I’m delighted to share the cover for my next book, Very Far From Home, which will be out in September 2026! Colors are by the incomparable Sara Hagstrom. As always, getting this cover to the finish line was a journey, but the wonderful team at Harper Alley guided me through.
Very Far From Home is a self-contained story about Verity Nelson, protagonist of Very Bad at Math. You can preorder NOW at the link in my bio. Synopsis below.👇
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Verity “Very” Nelson is poised to have the perfect summer.
That is, until her mom breaks the news—they’re going to Wisconsin to help get her grandma’s house ready for sale. Very’s devastated to be missing an activist workshop and lake trip with her best friends, but her mom says it’s important for them to spend time with Grandma, who just moved into assisted living care.
As she’s settling in, Very happens upon a shuttered pool. Her cousin Maya explains that funding has dried up for the former gathering place, and now, the only place to swim is the exclusive, expensive country club.
Very knows a great cause when she sees it. She and her friends spring into action and rally the community around the public pool—but an unlikely source shares a ruinous tip that threatens its future forever. Can Very finish what she started, or will she leave the town worse off than when she arrived?
Hi friends, I’m excited to share the cover for my upcoming middle-grade graphic novel, Very Bad at Math. Like my protagonist, Verity, I find working with numbers challenging, and this book is inspired by my struggles with undiagnosed dyscalculia. It’s a story about choosing not to define ourselves by our failures or our successes, because each of us is so much more than our accomplishments.
It’s been delightful working on this book with everyone at Harper Alley—especially my editor, Andrew Arnold, whom I’ve known for many years. I can’t wait for you to read Very Bad at Math! The book comes out January 21, 2025, but you can preorder your copy from retailers today. B&N even has a 25% off preoders sale going on RIGHT NOW!
Here’s a little more about the book:
Hijinks, unexpected friendships, and math take center stage in this contemporary middle grade graphic novel perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Kayla Miller from New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award–winning author Hope Larson.
Verity “Very” Nelson can do it all.
She’s student body president, debate club whiz, and first chair clarinetist. You could say she’s pretty much the best at everything…Well, almost everything. Everything except math.
And it’s not like she doesn’t try. Math just doesn’t make sense in her brain. But it better start soon, or else she can kiss her presidency—and her campaign promises—goodbye. Soon Verity finds herself enrolled in a remedial math class where, despite her best efforts, failure persists. All seems lost until a teacher helps her discover the truth: Verity has dyscalculia, a learning disability that causes her to mix up numbers.
Armed with a new perspective, can Verity pass math, keep her presidency, and make good on her word to the student body she loves so much? Or will her presidency—and perfect reputation—all come crashing down?
📸 Spotlight on #MPLITFEST Day 3: Eisner award-winning author/illustrator Hope Larson (@despairlarson ) led an interactive drawing workshop on Saturday afternoon at the Mt. Pleasant Literary Festival. She has an extensive catalog of drawing and writing, and participants learned about her newest graphic novel, Very Bad at Math. The Friends of the Mt. Pleasant Library are thrilled she joined us for Chapter 2!
#mplitfest #mtpleasantfol #cabarruscountylibrary #editionsbookstore #mtpleasantnc
📸SPOTLIGHT ON ILLUSTRATORS!
Sign up for two FREE interactive drawing workshops--back-to-back at the Mt. Pleasant Literary Festival at 12pm and 2pm on Saturday, March 21st!
Bundle your experience--don't miss the opportunity to draw with author/illustrators Brian Anderson and Hope Larson, plus meet and greet afterward!
👉Brian and Hope will be at #mplitfest throughout the day, signing and doing drawings for guests of the fest. Be sure to stop by and say hi!
REGISTER NOW! Seats are filling fast.
👉Scan the QR code or go to /mp-literary-festival for author bios, info, and registration links!
💙To register for Brian:/event/mp-literary-festival-brian-anderson/
💙To register for Hope:/event/mp-literary-festival-hope-larson/
#mplitfest #mtpleasantfol #cabarruscountylibrary #mtpleasantnc #editionsbookstore
✏️Love to draw? Love graphic novels?
REGISTER NOW!
👉Don't miss your chance to Draw with Hope Larson at this year's #mplitfest 2026.
👉Scan the QR code or go to /mp-literary-festival for author bios, info, and registration links!
📚Want to pre-order one of Hope's books and skip the line at @editionsbookstore festival book table? Purchase your copies in advance here:/page/mount-pleasant-literary-festival-preorders
All events are free; registration is required as seating is limited. All events will be held at the Mt. Pleasant Library & Active Living Center, located at 1111 N. Washington St., Mt. Pleasant, NC 28124. This project is supported by a grant from the Grassroots Arts Program of the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency, and the Cabarrus Arts Council.
#mplitfest #mtpleasantfol #cabarruscountylibrary #mtpleasantnc
It’s been a year since Hurricane Helene hit western NC. A year of rebuilding, replanting, and reimagining. In spite of all the terrible things happening on Earth in 2025, I’m grateful to be here. It’s a beautiful place.
Pic one: the aftermath of the hurricane in my backyard. Pic two: what it looks like now.
Back-to-school season isn’t just about pencils and planners—it’s about feelings.
From first-day jitters to shifting friendships and brand-new opportunities, these comics capture all the highs (and lows) of school life.
Alongside the usual supplies, here are 5 graphic novels that make great companions for the new school year!
Awkward by @svetlana.chmakova
Very Bad At Math by @despairlarson
Real Friends by @squeetus and @uyenloseordraw
Fresh start by @robochai and @charmgardens
Just Roll With It by @wisbagram and @the1truelee
My sad meadow is looking good considering where I started in the spring. I’m excited to see what happens next year when the native grasses kick it into high gear. As an experiment, Aaron and I expanded the no-mow area outside of what we poisoned and reseeded, and there’s a lot of cool native stuff coming up in that area. I’m hand-pulling a ton of honeysuckle and Himalayan blackberry, but in the process I’m finding wonderful native volunteers like common milkweed, Indian tobacco, multiple types of St. John’s wort, asters, and more. The seed bank is an amazing thing.
