Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Sixth-grader Lucy is dreading being in middle school with her older sister GiGi. When GiGi trips Lucy in the cafeteria on the first day of school, Lucy challenges GiGi to a duel.  The two girls were trained in fencing by their late father, and GiGi is the star of the middle school fencing team.  As they prepare for the bout, each girl is plagued with insecurities, both of them dealing with the grief of having recently lost their father.  Their mother, barely holding it together as she processes her own grief while trying to keep the family functioning, is not much help.  The whole school gets involved in the match, and the pressure becomes too much for both girls.  On the big day, they finally open up and confess their feelings to each other and to their mother, allowing themselves to move toward healing.  The duel still takes place, but it’s a friendly match now, resulting in a surprising and satisfying outcome.  Includes an author’s note telling of her experiences that inspired the book.  320 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  This middle school graphic novel by a husband-and-wife team explores grief and sibling rivalry sympathetically.  The artwork cleverly helps tell the story with color-coded boxes showing each girl’s thoughts and blue pages to indicate flashback scenes.  A page from their father’s fencing manual begins each chapter, with the fencing information reflecting what’s going on in the story.

Cons:  Although I appreciated the fencing manual chapter openings, I found myself skipping them after the first few chapters.

Published by Little, Brown Ink

Summary:  Charlie’s lived all over the world as a military kid, but now that her dad’s retired, the family’s settled down in her parents’ old hometown.  It’s tough starting middle school three weeks late, but Charlie’s determined to fit in by studying fashion websites and magazines to perfect her clothes and hair.  A catastrophe the first day of school ruins her hairdo but gets her a new group of friends who call themselves Curlfriends after the curly hair they all have.  Although she likes the girls, Charlie’s afraid that they won’t like her if she shows them her real personality.  A series of mishaps finally shows her that being herself is best, and after letting down her guard, the Curlfriends are closer than ever.  288 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Fans of middle school graphic novels will love this family and friendship story that gracefully delivers a be yourself message and shows readers that you can start over any time.  I’m happy to see this billed as book 1 on Amazon, as it has the feeling of a successful series starter.

Cons:  I was starting to lose patience with Charlie.  She’s lucky she has such understanding parents and friends.

Published by Versify

Summary:  Bailey, Sophia, and Jayden run a successful slime shop called BSJ.  What they don’t know is that when they leave the kitchen, their slimes have a life of their own.  Those slimes have been noticing that other slimes are being shipped off to unknown destinations, and they’re determined to stay in their home.  Adding another complication is Boris, a green slime who’s always been grumpy, but has suddenly gotten worse, transforming innocent slimes into his zombie minions.  When Bailey’s off for a weekend at her dad’s house, a few of the slimes stow away in her backpack, determined to get some answers from the Original Slime, who’s rumored to live in Bailey’s dad’s garage.  The action shifts between their adventures on the road and the battle continuing to unfold back at home as the slimes get some answers and learn some important lessons about themselves in the process.  Includes slime recipes and a cast of characters guide.  208 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  I wasn’t sure I would enjoy a graphic novel featuring a bunch of slime characters, but it turned out to be unexpectedly charming and cute with a satisfying storyline.  Kids will undoubtedly enjoy heading over to Karina Garcia’s slime-based YouTube channel after reading this.

Cons:  I struggled a little to keep the slimes straight and would have appreciated the cast of characters at the beginning instead of at the end.

Published by Little, Brown Ink

Summary:  Julianna’s heading home from a 4-H meeting near her home in rural Oregon when she runs into her ex-friend Carson with a group of boys bragging about some fireworks they have.  She tells them not to set them off due to the fire warnings in the area, but they ignore her.  Later, she and her family face a sudden evacuation from their home when wildfires sweep into the area.  They escape with their pet cat and goats, but their home is destroyed.  Weeks later, they’re starting over in Portland, Julianna starting eighth grade at a new school.  She finds new friends through an environmental club but is dismayed when Carson shows up.  As she and her family work through their anger and grief about all that they’ve lost, she begins to talk to Carson and discovers his guilt and shame about his role in the fire.  While she can’t bring herself to call him a friend, she’s able to understand and forgive him for what happened that day and to figure out a way to make a difference in a scary and uncertain world.  Includes an author’s note about her own experiences with Oregon wildfires and climate change and a list of additional resources.  288 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  An excellent graphic novel that deals with issues that are unfortunately timely and shows the emotions that go with facing the destruction of climate change.  Julianna and Carson have a lot to deal with, and Carson is portrayed sympathetically despite his disastrous choice.

Cons:  I started to get a bit frustrated with Julianna’s parents who seemed slow to recognize how devastating an experience this was for her.

Published by First Second

Summary:  Pakistani American twins Zara and Zeesh are constantly fighting, despite sharing scientific passions, Zara for animals and Zeesh for astronomy.  When their parents take them to Key West for a medical conference where their doctor mother will be honored, the two bicker the entire way down.  Exasperated, their parents take away their phones, telling them that they must spend some time together.  Without the distractions of technology, the two eventually find and help rescue a stranded loggerhead sea turtle.  Woven into the main story are incidents of prejudice and racism, including flashback scenes showing Zara’s decision to start wearing hijab, and the bullying that led to Zeesh’s quitting the space club.  224 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  This graphic novel seamlessly incorporates the experience of being Muslim and Pakistani American into a universal tale of sibling rivalry and devotion that many readers will connect with.

Cons:  When Zeesh gets annoyed at people always asking where he’s from (he was born in the US), both his dad and later, the white vet dismiss his feelings.