THE OTHER SIDE OF IMANI

Front Desk meets That Girl Lay Lay in this coming-of-age middle grade story about Imani, a thirteen-year-old aspiring designer who creates a virtual avatar to compete for a spot at a prestigious arts school after she discovers that a viral influencer has stolen her designs.

Ever since she could remember, thirteen-year-old Imani has wanted to be a fashion designer. But fashion designers are bold, out-there, and in your face. Yet despite her unique sense of style, Imani has trouble fitting in, let alone standing out. Even among her siblings Imani isn't as outspoken as her activist older sister Lyric or as attention grabbing as her sport-prodigy brother Jesse. When their parents have to relocate their business to Brooklyn, Imani is determined to start fresh and finally make friends of her own. Entering her school's design competition for a scholarship to the nearby arts high school seems like the perfect way to make new friends and get closer to Imani's dream of being a designer. Then Imani's designs are stolen by one of her classmates and questions of plagiarism keep Imani from entering the competition under her own name, she finds herself having to use her designs and her voice to stand up for herself. Lisa Springer is a writer from Barbados living in New York. When she's not writing, she's probably reading, dreaming about the beach, or plotting her next twisty novel.