Luminous Beings - by David Arnold

About the Book

Childhood friends Ty and Burger plan to make a documentary and attend film school together, but Ty's hidden secret challenges their friendship as they navigate the aftermath of a global squirrel apocalypse.

Book Synopsis

"A gorgeously rendered adventure that captures the ache and joy of adolescence in a mad world."--Tillie Walden, award-winning author of On a Sunbeam

Ty and Burger have known each other since before they could walk. But this shared history is nothing compared to their plans for the future: step one, make a killer documentary about humanity's recent brush with extinction; step two, apply to film school together; step three, achieve legendary status as the next great filmmaking duo. But Ty has a secret that will ultimately shake the foundations of their friendship and force them both to wonder if growing up means letting go of the people they once were.

With heads full of bioluminescence and hearts full of fury, "squizzies" have one thing on their tiny rodent brains: global annihilation. Their reign of terror may be a thing of the past, but Ty and Burger are determined to chronicle the perseverance of the human race in the wake of the "squirrel-pocalypse." With friends Miles and Fib, they embark on an overnight excursion through rowdy nightclubs, once-familiar neighborhoods, perilous castles, and off-grid RVs, all the while, recording quiet lives of love and loss in a strange new world.

Set over the course of a single day, Luminous Beings explores the many facets of friendship and love, the heavy burden of a well-kept secret, the boundless tenacity of the human spirit, and, yes, the furriest of all zombified mammals. But don't worry, it's not the end of the world. Just the end of the squirrel

Review Quotes

★ "Here come the glowing-eyed zombie squirrels... Arnold and Pimienta display joyfully experimental creativity with the form." --Booklist, starred review

"A gorgeously rendered adventure that captures the ache and joy of adolescence in a mad world. Delightful from the first page to the last." --Tillie Walden, Eisner Award-winning author of On a Sunbeam

"Stylized and ridiculous . . . Sure to be a hit for fans of Paper Girls, Stranger Things, and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl." --School Library Journal

"Delightfully disturbing . . . Arnold's text skillfully portrays post-adolescent banalities against a harrowing and violent backdrop... In a dreamy palette of pink and lavender hues, Pimienta's illustrations leap off the page in a feat of visual wizardry." --Kirkus Reviews

"Quotes from Longfellow, Yoda, and Jack White alongside abundant early-aughts, 1990s, and 1980s music references imbue this bizarre and fun graphic novel debut by Arnold (I Loved You in Another Life) with plentiful nostalgia. Detailed art by Pimienta (Twin Cities) likewise builds out the teen's spaces while inky black lingering shadows highlight the novel's apocalyptic bent." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

David Arnold is the New York Times bestselling author of Mosquitoland, I Loved You in Another Life, The Electric Kingdom, Kids of Appetite, and The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik. He has won the Southern Book Prize and the Great Lakes Book Award, and was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start for his debut. His books have been translated into over a dozen languages. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with his wife and son. Learn more at davidarnoldbooks.com and follow him on Instagram @iamdavidarnold.

Jose Pimienta was raised in Mexicali, Baja California, and now resides in Los Angeles, California, where they work on comics and storyboards for animation and film. Suncatcher was their debut author/illustrator graphic novel. Twin Cities is their first middle grade graphic novel. In their stories, they focus on the importance of Latinx culture and the experience of growing up on the border.