Published by Quill Tree Books

Summary:  Jo uses her blog to chronicle her life during eighth grade, as well as the lives of her sisters Amy, Beth, and Meg.  Amy’s excited about fifth-grade art; Beth’s recovering from leukemia and pursuing her musical interests through piano and band; and Meg is tutoring two neighbor children and crushing on a boy named Jon.  Marmee keeps them all in line while their father is overseas.  New neighbor Laurie has a crush on Jo, but Jo is more interested in Freddie, the girl editor of the school newspaper they both work on.  Everyone gets a chance to let their talents shine at the middle school’s end-of-year showcase, and happy endings abound for all.  272 pages; grades 4-8.

Pros:  Seems like the world will always embrace one more version of Little Women, and this one is as warm and life-affirming as a hug from Marmee.  Fans of Raina Telgemeier, as well as last year’s Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy will love this graphic novel adaptation.

Cons:  I wonder how Bronson Alcott would feel about having his counterpart involved in a secret overseas military mission.

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Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Drew has always loved to draw and is excited to become part of a kids’ art club.  Her doodles come to life, and she considers the characters she’s created to be some of her closest friends.  As she becomes friends with the kids in the club, her doodles also get to interact with their creations.  One night, Drew creates a new doodle called Leviathan, or Levi for short.  Before long, Levi has turned into a monster and become a threat to the other doodles.  Drew’s new friends try to help defeat Levi with their own creations, but it soon becomes clear that only Drew has the power to destroy Levi…or maybe to transform him.  She discovers a unique solution, and there’s a promise of more adventures ahead for the entire art club.  Includes an author’s note; an annotated history of the doodles that tells how the author created the doodles that appear in Drew’s drawings; and instructions on how to draw a doodle.  288 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  Aspiring artists will be inspired by all the kids’ artwork and will also enjoy the magical world in which their drawings come to life.  Looks as though there will definitely be a sequel to look forward to.

Cons:  The story bogged down somewhat when Levi came on the scene, and I had trouble distinguishing the different kids’ personalities and drawings as they each tried to help Drew.

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Published by First Second

Summary:  Snapdragon believes a woman in her town is a witch, and when her dog goes missing, she’s afraid the witch has eaten him.  An angry confrontation winds up being the beginning of an unusual friendship.  The “witch”, Jacks, turns out to be a lonely old woman whose business is rescuing roadkill and rebuilding their skeletons to sell online.  Snap and Jacks bond over their love of animals, but as they get to know each other better, Snap discovers that Jacks has a deep connection to her own family from long ago.  Not only that, but the woman turns out to possess some of the magical powers Snap first suspected her of having, and Snap begins to learn some magic herself.  When Snap’s mom’s abusive ex-boyfriend shows up, it’s up to Snap and Jacks to use their magic to save the day.  Jacks finds herself back in the family again, and it looks like there just might be a happy ending for everyone.  Includes pages showing the process of early sketches and turning them into the finished pages as well as some other book cover ideas. 240 pages; grades 4-8.

Pros:  Kat Leyh packs a lot into this graphic novel, with an ambitious story and lots of interesting characters including the two main ones, as well as Snap’s mother and grandmother, and Lulu, her transgender best friend.  She masterfully cuts from one scene to the next, keeping the action moving quickly.

Cons:  The ending wrapped up pretty neatly, and I don’t see any sign of a sequel.

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Published by Graphix

Summary:  Natalie is pretty nervous for the first day of middle school, and grateful to have her best friend Lily by her side.  Lily moved over the summer and has been somewhat uncommunicative, but Natalie is sure everything will be fine once they’re back in school together.  But on the first day, Lily’s hanging out with cool and popular Alex, and dismisses Natalie as a nerd.  Fortunately, Natalie quickly makes a new friend, Zoe, but she still wants her best friend back, and spends weeks trying to figure out how to be cooler so Lily will like her again.  Slowly, Natalie starts to discover her artistic talents, and to listen when Zoe points out that Lily isn’t acting like a friend.  Winning a contest with her graphic story turns things around for Natalie, and she learns the importance of discovering what she can do versus focusing on what she can’t do.  Book 2 is due out September 1.  240 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  The latest graphic series from Graphix is sure to be a hit, checking all the boxes for a tried-and-true middle school series:  the end of a friendship, the beginning of another, a first crush, and learning to be yourself.  Appealing to reluctant and avid readers alike.

