SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

May 11, 2022 by Amanda MacGregor Leave a Comment

Cover Reveal: The Art of Insanity, with guest post by Christine Webb

May 11, 2022 by Amanda MacGregor   Leave a Comment


Living with a mental illness can be difficult, it can be ridiculous, and it can even be inspiring. This book seeks to capture all three of those descriptors with the story of Natalie, a high schooler who has just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. As she navigates the day to day life of someone living with this illness, she learns a lot about her friends, her family, and herself along the way.

This story sort of fell into my lap one day. I should have been revising a book I wrote about a bank robbery (which, in retrospect, wasn’t very good anyway), but on a whim I opened a document and started writing this one. I had recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and I was sick of the bleak statistics and tragic stories that frequently accompany that diagnosis. I wanted to see a story where someone could struggle with a mental illness, especially bipolar disorder, and still be okay. I needed that kind of story, so I decided to write one. Writing became a way for me to process my own diagnosis through Natalie’s eyes.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The main thing I hope readers can take away from this book is that living with a mental illness can be difficult, but it is possible to succeed in living a fulfilling and happy life. I also hope readers can take away a little bit about what it’s like to live with bipolar disorder, as many of them may have friends or family members who are diagnosed with this illness. It doesn’t have to be as scary as people make it seem. 

One of my favorite parts of the story is Petunia the ridiculous pug. Natalie doesn’t want to adopt Petunia, but she ends up with this dog. I have loved pugs for a long time, but at the time when I started drafting the story I didn’t have one. I based the dog in the story off of my friend’s pug Missy, who is the weirdest little dog you ever did see. In the first ever behind-the-scenes picture from the book, here’s Missy the pug, the inspiration for the character of Petunia

I’m so thankful to Teen Librarian Toolbox for hosting the cover reveal for this book. I’m also thankful to Maggie Edkins Willis, who designed this fantastic cover. It captures Natalie’s love for art, and I love that it connotes a bit of chaos as well. Natalie’s life spirals a bit out of control at times, but there’s beauty in her struggle. I also like the white background, as it feels symbolic of life being a blank canvas that we are filling in as we go. All in all, it’s a great cover that I can take exactly zero credit for, but I’m grateful to Maggie for designing it!

Look for The Art of Insanity from Peachtree Teen/Peachtree on shelves this October, and I hope you enjoy Natalie’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.


Meet the author

Photo credit: Cara Knasel

Christine Webb is a middle school teacher from Kalamazoo, Michigan. When she’s not teaching or writing, she enjoys hanging out with her zoo (three goofy dogs, an evil cat, twenty nameless pigeons, and a friendly rat) or traveling with her husband. She also loves studying British history and laments the fact that she will never be Queen. Follow her on Twitter @cwebbwrites.

Author website: ChristineWebbAuthor.com

Author Twitter: @CWebbWrites

Cover designer website: MaggieMadeThis.com

Cover designer Twitter: @MaggieMadeThis

Cover designer Instagram: @Maggie.Made.This

Publisher website: PeachtreeBooks.com/PeachtreeTeen/

Publisher socials: @PeachtreeTeen (on all platforms)


About The Art of Insanity

High schooler Natalie Cordova has just been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. Her mom insists she keep it secret.

Putting up a front and hiding her mental illness from her classmates is going to be the hardest thing high schooler Natalie Cordova has ever done. It’s her senior year, and she’s just been selected to present her artwork at a prestigious show. With the stress of performing on her shoulders, it doesn’t help when Natalie notices a boy who makes her heart leap. And then there’s fellow student Ella, who confronts Natalie about her summer car “accident” and pressures her into caring for the world’s ugliest dog. Now Natalie finds herself juggling all kinds of feels and responsibilities. Surely her newly prescribed medication is to blame for the funk she finds herself in. But as Natalie’s plan to self-treat unravels, so does the perfect façade she’s been painting for everyone else.

Written from experience, this heartfelt and candid contemporary YA novel explores the stigma surrounding mental illness and offers an uplifting narrative of resilience.

ISBN-13: 9781682634578
Publisher: Holiday House

Publication date: 10/11/2022
Age Range: 14 Years

Filed under: Cover Reveal

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
BipolarCover RevealsMental Health in Young Adult LiteratureYA

About Amanda MacGregor

Amanda MacGregor works in an elementary library, loves dogs, and can be found on Twitter @CiteSomething.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

January 2017

Cover Reveal: 27 HOURS by Tristina Wright

by Amanda MacGregor

October 2015

Cover Reveal: THE MIDNIGHT WAR OF MATEO MARTINEZ by Robin Yardi

by Amanda MacGregor

July 2015

Cover reveal: Original Fake written by Kirstin Cronn-Mills with art by E. Eero Johnson

by Amanda MacGregor

February 2015

Cover Reveal: Beast in the Mirror by Laura Bradley Rede

by Amanda MacGregor

July 2014

Cover Reveal: The Undead - Playing for Keeps by Elsie Elmore

by Amanda MacGregor

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Endangered Series #27: Encyclopedia Brown

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Some of the Best Graphic Novels for Kids of 2022 (so far)

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Bite Sized Archie | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

Many May Suggestions: First Quarter Mock Newbery Possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Cindy Crushes Programming: Tissue Paper Painting

by Cindy Shutts

The Classroom Bookshelf

Farewell From The Classroom Bookshelf

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Grant Snider Visits The Yarn!

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Five Must-Have 2022 Middle Grade Latinx Novels

"Period Power": 11 YA and Middle Grade Titles That Destigmatize Menstruation

13 Middle Grade Thrills and Chills for Tween Horror Buffs | Summer Reading 2020

Native Stories: Books for tweens and teens by and about Indigenous peoples

Best Middle Grade Books 2019 | SLJ Best Books

Reader Interactions

Speak Your Mind Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment Policy:

  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2022


COPYRIGHT © 2022