Graphic novels

Sir Ladybug by Corey Tabor

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Balzer + Bray

Summary:  Sir Ladybug is a modest knight who likes to hang out with his friends, Pell, a roly poly bug who serves as his herald, and Sterling, his trusty squire, who’s a snail with a shell that’s bigger on the inside than the outside.  Sir Ladybug claims that he will go on a quest when one presents itself, and soon enough his path crosses with a panicky caterpillar being chased by a “monster” (actually a chickadee).  The insects head inside Sterling’s shell to strategize and come up with a perfect solution: Sir Ladybug will bake his famous lemon cake which will take care of the chickadee’s hunger and save the caterpillar.  Surprisingly, this plan works, and the satiated chickadee declares them all friends.  68 pages; grades 1-3.

Pros:  Caldecott honoree Corey Tabor has created this fun new early graphic novel starring creatures who resemble some of the characters in Mel Fell.  The bugs are pretty cute, the story is pretty funny, and this is sure to appeal to graphic novel fans who enjoy books like Narwhal and Jelly.  Look for books 2 and 3 coming later this year.

Cons:  No lemon cake recipe.

The Aquanaut: A Graphic Novel by Dan Santat

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Published by Graphix

Summary:  In the prologue to the story, brothers Paul and Michel are struggling to survive as their research vessel fills with water.  Paul makes it; Michel does not.  Five years later, Paul is raising Michel’s daughter Sophie and trying to keep their research going at a San Diego theme park called Aqualand.  One day a mysterious being dressed in an old diving suit rises out of the ocean and pays a visit to Sophie.  It turns out to be a group of small ocean animals seeking refuge from the dangers of the sea.  Things get chaotic when they make it to Aqualand, where they rescue an orca whale and try to help Uncle Paul from a greedy investor who wants to capitalize on the brothers’ research.  As the Aquanaut’s crew races to escape the bad guys, they wind up back in the ocean in a scene that seems to be playing out the same way Michel’s ship sank.  There are happy endings for everyone, though, as the animals learn that love can overcome fear and the humans realize that family is more important than careers or money.  Includes an author’s note with additional artwork and some explanations about the genesis and development of the story.  256 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  The nonstop action, compelling story, interesting sea creatures, and especially the gorgeous illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat make this a book that is sure to be embraced and savored by a wide range of graphic novel fans.

Cons:  The plot was a bit convoluted, and I’m not sure I got all the nuances of it.

Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Marisol has a happy childhood in Cuba, where she is a cherished only child.  When Castro comes to power, though, life suddenly becomes dangerous for her family.  Her parents decide to send her to New York where she is placed with foster parents.  The illustrations abruptly change from brilliant colors to monochromatic grays as Marisol struggles to adjust to living with strangers, bullying at school, enduring cold weather, and not speaking English.  Bits of color return as she begins to connect with her foster parents and discovers the school library with its books about botany, a subject she loved in Cuba.  As winter turns into spring, summer, and fall, Marisol’s world slowly becomes fully in color once again.  A series of pictures at the end show Marisol’s later life: a reunion with her parents when they immigrate from Cuba, a career as a teacher, and marriage and children with both sets of parents supporting her.  Includes a recipe for arroz con pollo a la Chorrera; additional information about Operation Peter Pan; an author’s note about how her family’s story inspired this book; and a list of resources.  192 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  This nearly wordless graphic novel beautifully relates an immigrant girl’s story using color to show her emotions and the connections between her old home and the new one. The author’s note makes some interesting comparisons about how Cuban children were treated by the U.S. versus children immigrating from Latin American countries today.

Cons:  Readers who don’t have much background knowledge on Cuba in the 1950’s and 1960’s may want to start with the back matter to better understand the story.

