Where’s the most magical place on Earth? Disneyland. Where’s the most magical place on Earth for the protagonist of Marissa Meyer‘s We Could Be Magic? A Disney-esque theme park where the protagonist lands her dream summer job. Published by Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, We Could Be Magic is set to release in the summer of 2025 and is Meyer’s debut graphic novel and features art from Joelle Murray.
This contemporary YA book is perfect for fans of Pumpkinheads. It is a body-positive story that follows a girl named Tabitha who has the opportunity of a lifetime to be a character actor at a local amusement park dedicated to the fantasy world of her favorite writer. Unfortunately, expectations and reality often do not align as Tabitha discovers that life in costume isn’t exactly as it seems.
Check out the cover below:
Meyer is one of the biggest names in the YA space, and is best known for writing The Lunar Chronicles, which retells classic fairytales with a sci-fi twist. The first book, Lunar, was a New York Times bestseller. She has also written a prequel and short story along with other series including the Renegades trilogy and the Gilded duology. Out of all of the books she had written, We Could Be Magic was her favorite.
“I thought a lot about Teen Marissa when I wrote the script. Growing up, I was a total romantic who believed in true love and happily ever afters, even when so much media was telling me that–as a big, curvy girl–I was undeserving of those things myself,” she said. “So [We Could Be Magic] focuses a lot on body positivity and courage and chasing your dreams. Add in my love of fairy tales, cosplay, and theme parks, and…yep, definitely a book of my heart.”
When searching for an artist who could breathe life into the characters visually, Meyer was looking for someone who “could tap into the whimsy of the park while also making the characters feel real and relatable.” Meyer and her team hit the jackpot with Murray.
We Could Be Magic is definitely a book of firsts. Along with Meyer, this was also Murray’s first graphic novel. Murray said it was a learning experience but said she “had a lot of fun bringing Marissa’s story to life.”
The artist had a more personal connection to Meyer as she was a fan and a few of the writer’s books “got me through some tough points in my life.”
“I was honored to be chosen for the project. Marissa had a creative vision, but she let me explore my vision as well, and was very supportive of any ideas I had,” she said. “The process was so much fun and really challenged me as an artist.”
After having worked on this project for the past few years, Murray felt a bit torn on finally seeing it come together. “It almost hurts to be finished because it sort of feels like saying goodbye,” she said. “I hope readers enjoy the characters, the world, and Marissa’s story just as much as I do.”
Meyer spoke highly of Murray. “Joelle exceeded my every expectation with her stunning illustrations–the expressions and body language, the color palette, the costumes! Every time I’ve received the next stage of illustrations I’ve felt like I was seeing real magic on the page, and I fell in love even more with Tabi and her story,” she said. “I couldn’t be more delighted with how the book has come together, and cannot wait for readers to see it.”
We Could Be Magic releases on June 3, 2025.
Source: Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
Source link
