Announcing ‘Penny and the Yeti’ | News

Today we have a new graphic novel to announce: Penny and the Yeti, by writer Jimmy Gaspero and artist Amber Akin, coming from Papercutz on April 21, 2026. Pitched at early readers, ages 6 to 9, it’s the story of a girl with family problems and a magical friend. Here’s the publisher’s description:

Penny has a super normal life. She lives with her parents and big sister Peri. Her favorite thing is when she and her sister draw and color together, especially when Peri draws monsters she calls “cryptids,” amazing creatures Penny couldn’t even imagine! Penny thinks life is pretty great.

The only real problem is Penny’s parents argue…a LOT. Penny wishes her parents would stop, but what can she do? That’s when Yeti shows up, right out of one of Peri’s drawings and smack into Penny’s life! With Yeti’s help, Penny comes up with a plan to get her parents to stop fighting. Penny, however, soon finds out that her parents may need more help than even a magical Yeti can provide…

The story actually started out with a converation between Gaspero and his daughter; they came up with a tale of a girl and a yeti who went out to lunch at a diner, and it grew from there, first into a four-page comic and now into a complete graphic novel. “I hope readers have fun with Penny and the Yeti,” Gaspero said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “I hope they see themselves somewhere in the story. I hope this is a book that kids read on their own or with their parents. I hope readers know that sometimes being a family takes work, and that’s okay. I hope every Penny out there has a friend like Yeti for both fun and support, and I hope every Penny has a Peri that will stand up for them when it matters most.”

For more stories about kids and cryptids, check out my Stellar Panels column “Cryptids & Critters: Monster Tales Reimagined” at SLJ!

Filed under: Early Readers, Graphic Novels, News