Always Anthony is written & illustrated by Terri Libenson and was released on May 23rd 2024 by HarperCollins and is the eighth graphic novel in the New York Times bestselling Emmie & Friends series.

Always Anthony is told from the alternating POVs of popular Anthony and timid Leah as they grapple with a bullying incident at school.

From Anthony’s perspective, the book also explores teenage boys and their mental health, and as he struggles to express his feelings throughout the story, Anthony’s journey will resonate with readers.

I’ve never been what you’d call an open book. Not to say I don’t have feelings or anything. I do. I just hide ’em well…

Read either as a standalone or as part of a series, each title in Emmie & Friends has been an instant bestseller, and the series has sold more than 2.3 million copies. Once again, Terri brings back side characters from past books in the series into the spotlight: Anthony, a Black boy with dyslexia, and Leah, a Jewish girl from a single-parent home.

Blurb

Friends. Bullies.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Anthony is TPFW (Too Popular For Words), loves science, hates writing.

Leah is a super-shy nerd who’s finally making friends of her own.

What could they have in common?

A lot more than they thought, as it turns out!

But then one day they witness Anthony’s teammates bullying a sixth grader. What happens next could cement their new friendship—or blow it up forever.

About the Author / Illustrator

Terri Libenson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Emmie & Friends series and the cartoonist of the (now retired) award-winning comic strip The Pajama Diaries.

Terri empty-nests in Cleveland, Ohio, with her husband, Mike. She is the proud mom of two grown daughters and a poodle. You can find her online at www.terrilibenson.com.