Oni Press is striking a chord with YA audiences this August in Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song, a humorous and heartfelt story about love, loss, legacy, and the music that ties them altogether from debut writer Austin Paramore and Girls Have a Blog illustrator Sarah Bollinger. Releasing August 2, 2023, readers will chuckle at Malcolm’s misadventures and tear up as he finds his way with the help of a little wisdom from a cursed jazz musician. 

What does the perfect song sound like?

Normally, Malcolm Kid wouldn’t give this type of question the time of day. As a straight-B student with a heart of copper, he is far more concerned with overcoming mediocrity than he is with achieving perfection. But that all changes when he stumbles across the LK-2000—a strange keyboard cursed with the soul of an old jazz musician.

Malcolm soon learns that the only way to free this musician’s soul is by performing the perfect song. With much hesitation and the help of his lifelong friend January Young, Malcolm embarks on a musical journey across the city of New Bronzeville in the hopes of discovering the perfect song and finding himself as a musician along the way.

Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song will be available in softcover for a list price of $24.99 (ISBN: 978-1-63715-223-2) at digital and physical retailers everywhere on August 2, 2023.