Johnnie Christmas

Johnnie Christmas is a #1 New York Times best-selling graphic novelist. His 2022 middle grade graphic novel debut, Swim Team, was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, received a Coretta Scott King Award Illustrator Honor, and was a nominee for the Barnes & Noble Children’s and YA Book Award, a Harvey Award, and the 2023 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids.

His comic, FIirebug, earned him a nomination for the Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Cartoonist. Christmas is the writer and co-creator of the Image Comics sci-fi series Tartarus and Creme. He is also known for collaborating on The Complete Angel Catbird series with Margaret Atwood and adapting William Gibson’s lost screenplay for Alien 3 into a critically acclaimed graphic novel of the same name. His credits also include co-creating the pre-apocalyptic thriller Sheltered. A graduate of Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute, Christmas lives in Vancouver.

Website: johnniechristmas.com
Instagram: @johnniexmas
Facebook: @johnniexmas

FESTIVAL BOOK

Swim Team

A splashy, contemporary middle grade graphic novel from bestselling comics creator Johnnie Christmas.

Bree can’t wait for her first day at her new middle school, Enith Brigitha, home to the Mighty Manatees – until she’s stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule, the dreaded Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, yet she’s forced to dive headfirst into one of her greatest fears. Lucky for her, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help.

With Etta’s training and a lot of hard work, Bree suddenly finds her swim-crazed community counting on her to turn the school’s failing team around. But that’s easier said than done, especially when their rival, the prestigious Holyoke Prep, has everything they need to leave the Mighty Manatees in their wake.

Can Bree defy the odds and guide her team to a state championship, or have the Manatees swum their last lap – for good?

GET THE BOOK

Shelf Life Books | Calgary Public Library

BE CURIOUSER

Johnnie Christmas’s graphic novel Swim Team is buoyed by themes of community, perseverance and overcoming fear – CBC
Water Dance – The New York Times
5 Questions for Johnnie Christmas – YOUNG ADULTING