Today we’re excited to reveal the cover for Friends Are Friends, Forever by Dane Liu, illustrated by Lynn Scurfield! The cover art is also by Scurfield, with the book designed by Jen Keenan and edited by Laura Godwin. The book will be released on December 14, 2021 by Henry Holt & Co. Preorder it here.
On a snowy Lunar New Year’s Eve in Northeastern China, it’s Dandan’s last night with Yueyue. Tomorrow, she moves to America. The two best friends have a favorite wintertime tradition: crafting paper-cut snowflakes, freezing them outside, and hanging them as ornaments.
As they say goodbye, Yueyue presses red paper and a spool of thread into Dandan’s hands so that she can carry on their tradition. But in her new home, Dandan has no one to enjoy the gift with—until a friend comes along.
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A note from the author:
In 2018, I received a WNDB Mentorship with Jim Averbeck. Jim challenged my understanding of the fundamentals, such as plot, character, atmosphere, and poetry. He helped me revise several manuscripts, one of which connected me to my literary agent Wendi Gu and became Friends Are Friends, Forever. Today, my WNDB mentorship continues to empower me as a writer and connect me to its wonderful community. Friends Are Friends, Forever is dedicated to WNDB and Jim Averbeck.
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Dane Liu (she/her) believes in the power of stories to affirm, transport, and transform. Her upcoming debut for young readers FRIENDS ARE FRIENDS, FOREVER (illus. by Lynn Scurfield) is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Dane was born in China and moved to the US and Canada when she was a tween. She received her BA from the University of Toronto and her M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University. As a journalist and fiction writer, Dane is drawn to the less-explored terrains of the human experience and to questions about identity, family, culture, and belonging. Her upcoming projects include a nonfiction anthology of Asian American Pacific Islanders and their significant contributions to the social, political, and cultural richness of the United States (Viking/Penguin Random House, 2023) and a story of intergenerational love and bond of community (Henry Holt & Co. BYR, TBA). She has been awarded by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, the Radio and Television Digital News Association of Canada, and We Need Diverse Books. Find Dane at: https://www.daneliu.com/
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Lynn Scurfield (she/they) is a mixed media illustrator based in Toronto, Canada. She has worked for a variety of clients including Google, Macmillan, and the New York Times. When they aren’t drawing, Lynn can be found knitting while watching Youtube or walking their little dog Taro. Look out for her upcoming books: FRIENDS ARE FRIENDS, FOREVER (Henry Holt & Co. BYR, 2021) and TWO NEW YEARS (Chronicle Books, 2023). Find Lynn at: http://www.lynnscurfield.com/
