Leila Sales

I have a new book coming out in August! The Campaign is my eighth book, my second middle grade, and my first book with interior illustrations. It’s available for pre-order now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.

A hilarious and timely political comedy—like Veep for tweens—about a twelve-year-old who runs her babysitter’s campaign for mayor

If you ask Maddie Polansky, the only good part of middle school is art class. It’s definitely not the other kids, who think she’s weird, or the teachers, who think she’s a troublemaker. And though she’s never paid much attention to politics, when she learns that the front-runner for city mayor plans to cut funding for the arts, she knows she has to do something to stop Lucinda Burghart, art-hating bad guy! She can’t run for mayor herself—she’s just a kid. But she can get her babysitter, Janet, to run against Lucinda.

Soon, Maddie is thrust into the role of Janet’s campaign manager, leading not only to humor and hijinks but to an inspiring story about activism and what it takes to become an engaged citizen. As she leads the campaign from rallies to debates to Election Day, Maddie discovers that she has more of a community than she’d ever imagined—and that sometimes a “troublemaker” is exactly what this world needs.

“The Campaign is exactly the story we need right now. A fun middle grade tale celebrating both why… and how… we should be involved in our government.”—Jon Scieszka, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

“A hilarious, inspiring story which proves that kids have the vision and the power to change the world.”—Max Brallier, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth series