The Big Tournament: Book 1

Ages 10 to 14, Grades 5 to 8

Harry (Potter) meets Greta (Thunberg)

Can a little chef with a big heart save the galaxy with the communal spirit of cooking?Twelve-year-old Magda was born on Azuki, a tiny moon with incredible plant life. Magda may be a bit of a mess, but she’s also a gifted chef—so gifted her unique and delicious dishes earn her a spot in the centuries-old Intergalactic Cooking Tournament! Kids from all over the galaxy hope to win honor for their home planet—as well as the Nector, a precious resource that can reshape entire worlds . . . or even save dying ones. But when Magda discovers an intergalactic conspiracy, only the kind-hearted chef can stop a secret society from stealing the Nector—and with it, control of the entire galaxy.

About the Author

Nicolas Wouters is an illustrator, comic book scriptwriter, teacher, and director of animated films. He lives in Brussels, Belgium, where he teaches at the university. Since 2020, he holds a doctoral thesis in art and art sciences. He has published Feet in Concrete (2013), Totem (2013), and Les égarés de Déjima (2018).Mathilde Van Gheluwe was born in Belgium. She studied illustration at the Institut Saint-Luc in Brussels, then at Luca School of Arts in Ghent. After graduating, she published independent comics within the Flemish collective Tieten met Haar. Her first graphic novel Pendant que le Loup n'y est pas, written and illustrated alongside Valentine Gallardo, was published by Atrabile in 2016. Her second comic, the highly acclaimed Funky Town, was published in English by Peow Studio.