Now Is Not the Time to Panic is a coming-of-age story following Frankie and Zeke, two lonely teenagers in the mid '90s, who decide to make art together, mostly because they’re bored, but also because they want to make their mark on the world; they want to feel like they’ve created something special and different that makes people sit up and take notice. Together, they make a weird poster, copy it on the copier in Frankie’s garage, and paper it all over town, unknowingly kicking off what comes to be later known as the Coalfield Panic of 1996.
Here are some other young adult books about art, meaning, self-expression, and well-meaning pranks and/or artistic visions that get out of hand.
Starfish, by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Kiko Himura yearns to escape the toxic relationship with her mother by getting into her dream art school, but when things do not work out as she hoped Kiko jumps at the opportunity to tour art schools with her childhood friend, learning life-changing truths about herself and her past along the way. Kiko finds that her art is best when she’s challenging herself, and accepting herself, flaws and all. Find copies of Starfish here.
Amelia Westlake Was Never Here, by Erin Gough
Harriet Price, a prefect at elite Rosemead Grammar, risks her perfect life by joining forces with bad-girl Will Everheart in a hoax to expose the school's many problems. When their swim coach's inappropriate behavior is ignored, they team up to expose him, pulling provocative pranks and creating the instantly legendary Amelia Westlake--an imaginary student who helps right the many wrongs of their privileged institution. Find copies of Amelia Westlake Was Never Here here.
Draw the Line, by Laurent Linn
Adrian Piper is used to blending into the background. He may be a talented artist, a sci-fi geek, and gay, but at his Texas high school, those traits would only bring him the worst kind of attention. In fact, the only place he feels free to express himself is at his drawing table, crafting a secret world through his own Renaissance art-inspired superhero, Graphite. But in real life, when a shocking hate crime flips his world upside down, Adrian must decide what kind of person he wants to be. Maybe it’s time to not be so invisible after all—no matter how dangerous the risk. Find copies of Draw the Line here.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart
Sophomore Frankie starts dating senior Matthew Livingston, but when he refuses to talk about the all-male secret society that he and his friends belong to, the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, Frankie infiltrates the society and creates a series of elaborate pranks that she convinces the Order to pull off in order to beat them at their own game. Find copies of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks here.
It Came From the Sky, by Chelsea Sedoti
Gideon and Ishmael Hofstadt, ages sixteen and seventeen, accidentally start a hoax that aliens have landed when one of Gideon’s failed science experiments blows up, turning their town of Lansburg, Pennsylvania, into a circus. This story is told in a report format written by Gideon as he uses this hoax as an opportunity to treat his town like another experiment, consisting of interviews, blog posts, text conversations, found documents, until he realizes his simple prank has turned his life upside down. Find copies of It Came From the Sky here.
Hard Love, by Ellen Wittlinger
In this classic '90s teen novel, sixteen-year-old John expresses his secret feelings about his lonely life and parents’ angry divorce in a zine, which he exchanges for other DIY magazines at the local Tower Records where they have a free collection. His favorite zine is called Escape Velocity, written by Marisol, a self-proclaimed "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Lesbian." When he finally meets Marisol, they bond over their shared love of zines and their dysfunctional families, but when John falls in one-sided love, he realizes how hard love can be. Find copies of Hard Love here.