Bounce Back Series

01/19/2024

Bounce Back Series

Bounce Back is a new manga series by Misako Rocks! (Misako Takashima), a Japanese manga artist who has authored three previous books. She teaches manga drawing classes at numerous middle schools in New York City, as well as at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Cherry Blossom Festival. You can also find her lessons on YouTube.

Bounce Back #1. Lilico lives in Osaka, Japan, and is very content with her life. She has a great group of friends and is captain of her school basketball team. Life is good, until her parents announce they're moving to Brooklyn, New York. At her new school, the girls on the basketball team cruelly dismiss her. She does find classmates that love Japanese manga and food. As they bond over anime and manga, new friendships are formed. This story has it all, from friendship struggles, bullying, popularity, and awkward crushes, perfect for middle school.  

No Such Thing as Perfect #2. Emma can’t help but to compare herself to her older sister, Julia, who is popular, smart, and in high school. Emma just can’t seem to please her mom as much as her sister. Emma’s insecurities only get worse when she makes the basketball team but not the starting lineup. She begins to get very defensive, which leads to outbursts. She gets to a point where things are unbearable before she opens up and connects with people. Self-esteem, friendship, and second chances all lead to a satisfying conclusion.

Each book has a bit of magic in the form of a guardian spirit, Lilico’s cat in the first book, and the dog Emma’s family is dog sitting in the second. The guardian spirits gently help the girls figure out how they fit in and encourage them to be true to themselves.

These books are manga style but read Western style front to back, left to right. Grab them today here!

Written by Nancy Stetzinger, Penworthy’s Product Manager