- US Edition
Bunt!: Striking Out on Financial Aid
A graphic novel about a girl who loses her art school financial aid but discovers a surprising loophole . . . for an athletic scholarship?!
Written by Ngozi Ukazu; illustrated by Mad Rupert
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 bestselling 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?”
Praise for Bunt!: Striking Out on Financial Aid:
★ “Hilariously written, ingeniously personifying and exaggerating the delightfully weird, bombastic student body of an art school. . . . [B]igger issues are compellingly tackled, like the emotional and financial costs of going to art school, exploitative university systems, class dynamics within friendships, and the realities of gentrification.” –The Bulletin, STARRED REVIEW
“A heartfelt story of passion, teamwork, and overcoming the odds.” –Kirkus Reviews
“Fans of Ukazu’s popular Check, Please! series will adore this crew of weirdos bonding and working together.” –Booklist
[T]he creators offer a jovial and highly enjoyable story that underscores issues surrounding financial precarity and educational inequity.” –Publisher’s 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
Rights details
The Author
Ngozi Ukazu
NGOZI UKAZU is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling graphic novelist, and the creator of comics like Check, Please!, an online graphic novel whose printing campaign remains the most funded webcomics Kickstarter ever. Her forthcoming graphic novels are Bunt!: Striking Out on Financial Aid (illustrated by Mad Rupert, coming from First Second in February 2024), Barda (coming from DC Comics in June 2024), and Flip (coming from First Second in 2025). She graduated from Yale University with a degree in Computing and The Arts, and received a masters in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Since 2020, her cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker.
Visit ngoziu.com to find out more, follow Ngozi at @ngoziu and read Check, Please! here on Tumbler.
Ngozi is represented by Chelsea Eberly.