Cons:  The plot was a little too tried-and-true for this reviewer, who has read many, many books with similar stories.  Hopefully, kids will bring a fresher perspective to the story.

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Published by Quill Tree Books (Released October 6)

Summary:  The kids from New Kid are back for their second year at Riverdale Academy Day School, a.k.a. RAD.  This time, the focus is on Drew, who along with Jordan, is one of the few black kids in the school.  Drew lives with his grandmother, who still works long hours to support him, and he struggles with the unfairness of his situation when he’s invited to Liam’s house.  Liam, who is white, lives in a mansion with servants, a pool, and a stay-at-home mother.  When Drew starts hanging out with some older black RAD students, his friends have trouble understanding.  Ultimately, though, he’s drawn back to his original group, and finds a way to get past his pain and mend his friendship with Liam.  A visit from Liam to both Jordan’s and Drew’s neighborhoods highlights the warm community that is somewhat lacking in Liam’s life.  While the focus is on Drew, the story begins and ends with Jordan, who concludes that life is a lot of things, but perfect is not one of them.  And it’s time to draw some comics.  256 pages; grades 3-8.

Pros:  Just when I was ready to give up on 2020, I discovered an upcoming sequel to New Kid, and was able to snag an advance reader copy.  I am happy to report that it is every bit as good as the Newbery Medal-winning first book.  Appropriate to the new eighth graders, this book deals with slightly more mature themes, and the questions about race and racism are for the most part left as questions–no easy answers.  Let’s hope we get to follow Drew, Jordan, and the rest of the group all the way through high school.

Cons:  No easy answers is right, as I found myself feeling frustrated at how difficult it is for Jordan and Drew to find their places at RAD.

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Published by Graphix (Released October 6)

Summary:  Twins Mauren and Francine are starting middle school.  Maureen, who’s the narrator, is known as the thinking twin, while Francine’s reputation is as the talking twin.  Francine, now calling herself Fran, seems to be reinventing herself with tons of friends and not much time for Maureen.  Although Maureen excels in her classes, she struggles to connect with other kids and ends up eating lunch in the library.  Everything changes, though when the twins decide to run against each other for class president.  Although their parents try to keep things civil, emotions run high as each twin assembles a campaign staff and decides on a platform.  The tension finally leads to a heart-to-heart conversation where each girl is able to share her own insecurities and see what her sister is going through.  256 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Another fun graphic novel from Graphix, this one written by Coretta Scott King honoree Varian Johnson.  A fast-paced middle school story, excellent artwork, and a multicultural cast of characters will make this a popular choice for sure.  This book is billed as book 1, so we can hope there will be more to come in the Francine/Maureen saga.

Cons:  Although Shannon Wright did a commendable job of giving Francine and Maureen distinctive characteristics, it was sometimes a little difficult telling the identical twins apart in the illustrations. 

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Published by Random House

Summary:  Jen’s having a difficult adjustment from city life to country life, compounded by her parents’ divorce and her mom’s new boyfriend Walter.  When Walter’s two daughters start spending weekends on the farm, Jen has more changes to deal with.  Andy is bossy and seems to be better at everything than Jen (or at least to think she is), and Reese is a bit of a whiner, prone to tantrums when things don’t go her way.  Jen’s mom has always wanted to live on a farm, but Jen’s not so sure about it as she helps out at the farmer’s market, takes care of the new chickens, and performs other chores, sometimes with the help of Andy and Reese.  Things aren’t perfect by the end of the story, but the three kids and their parents are beginning to be something resembling a family.  Includes an author’s note about her childhood, which inspired Jen’s stories 224 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Another fun graphic memoir for fans of Raina Telgemeier, Shannon Hale, and Jennifer Holm.  Kids will relate to Jen’s family issues, and there’s a relatively happy ending that seems to pave the way for a sequel.

Cons:  Walter seems at best insensitive and at worst, verbally abusive.  I hope he gets a chance to redeem himself in book 2, but in the author’s note, Lucy Knisley refers to the real-life Walter as “loud, bossy, and annoying” and “annoying and beloved until his dying day”, so I don’t have a lot of hope.

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