Gabby Gets It Together (PAWS book 1) by Nathan Fairbairn, illustrated by Michele Assarasakorn

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Razorbill

Summary:  The book opens with Gabby struggling to walk five dogs and losing track of four of them.  How did she get into this desperate situation? She explains how she and her friends Mindy and Priya love animals but for one reason or another can’t have pets.  They brainstorm how to get more animals into their lives and come up with PAWS, a dog-walking business.  Right away, they find five clients, but a lack of communication among the three of them leads to a series of misunderstandings that threatens the business.  Which brings us back to the opening scene, when Priya and Mindy have stood Gabby up, and she is trying to walk all five dogs.  Fortunately, all three girls have a change of heart, and Priya and Mindy show up in time to rescue the dogs and the business.  They talk about how to fix their mistakes, and PAWS is back in business and ready for book 2.  176 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  This graphic novel is going to be very, very popular in my library with all those kids who love The Baby-Sitters Club and Allergic, with believable tween protagonists, cute dogs, and colorful artwork.

Cons: Mindy and Priya seem to have the upper hand because they’re both a year older than Gabby.

Spy School: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs, illustrated by Anjan Sarkar

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Ben Ripley has always dreamed of being a spy, but he’s still pretty shocked when he suddenly gets recruited to a school that’s secretly training young CIA operatives. The school is similar to a regular middle school in some ways: bad food, boring classes, and pompous administrators, but the attempted assassinations and hidden bombs put a new spin on things.  It appears that someone has brought Ben to the school for their own nefarious purposes but trying to figure out who that is and why proves to be both challenging and dangerous.  Fortunately, Ben is aided by Erica, the smartest (and coolest) girl in the school.  The enemy is foiled at last, but a letter at the end promises a sequel, and fans of the non-graphic Spy School series know that Ben’s adventures are just beginning. 296 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  There are already legions of Spy School fans, and the graphic novel will undoubtedly recruit many more.  I haven’t read the original, so I don’t know how this compares, but there’s plenty of action and humor which is always a winning combination for upper elementary and middle school.

Cons:  The artwork lacked much background detail and was a bit flat.


Animal Rescue Friends by Gina Loveless and Meika Hashimoto, illustrated by Genevieve Kote

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Andrew McMeel Publishing 

Animal Rescue Friends (Volume 1) (Epic!): Loveless, Gina, Hashimoto, Meika, Kote, Genevieve: 9781524867348: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  Maddie’s heartbroken when her mom tells her they can’t keep a stray dog in their apartment.  She decides to take him to Animal Rescue Friends, where she meets a girl her age named Bell and decides to volunteer.  Bell has a little trouble letting go of control, but eventually the two learn to work together and become friends.  A reformed troublemaker named Noah joins the group when he rescues a cat.  Over the course of five stories, the kids work together to take care of all kinds of animals and help them find new homes.  Includes 20+ pages about comics and how to create them. 160 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  If you’re a teacher who worked through the pandemic, you’re probably familiar with Epic!, a website where kids can read books online.  Apparently, they’ve started publishing some of their original works as paper books, including this one, billed as Book 1.  True to the Epic! spirit, it’s a high-interest graphic novel about kids helping animals, so sure to appeal to all kinds of readers.

Cons:  Animal Rescue Friends appears to have one adult working there, with 11-year-old volunteers making up the remainder of the staff; this may not present an accurate picture of how animal shelters actually work.

Stuntboy In the Meantime by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Raúl the Third

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Published by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Stuntboy, in the Meantime: Reynolds, Jason, Raúl the Third: 9781534418165: Amazon.com: Books
Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds, Raúl the Third, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble®

Summary:  Portico “Stuntboy” Reeves loves living in a castle, which is how he thinks of his apartment building.  He knows just about everyone in the building, including his neighbor and best friend Zola, and likes just about all of them, with the notable exception of bully Herbert Singletary the Worst.  When Portico’s parents announce they will soon be living in two apartments and start fighting over dividing up their possessions, Portico starts getting the frets, which is what he calls his anxiety.  He and Zola deal with this by imagining themselves as superheroes. Cartoon panels recap episodes of their favorite TV show, Super Space Warriors, which bear an uncanny resemblance to the Reeves parents’ fights.  When Portico finally figures out what’s going on with his family, he feels split in two, but his friends–including Herbert Singletary, who turns out to be not so bad after all–help him get through.  272 pages; grades 2-6.  

