Back in February 2017, I was lucky enough to welcome middle grade author, Eric Bell, to Pop! Goes The Reader as we revealed the cover of his debut novel, Alan Cole Is Not A Coward. Today I couldn’t be more delighted to have Eric join us here once again to share the exclusive cover reveal for and more information about his next novel, Alan Cole Doesn’t Dance! Coming to a bookstore and library near you October 9th 2018 from Katherine Tegen Books, Alan Cole Doesn’t Dance is a middle grade follow-up novel to Bell’s debut that continues the stories of Alan, Zack, Madison and the rest of the gang as the book explores themes of family, friendship, bullying and love. The cover of Alan Cole Doesn’t Dance was designed by Aurora Parlagreco with accompanying art by Julia Kuo.
About Eric Bell
Eric Bell graduated from the Robert E. Cook Honors College, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, with a degree in Psychology and a minor in English. Once the other kids at recess began pretending to go on the adventures he came up with, he never stopped telling stories. Alan Cole Is Not A Coward (September 5th, 2017) was his first novel, followed by Alan Cole Doesn’t Dance (October 9th 2018).
When I wrote Alan Cole Is Not A Coward, I always hoped I’d be able to revisit the world in a subsequent story. I’m overjoyed to have had the opportunity to do so.
Alan Cole Doesn’t Dance touches on similar themes to Alan Cole Is Not A Coward: bravery, self-acceptance, coming out, the power of art. But with Alan Cole Doesn’t Dance, it was important for me to expand on what I’d done in the first book. The sequel takes place roughly a month after the Cole brothers’ climactic game of CvC. After all the character growth experienced by the cast, I wanted to show how everyone in the story had actually changed — or hadn’t. A big addition in this book is Odin, a new boy in school. Odin and Alan get off the wrong foot, but their relationship gradually proves more complicated than that, and Alan finds himself wondering: is Odin an enemy, a friend, or…something else?
If you haven’t read Alan Cole Is Not A Coward, that’s fine — I tried making Alan Cole Doesn’t Dance accessible to first-time readers. I sincerely hope you enjoy both Alan Cole books, regardless of which one you start with.
Title Alan Cole Doesn’t Dance
Author Eric Bell
Pages 272 Pages
Intended Target Audience Middle Grade
Genre Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Publication Date October 9th 2018 by Katherine Tegen Books
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon.com ● Chapters ● The Book Depository
Alan Cole is not a coward. Not since he stood up to his brother. Not since he let his friends Zack and Madison into his world. And definitely not since he came out at his school.
But Alan’s got a new host of problems to face. His biggest one: Ron McCaughlin. Ever since Alan revealed he’s gay, Ron has been bullying Alan with relentless fury. Yet Alan can’t tell his parents why he’s really coming home with bruises — because they still don’t know the truth. And now Alan’s father wants him to take June Harrison to the upcoming Winter Dance. Never mind that he has two left feet, does not like girls, and might be developing feelings for a new boy at school.
Between trying to understand the complex art of text flirting, learning how to subdue his bullies, and finding his identity beyond the labels people put on him, Alan has a lot to sort through — and lay out — on the dance floor.
In this follow-up novel to Alan Cole Is Not A Coward, Eric Bell returns to the Unstable Table with Alan and his friends as they tackle middle school in another poignant and laugh-out-loud tale about friendship, family, and the many meanings of bravery.
