Bunt! - by Ngozi Ukazu

About the Book

"Molly Bauer's first year of college is not the picture-perfect piece of art she'd always envisioned. On day one at PICA, Molly discovers that--through some horrible twist of fate--her full-ride scholarship has vanished! But the ancient texts (PICA's dusty financial aid documents) reveal a loophole. If Molly and 9 other art students win a single game of softball, they'll receive a massive athletic scholarship. Can Molly's crew of ragtag artists succeed in softball without dropping the ball?"--

Book Synopsis

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

Molly Bauer's first year of college is not the picture-perfect piece of art she'd always envisioned. On day one at PICA, Molly discovers that--through some horrible twist of fate--her full-ride scholarship has vanished! But the ancient texts (PICA's dusty financial aid documents) reveal a loophole. If Molly and 9 other art students win a single game of softball, they'll receive a massive athletic scholarship. Can Molly's crew of ragtag artists succeed in softball without dropping the ball?

The author of the New York Times best-selling Check, Please series, Ngozi Ukazu, returns with debut artist Madeline Rupert to bring an energetic young adult story about authenticity, old vs. new, and college failure. It also poses the question: "Is art school worth it?"

Review Quotes

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

"The diverse ensemble cast is hilariously written, ingeniously personifying and exaggerating the delightfully weird, bombastic student body of an art school." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB), starred

"The characters have well-developed personalities, and their interactions thoughtfully explore themes of teamwork, coming out of your shell, trusting in yourself, and learning to rely on others as the pressure to win a game mounts." -Kirkus

"Ukazu, known for the Check, Please! graphic novel duology, has once again created an appealing coming-of-age college narrative." --School Library Journal

"Fans of Ukazu's popular Check, Please! series will adore this crew of weirdos bonding and working together." -Booklist

"The creators offer a jovial and highly enjoyable story that underscores issues surrounding financial precarity and educational inequity." --Publishers Weekly

"A hilarious, kinetic, and blisteringly accurate portrait of art school from three masters of the craft. Ngozi, Mad, and K are at the top of their game." - Gale Galligan, New York Times-bestselling adapter of The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels

"Pitch-perfect." - Gaby Epstein, author of Danny Phantom: A Glitch in Time

About the Author

Ngozi Ukazu is a New York Times-bestselling author and the creator of Check, Please!, an online graphic novel whose printing campaign remains the most funded webcomics Kickstarter ever. She graduated from Yale University with a degree in Computing and The Arts, and later received a masters in sequential arts and comics. She enjoys trekking through nature, giving talks at colleges, and all things fandom. Since 2020, her cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker.

Mad Rupert is less than 5 feet tall and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. She got her start in online comics over ten years ago, and authors two ongoing webcomics: Sakana, a slice-of-life workplace comedy, and Robber-Robert, a sci-fi romance for mature readers. She has also worked extensively on comic adaptations of Cartoon Network properties like Adventure Time, Regular Show, and Steven Universe. When not making comics, Mad enjoys spending time with her partner and their very old dog, going to the gym, and playing Minecraft. 'Mad' is short for Madeline, she's not actually angry.