Brian Selznick with David Levithan

We are honored to host bestselling author Brian Selznick whose debut novel for young adults, Run Away With Me, is an unforgettable coming-of-age love story with awe-inspiring illustrations. Selznick transports readers to the Eternal City as he tells the story of American teenager Danny and Italian teenager Angelo, who find each other and fall in love over one summer in Rome.

Danny is spending his sixteenth summer in Rome. As his mother spends the day at work in a mysterious museum, he wanders the ancient sites and streets. Soon after his arrival, he encounters a shadow... who becomes a voice... who becomes a boy his age. Angelo.

Soon Danny and Angelo are spending as much time as they can together, piecing together stories of the city while only gradually letting their own histories be shared. Attraction leads to affection, and affection leads to both an intimate closeness and a profound fear of what happens next. Danny has never really had a home, or known the love of another boy. Angelo seems to have more experience... but he also has secrets just out of Danny's reach.

Run Away With Me is a stunning creation, weaving words and illustration to tell the story of a transformative love over the course of one Roman summer.

About the Authors

Brian Selznick’s books have sold millions of copies, garnered countless awards worldwide, and have been translated into more than 35 languages. He broke open the novel form with his genre-breaking thematic trilogy, beginning with the Caldecott Medal-winning #1 New York Times bestseller The Invention of Hugo Cabret, adapted into Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning movie Hugo. Selznick’s most recent novels, (inspired by an idea from Steven Spielberg) and Kaleidoscope, were both national bestsellers and were named New York Times Notable Children’s Books. He also illustrated the 20th anniversary edition covers of J.K. Rowling's globally bestselling Harry Potter series. He and his husband Dr. David Serlin divide their time between Brooklyn, New York and La Jolla, California. For more information about Brian Selznick and his books, visit https://mediaroom.scholastic.com/brianselznick and https://www.thebrianselznick.com.

David Levithan is editorial director at Scholastic and the founding editor of the PUSH imprint, which is devoted to finding new voices and new authors in teen literature. His acclaimed novels Boy Meets Boy and The Realm of Possibility started as stories he wrote for his friends for Valentine’s Day (something he’s done for the past 22 years and counting) that turned themselves into teen novels. He’s often asked if the book is a work of fantasy or a work of reality, and the answer is right down the middle—it’s about where we’re going, and where we should be.

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Host or Publisher Kepler's Literary Foundation