s life is tough: his beloved grandpa “Pop” recently passed, his overworked mom keeps forgetting to pick him up from school, and his grades are slipping. Ever since his dad moved to a nearby island that’s only accessible by ferry, Ash only sees him once a month. When Ash and his friends vandalize an empty building, Ash is forced to do community service on the island and stay with his dad’s new family for the summer, which seems like the worst punishment of all. When faced with choosing his community service, Ash opts for the dog shelter. Reticent and worried about the commitment, the lack of friends and small town get under Ash’s skin, but with a dedicated shelter director becoming his mentor, can community service help this middle schooler get back on track after past mistakes? Despite his flaws, Ash will endear himself to readers as he finds purpose and meaning looking after the pups. This fast-paced novel is a great reminder for young readers that they are not defined by their mistakes. Of special interest for some readers will be the vocabulary words related to the world of animal care that can be found throughout the story. VERDICT A successful story of overcoming challenges with compassion and patience, and a recommended purchase for libraries, especially for those who can’t seem to have enough graphic novels for their patrons. ―School Library Journal

“After an uncharacteristic lapse in judgment with his friends (they skateboarded in an abandoned warehouse and broke the windows), middle schooler Ash must spend his summer with his father, stepmother, and stepsister on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. There he’ll be doing community service at the island’s animal shelter, where his mother hopes he will learn some responsibility. Overcoming some reluctance, Ash soon takes to walking and caring for the shelter’s dogs. Life at his father’s home is more of a struggle as Ash must adjust to Dad’s new family, including being an older brother, and to the “isolating and boring” island. Varner’s (Horse Trouble) graphic-novel storytelling is well paced and compelling, appropriately lingering on emotionally heavy scenes (including the death of a shelter dog) where she allows the art to carry the narrative. Skillful mixed-media cartooning employs limited color palettes to confidently convey Ash’s energetic skateboarding and big emotional swings, along with a parade of adorable canines. Chapter openers give quick facts on a dog breed readers will encounter in that chapter. A tender story of friendship (human and animal), family, and growing into oneself.“—Horn Book Magazine

“Thirteen-year-old Ash Tompkins likes skateboarding, BMX biking, his friends, and his cat, Suki, but despite all these good things, Ash has had a tough year. His mom is busy studying and working. Pop, his grandad with whom he had a close relationship, has died. And Ash recently got caught vandalizing an abandoned warehouse with friends. As a result, he’s sent on a ferry away from the city to spend the summer on nearby Ferncliff Island with his father and stepfamily, where he’ll do community service at the animal shelter. The plot focuses on Ash as he bonds with his younger stepsister, Parker, learns how to handle dogs, and deals with grief over the loss of his favorite shelter dog, Cooper. The story provides useful and interesting dog-related information that’s tinged with humor, such as a fecal scoring chart used to gather data on shelter dogs, but it doesn’t delve into the connection between the losses of Pop and Cooper, which are central to Ash’s growth. Varner uses an appealing, limited color palette of gray for flashbacks and blue for the present. Splashes of yellow signal strong emotions, highlight sound effect words, and spotlight the dogs Ash meets. Variations in the panel structure, including trapezoid-shaped cells and ones without borders, add interest and meaning to the reading experience. Ash presents white, and his stepmother and Parker read Black. Long on canine fun but short on the treatment of the serious (and central) topic of death.”—Kirkus
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Foreign Editions:
• French | Les Editions Rue De Sevres

For translation rights inquiries, please contact rightsmix(at)gmail.com

Horse Trouble
by Kristin Varner | First Second, 2021
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• a Texas Library Association (TLA) Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List selection, 2022
• an ALA Best Graphic Novels for Children Reading List selection, 2021
• a L’Ecole des Loisirs “Maximax” book club selection (Les Editions Rue De Sevres french edition)
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“Dark-haired, light-skinned, and freckled horse lover Kate Williams, 12, has always been “pudgy.” But the bi-weekly riding lessons she’s taken “at Millcreek Farm for just over four years” have served as her haven. Alongside teasing and bullies, crushes and new friendships this year at Cottonwood Junior High, Kate hits puberty milestones, all while grappling with self-consciousness about her body. As suggested by the title, there is lots of “horse trouble”—most of which results in Kate falling and picking herself back up as she prepares for “the most competitive show in the state.” Punctuating each of the 10 chapters with a different fall, Varner (Pink Magic Cupcake) doesn’t skirt Kate’s embarrassment, nor does she dwell on it; evenly paced scenes give equal emphasis to Kate’s misadventures and successes. Kate’s first-person narration imbues a matter-of-fact tone, matched by panels—sketched in blue pencil and digitally inked—that carefully detail expressive Kate’s ups, downs, and in-betweens. Equine terminology is defined throughout as horseback-riding helps Kate build confidence in this earnest graphic novel debut. Back matter features an author’s note describing her personal inspiration, photographs, cover sketches, and the artistic process.”—Publishers Weekly

 “Kate and her best friend, Becky, do everything together, except riding. Kate loves horses, but Becky’s allergic, so Kate is on her own at the barn, where she does chores to help pay for lessons. The barn is a haven—except when snobby Jana makes fun of Kate’s falls and her weight. Kate’s older brother and his friends mock her, too, with mean nicknames, even grabbing her “love handles.” Riding is a refuge: Kate’s trainer, Barb, is steady and supportive, revealing that all good riders fall and that what’s important is to get back on the horse (literally). As Kate prepares for a big horse show, stable hand Ernesto helps her regain her confidence after yet another fall, and new “barn rat” Valerie cheers her on. Varner’s rounded, cartoony style is mostly accurate where the horses, tack, and barn are concerned, and definitions of specialized vocabulary are included at the bottom of the page. Each character is introduced with their name, age, astrological sign, likes and dislikes, and appearance; it’s a fun touch, but the well-rounded characters are easy to distinguish even without all the added information. Becky is Asian American and Ernesto is Mexican; all other characters are white. Varner uses a blue and white palette with occasional pops of pink for emphasis. VERDICT Although horses are Kate’s “thing,” readers don’t need to be horse lovers to empathize with her self-consciousness and growing self-confidence.“—School Library Journal

“Horses help a tween navigate middle school in Varner’s graphic novel debut. Twelve-year-old Kate Williams can’t remember ever not being fat. Her mom means well but is insensitive, suggesting she not wear her favorite striped shirts; her older brother, Ross, unkindly calls her Chubba, among other demeaning nicknames. She’s always loved horses, and Millcreek Farm, where she has been riding for four years and takes lessons twice a week, is a haven—except for the other girls, who also mock her size. Kate’s gotten to the point where she’s ready to compete in jumper classes at horse shows, but she also falls off frequently—10 separate falls over the course of the book, including one just after she crosses the finish line in what should be the triumphant victory scene. It’s enough to make any horse-crazy girl afraid to ride and starts to feel repetitive. Kate, with the help of a friend, also plays a nasty prank on one of the mean barn girls and endures physical harassment from her brother’s friends, but these and other serious issues are dealt with superficially. The clean, expressive illustrations in shades of blue are active and well done, and explanatory text clarifies horse-related terminology. Most characters present White; Kate’s best friend is cued as East Asian. Visually appealing.“—Kirkus
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Foreign Editions:
• German | Ueberreuter Verlag
• French | Les Editions Rue De Sevres
• Polish | Dwie Siostry

For translation rights inquiries, please contact Rebecca Mancini at rightsmix(at)gmail.com 

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