I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn Realistic Fiction Romance * * * * Stars (Great!) Kimi Nakamura has been accepted to a prestigious art school for college, but is having second thoughts about a career as an artist/painter. When her mother finds out she’s dropped her senior painting class, she’s very disappointed and after a few terse interchanges, Kimi accepts an invitation from her estranged grandparents and flies all the way around the … Read more
Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Petula blames herself for the death of her younger sister, Maxine. Since she died Petula has become an anxious, germophobic, pessimist who tries to protect herself from the bad stuff by being prepared and expecting the worst. She’s alienated her former friends and seems destined to live out her days in solitary misery. Then Jacob Cohen walks into her life. He’s … Read more
Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker Fantasy Graphic Novel LGBTQ Romance * * * * Stars (Great!) Nova Huang is a young witch who is reunited with her childhood friend Tam Lang (pronouns: they, them), a young werewolf, when Tam returns to town in pursuit of a demon that can only be destroyed by her wolf magic. Nova’s grandmothers are able to temporarily bind the demon while Nova and Tam work out how to … Read more
Wayward Son Simon Snow #2 by Rainbow Rowell Fantasy Romance * * Stars (Just ok) After defeating the Humdrum in “Carry On,” Simon Snow and his friends have to adjust to normal life – one where magical dangers don’t lurk around every corner. Penny and Baz are handling the transition well, but Simon, who has lost his magic (but gained large leathery wings and a tail), has spent months on the couch in a severe … Read more
Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles into Comics by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost Adventure Fantasy Funny Graphic Novel Nonfiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) This is my new favorite DIY guide to writing comics. A snarky Magic Cartooning Elf encourages a not-so-artistic princess to follow her dreams and make a comic book of her own, along the way offering helpful suggestions and tips about design and storytelling. The … Read more
Sunny Rolls the Dice Sunny #3 by Jennifer Holm & Matthew Holm Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Sunny is settling into middle school and discovering that she and her best friend Deb are starting to develop different interests. Deb is super into fashion, boys, and being cool (or rather, “groovy”). Sunny, on the other hand, wants to play D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) with some other friends. For awhile, Sunny is … Read more
Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules Delilah Dirk #3 by Tony Cliff Adventure Graphic Novel Historical Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Delilah and Selim take a break from their exploits when they meet a Dutch journalist who talks them into undertaking a treasure hunting expedition. Unbeknownst to them (at least initially) he’s sending copy of their adventures back to his editors, and the stories are appearing in a number of newspapers. This … Read more
The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner Fantasy Graphic Novel Historical Fiction Supernatural Tween * * * * Stars (Great!) Moth discovers that she’s a real, honest-to-goodness witch with witch powers – a fact that her mother has been keeping from her ALL her life. When mom won’t divulge any additional details and refuses to teach Moth how to master her powers, Moth takes matters into her own hands. (Well, she has the help of Mr. … Read more
Just Jaime by Terri Libenson Graphic Novel Illustrated Fiction Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) It’s the last day of seventh grade and Jaime should be celebrating, but she’s got something on her mind. It has to do with the way her group of friends has been treating her all year – cutting her down, leaving her out, teasing her, and ignoring her. She decides to confront her best friend, Maya, and find … Read more
Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Priyanka is full of questions for her mother, who emigrated to America just before Pri was born. She wants to know more about India (the country her mother left), her father (her mother won’t talk about him at all), and her family. There are reasons her mother won’t talk about these things, but those are hidden from Pri as well. Then … Read more