cover design by Opal Roengchai
illustrated by Jose Pimienta
THIS NIGHT, WITH THESE FRIENDS, WILL BE EVERYTHING.
Ty and Burger have known each other since before they could walk. But this shared history is nothing compared to their plans for the future: step one, make a killer documentary about humanity’s recent brush with extinction; step two, apply to film school together; step three, achieve legendary status as the next great filmmaking duo. But Ty has a secret that will ultimately shake the foundations of their friendship and force them both to wonder if growing up means letting go of the people they once were.
With heads full of bioluminescence and hearts full of fury, “squizzies” have one thing on their tiny rodent brains: global annihilation. Their reign of terror may be a thing of the past, but Ty and Burger are determined to chronicle the perseverance of the human race in the wake of the “squirrel-pocalypse.” With friends Miles and Fib, they embark on an overnight excursion through rowdy nightclubs, once-familiar neighborhoods, perilous castles, and off-grid RVs, all the while, recording quiet lives of love and loss in a strange new world.
Set over the course of a single day, Luminous Beings explores the many facets of friendship and love, the heavy burden of a well-kept secret, the boundless tenacity of the human spirit, and, yes, the furriest of all zombified mammals. But don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world. Just the end of the squirrel.
★ "Here come the glowing-eyed zombie squirrels… Arnold and Pimienta display joyfully experimental creativity with the form." —Booklist (starred review)
"A gorgeously rendered adventure that captures the ache and joy of adolescence in a mad world. Delightful from the first page to the last." —Tillie Walden, Eisner Award-winning author of ON A SUNBEAM
"STYLIZED AND RIDICULOUS… Sure to be a hit for fans of Paper Girls, Stranger Things, and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl." —School Library Journal
"DELIGHTFULLY DISTURBING… Arnold’s text skillfully portrays post-adolescent banalities against a harrowing and violent backdrop… In a dreamy palette of pink and lavender hues, Pimienta’s illustrations leap off the page in a feat of visual wizardry." —Kirkus Reviews
"Quotes from Longfellow, Yoda, and Jack White alongside abundant early-aughts, 1990s, and 1980s music references imbue this BIZARRE AND FUN graphic novel debut by Arnold (I Loved You in Another Life) with plentiful nostalgia. Detailed art by Pimienta (Twin Cities) likewise builds out the teen’s spaces while inky black lingering shadows highlight the novel’s apocalyptic bent." —Publishers Weekly
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