A video gamer’s championship aspirations are dashed when his parents send him to Camp Refresh, where electronics are forbidden and you're forced to socialize, eat healthy, and spend time outside. Gamerville is a timely and vulnerable exploration of the importance of human connection and what it means to run in a pack, brought to you by award-winning author Johnnie Christmas.

Max Lightning is howling at the moon—he’s finally qualified for Gamerville, a championship where players compete to be top dog in the multiplayer video game Lone Wolf of Calamity Bay. But his dreams of domination are doomed when his parents send him to Camp Refresh. Gone are the long nights of downing energy drinks and getting copious amounts of screen time. They've been replaced with fresh air and group activities under the hot sun—a shock to the system for a lone wolf like Max. Can Max escape Camp Refresh and level up at Gamerville, or has he finally played his last match?

“Filled with loveable characters and action-packed antics, I wish I could spend all summer at Camp Reset!”
-Kayla Miller, bestselling author of the Click series

PRAISE FOR GAMERVILLE

2024 Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Book Awards Winner
“‘Ultimately this isn’t a digital versus analog story,’ says judge Liv Hanson. ‘It’s about finding connection, teamwork and being a good friend.’”
Barnes and Noble Best Books of 2024  Best Young Reader Books of 2024
”From the creator of Swim Team comes a touching and timely story of a boy tapped into the virtual world and the pros and cons of breaking free. This is a brilliant addition to the growing graphic novel brand of Johnnie Christmas.”
Publishers Weekly Starred Review
”Video game aesthetics paired with brightly colored illustrations craft two distinct and complementary settings: one teeming with digital adventure and the other filled with wilderness whimsy.”
2025 Forest of Reading Silver Birch Fiction Award nominee

MAX

Perfect for fans of Jerry Craft and Kwame Alexander, this splashy, contemporary middle-grade graphic novel debut from cartoonist Johnnie Christmas follows young Bree as she faces her fear of swimming head on, while at the same time confronting the longstanding barriers of systemic racism set within the public pool system.

Bree can’t wait for her first day at her new middle school, Enith Brigitha, home to the Mighty Manatees—until she’s stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule, the dreaded Swim 101. 

The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, yet she's forced to dive headfirst into one of her greatest fears. Lucky for her, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help. 

With Etta’s training and a lot of hard work, Bree suddenly finds her swim-crazed community counting on her to turn the school’s failing team around. But that’s easier said than done, especially when their rival, the prestigious Holyoke Prep, has everything they need to leave the Mighty Manatees in their wake.

In this middle-grade graphic novel debut, Johnnie Christmas demonstrates how—through friendship, courage, and heart—the wave of change can start with the smallest ripple.

PRAISE FOR SWIM TEAM

2023 Coretta Scott King Award Honor Illustrator
2022 National Book Awards Longlist for Young People’s Literature
Kirkus Best Book of the Year
Eisner Award Best Publication for Kids Nominee
Harvey Award Best Children’s or Young Adult Book Nominee

Swim Team combines wonderful characters, great lessons, and even a bit of history, to create a story that will make you want to dive right in!
-Jerry Craft, author of the Newbery Award-winning New Kid

Swim Team is a revelation! Johnnie Christmas seamlessly marries the sports drama, coming of age story, and family drama into one beautifully executed narrative. The book powerfully breaks stereotypes while replacing them with nuanced experiences and characters that seem to leap from the page. You’ll root for Swim Team, the water is just right!
-John Jennings, New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award–winning co-creator of Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation

Swim Team is a beautiful story about trying new things. Johnnie Christmas is a fantastic storyteller and artist.
-Kazu Kibuishi, author of Amulet

Johnnie Christmas’ Swim Team is full of charm, heart, and pulse-pounding races. A winner!
-Gene Luen Yang, author of American Born Chinese and Dragon Hoops