Pros:  I could scarcely contain my glee when I first heard about this collaboration between Jason Reynolds and Raúl the Third, and I am happy to report my expectations were met.  The text and the art work together beautifully, and I’m sure this appealing and highly relatable book will not spend much time lounging on anybody’s library shelves.

Cons:  There’s clearly going to be a sequel, but the ending felt unnecessarily abrupt.

Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear by Trang Nguyen, illustrated by Jeet Zdung

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Published by Dial Books

Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear: Nguyen, Trang, Zdung, Jeet, Zdung, Jeet: 9780593353639: Amazon.com: Books
Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear: Nguyen, Trang, Zdung, Jeet, Zdung, Jeet: 9780593353639: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  The author based this story on her life, portraying herself as a young girl named Chang who commits to becoming a wildlife conservationist after witnessing people extracting bear bile on a bear farm.  As she grows up, she’s given little encouragement due to her gender and age, but she persists in her goal, and eventually is accepted as a volunteer for an organization called Free the Bears.  There she meets a sun bear cub named Sorya and takes on the task of reintroducing her to the wild.  This proves to be a long process, since Sorya is shy and becomes attached to Chang.  Again, Chang’s persistence pays off, and after many months, Sorya gradually goes back to the wild.  Chang misses her friend, but is happy that Sorya is where she belongs.  128 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  This unusual graphic story features gorgeous artwork showing the forests of Vietnam and an inspiring story about a determined young woman who is able to make a difference with her conservation work.

Cons:  The scene at the bear farm is a bit disturbing.

Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby

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Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Cranky Chicken | Book by Katherine Battersby | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster
Amazon.com: Cranky Chicken (1): 9781534469884: Battersby, Katherine, Battersby, Katherine: Books

Summary:  Cranky Chicken is constantly…well, cranky.  Then along comes Speedy, a worm with a perennially upbeat attitude, and things begin to change.  In five chapters the two slowly become good friends, and Speedy is occasionally successful in changing Cranky’s outlook on life.  The final chapter sees Cranky overcome a fear of heights to help Speedy realize his dream of flying, and even Cranky has to admit that it was pretty great.  116 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  Fans of Narwhal and Jellyfish will happily embrace this new pair of friends and their comic-style adventures.  There’s plenty of humor, friendship, and good simple watercolor art in mostly pastels with a few bright highlights (like Cranky’s expressive unibrow).  I hope there will be some sequels!

Cons:  The font looks like hand-lettered printing, which may take some getting used to for early readers.

Besties Work It Out (The World of Click) by Kayla Miller and Jeffrey Canino, illustrated by Kristina Luu

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Published by Etch/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Besties: Work It Out (The World of Click): Miller, Kayla, Canino, Jeffrey, Luu, Kristina: 9780358561910: Amazon.com: Books
Besties: Work It Out – AESOP'S FABLE

Summary:  In this spinoff from the Click series, best friends Liz and Chanda are trying to make some money.  When their lemonade stand fails, Liz’s older sister hands over her dog-sitting job to the two girls.  They’re thrilled to get to hang out at the owner’s fancy home, raiding her closet and posting photos of themselves in luxurious surroundings.  When the popular girls see the pictures, they want a piece of the action.  Liz and Chanda invite one of the girls over, but she brings three more; in the ensuing chaos, an expensive lamp gets broken.  As the girls try to make amends, they learn some important lessons about responsibility and friendship and are able to bring about a satisfying conclusion for everyone.  Includes six pages of Q&A with the book’s creators and four pages showing how the illustrations were created.  216 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  There ought to be a name for the Raina Telgemeier/Victoria Jamieson/Shannon Hale/Jennifer Holm genre of graphic novels.  Whatever that name is, this book will have great appeal to fans of it.  It’s a realistic friendship story about irresponsibility and learning to make amends for it.  Hoping to see more books about Liz and Chanda.

Cons:  Chanda’s parents were kind of insufferable with their favoritism toward their older daughter.