Dyamonde Daniel: Loser, from Reycraft Books, Explores a Close Friendship in Jeopardy
Book 5 in the bestselling, award-winning chapter-book series continues the adventures of the little girl with a big personality.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY, Jun. 3, 2025— Leading children’s trade publisher Reycraft Books is pleased to announce the publication of Dyamonde Daniel: Loser, written by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Uzo Njoku. Released on June 3, 2025, this fifth installment in the acclaimed chapter-book series focuses on the friendship between smart, sassy, math-loving Dyamonde and her classmate, Free, as it hits a rough patch—caused by Dyamonde herself.
In Loser, Dyamonde and Free compete over everything from sports to homework to setting the dinner table. Their competitions start out as harmless fun, but after Dyamonde goes on a winning—and bragging—streak, their relationship becomes increasingly strained and Free starts to resent her attitude. Eventually Free stops coming over to Dyamonde’s home. He won’t return her calls. Then suddenly, he starts hanging out with other kids and avoiding Dyamonde entirely. Knowing that her friendship with Free is at risk, Dyamonde realizes she must work to follow her mother’s advice: “Sorry is good, but sorry can’t fix everything.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nikki Grimes is a New York Times bestselling author and was inducted into the Black Authors Hall of Fame in 2023. Her other honors include the CSK Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award for significant contributions to young adult literature, the Children’s Literature Legacy Medal, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Author of the Coretta Scott King Award-winner, Bronx Masquerade, and five Coretta Scott King Author Honors, Grimes also won the Printz Honor and Sibert Honor for her memoir, Ordinary Hazards. She lives in Corona, California.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:
Uzo Njoku is a versatile visual artist well known for the mesmerizing motifs she uses in her pattern making. Her colorful paintings primarily depict melanin figures in different forms and and in various contexts of beauty, all while incorporating Njoku’s beautiful patterns to create contrast and depth.
As she did with the previous books in the Dyamonde Daniel series, Grimes set out to tell a story that was completely new and self-contained and did not require extensive prior knowledge on the part of readers. “I'm not really series-oriented,” Grimes explained. “The only way I wanted to do a series like this was if I could figure out a way to write every single book completely different from every other one, because then it would hold my interest. I need my work to be challenging to me, and I don't want to keep going over the same ground again and again. I always want to learn and explore something new with every project that I take on. I’ve designed the Dyamonde Daniel series in that way.”
In Loser, Grimes focuses on the interpersonal dynamics and behavior that can damage even the closest of friendships, and the challenge of repairing hurt feelings—topics very much in keeping with the author’s typical approach to creating stories. “In general,” Grimes said, “I look for subject matter that allows me to address those issues I feel affect the lives of young readers, and that I believe need to be discussed and explored.”
ABOUT REYCRAFT BOOKS: partners with award-winning and up-and-coming authors and illustrators, primarily from underrepresented communities, to provide high-quality books that delight, inform, and honor the voice and vision of all children. Founded in 2019, the imprint publishes authentic stories—engaging picture books, transitional chapter books, middle grade books, graphic novels, and more—that build knowledge, perspective, and connection, meeting the diverse needs of children, families, and educators.