Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, illus. by Giovanni Rigano, is a 2019-2020 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Nominee

We are ​happy to share that Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, illus. by Giovanni Rigano, is a 2019-2020 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award nominee!

Illegal appears in the “Graphic Novels: Grades 6-9” category. The Black-Eyed Susan Book Award is a children’s choice award for the state of Maryland. The award seeks to promote literacy and lifelong reading habits by encouraging students to read quality, contemporary literature. The nominated books are expected to be outstanding books that broaden the human experience and provide students with new insights into their own lives.

Click read more below to learn about the book, the authors, and the illustrator. 

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About the book

A powerfully moving graphic novel by New York Times bestselling author Eoin Colfer and the team behind the Artemis Fowl graphic novels that explores the current plight of undocumented immigrants.

Ebo is alone. His brother, Kwame, has disappeared, and Ebo knows it can only be to attempt the hazardous journey to Europe, and a better life—the same journey their sister set out on months ago.
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But Ebo refuses to be left behind in Ghana. He sets out after Kwame and joins him on the quest to reach Europe. Ebo's epic journey takes him across the Sahara Desert to the dangerous streets of Tripoli, and finally out to the merciless sea. But with every step he holds on to his hope for a new life, and a reunion with his family.

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Team ​Illegal

Andrew Donkin (left) is the author of more than sixty books and graphic novels for children and adults. His books have been translated into thirty languages around the world and have sold more than eight million copies in the last decade. He lives in London. Learn more at andrewdonkin.co.uk.

​Eoin Colfer (center) worked as a primary school teacher before becoming a full-time writer. He spent four years between 1992 and 1996 working in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Italy. His first book, Benny and Omar, was based on his experiences in Tunisia. In 2001, the first book in the bestselling Artemis Fowl series was published. Over the years, his works have been named a Book Sense Book of the Year nominee, an L.A. Times Book Prize finalist, and a Virginia Readers’ Choice Award nominee. Eoin lives in Ireland with his family. Learn more at eoincolfer.com.

Giovanni Rigano (right) is an Italian artist and illustrator born in Cantù, Italy. He is best known for his role in the creation of the Artemis Fowl graphic novels, the first of which came out in 2007. Giovanni has also created graphic novels for Disney, including The Incredibles and Pirates of the Caribbean. Giovanni currently lives in Como, Italy.