(1) YA Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. In this unique and engaging graphic novel, Vietnamese American high schooler Valentina Tran has always loved giving handmade cards to her widower father and classmates on her namesake holiday. She is assisted by her "best imaginary friend," Saint V (for Valentine), initially shown in the illustrations as a classic winged baby surrounded by cartoon hearts. This year her spirits are crushed when her dad storms off, and a classmate, Jae, trashes her card. Worse, Grandma reveals that Valentina's father lied about her mother's supposed death and, later, that their entire family is romantically cursed. Valentina despairs until she meets two cute lion dancers at a Tt (Lunar New Year) celebration and dates one of them (who happens to be Jae's cousin). Is the relationship real? Or will Valentina give her heart to Saint Valentine to be safe from the pain of love? Yang (Dragon Hoops, rev. 5/20) and Pham (Friends Forever, rev. 9/21) do a wonderful job of weaving fractured families and romantic yearning with fantasy elements that show emotional states and growth as well as plenty of humor throughout. Pham's digital illustrations adeptly mix realistic scenes with celestial animals and ghosts. Her gorgeous, kinetic depictions of Chinese and Korean lion dancers are joyful, and the section in which Valentina first learns about Tt and meets her love interest is especially vibrant.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(1) YA Color by Lark Pien. Art assists by Rianne Meyers and Kolbe Yang. "I'm just not a sports kind of guy," begins Yang in this comics-format offering that brilliantly combines journalism, memoir, and sports history. Yang, who taught math at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California, during the events of the book, provides readers with an inside look at the school's elite basketball team's season as it attempted to win the California State Championship in 2015. Weaving the details of that team's efforts with a primer on the history of basketball, Yang skillfully juggles the stories of multiple players and coaches as well as his own journey from basketball novice to avid fan. In the appended notes, Yang explains his art and narrative choices chapter-by-chapter with page and panel notations, from the sneakers and the hairstyles of the individual players to times when certain conversations happened differently than depicted. While the action on the court is absolutely transfixing (with page layouts often using trapezoid-shaped panels whose diagonal lines amp up the dynamism), the story shines just as brightly off the court when Yang's focus shifts to his own dilemmas and profound insights regarding art and storytelling. Single-season reportage is a popular subgenre of sports writing in the adult publishing world (try In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle for a basketball classic), and here is a perfect entryway into this form for teen readers. A bibliography is also appended.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

(3) 4-6 In Potions, Hopper, Eni, and Josh continue to battle evil Professor One-Zero--now wielding a mind-altering poison--with coding, which receptive readers can use to solve puzzles along with the characters. Series-ending Monsters has the trio visiting the polygon-ruled Flatland dimension as they and readers learn to create modules, or subprograms, for an epic showdown with One-Zero. As usual, stylish graphic-novel storytelling propels the clever plots and elucidates coding concepts. Review covers these titles: Secret Coders: Monsters & Modules and Secret Coders: Potions & Parameters.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) 4-6 In Potions, Hopper, Eni, and Josh continue to battle evil Professor One-Zero--now wielding a mind-altering poison--with coding, which receptive readers can use to solve puzzles along with the characters. Series-ending Monsters has the trio visiting the polygon-ruled Flatland dimension as they and readers learn to create modules, or subprograms, for an epic showdown with One-Zero. As usual, stylish graphic-novel storytelling propels the clever plots and elucidates coding concepts. Review covers these titles: Secret Coders: Monsters & Modules and Secret Coders: Potions & Parameters.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) 4-6 The graphic novel series continues without preamble. The secret coders must use coding principles to overcome former Bee School student turned misguided do-gooder, Dr. One-Zero. Challenges presented build on skills from earlier episodes; this third book, with its clean comics style, creatively packages programming lessons within a story line that engages returning readers.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) 4-6 The ongoing story and interactive lessons resume in this fourth entry. Hopper, Eni, and Josh continue to use coding skills--and now Professor Bee's triangular Turtle of Light--to combat the evil principal, Dr. One-Zero, whose new plan involves having students produce dangerous "Green Pop." Readers engaged with the series arc will enjoy the graphic novel's easy-to-follow visuals, solvable puzzles, and growing mystery.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(2) 4-6 Stately Academy looks more like a haunted house than a school--at least to twelve-year-old newcomer and narrator Hopper. But she finds a like-minded ally in basketball star Eni. Nosing around campus, the two find programmable robots and pages of code. This graphic novel is an inspired mash-up of computer science and mystery, thanks in part to well-thought-out explanations and, more importantly, visuals.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(2) YA Illustrated by Sonny Liew. Lettering by Janice Chiang. Yang and Liew have crafted an origin story for the Green Turtle, a little-known World War II–era comic superhero who was "perhaps...the first Asian American superhero." Teenaged Hank wants a quiet life, but his mother wants her son to be a superhero. Yang and Liew keep the superhero-in-training trope fresh with abundant humor, strong characters, and cracking good action.

Reviewer: Sam Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2014

(1) YA Color by Lark Pien. Yang presents a "diptych" of graphic novels set during China's Boxer Rebellion. Boxers follows Little Bao, who learns to harness the power of ancient gods to fight the spread of Christianity; Saints centers on Four-Girl, who sits squarely on the other side of the rebellion. Yang's characteristic infusions of magical realism, bursts of humor, and distinctively drawn characters make for a compelling read. Review covers these titles: Boxers and Saints.

Reviewer: Sam Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(1) YA Color by Lark Pien. Yang presents a "diptych" of graphic novels set during China's Boxer Rebellion. Boxers follows Little Bao, who learns to harness the power of ancient gods to fight the spread of Christianity; Saints centers on Four-Girl, who sits squarely on the other side of the rebellion. Yang's characteristic infusions of magical realism, bursts of humor, and distinctively drawn characters make for a compelling read. Review covers these titles: Boxers and Saints.

Reviewer: Sam Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(3) YA Illustrated by Thien Pham. Yang (American Born Chinese) returns to familiar territory in this graphic novel about an Asian American college student torn between following his own path (video game expert) and his dead father's wishes (gastroenterologist). Pham's unfussy art (markedly different from Yang's own illustration style) provides a freshness that complements both the story's serious and humorous moments.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt

(1) YA Illustrated by Derek Kirk Kim. In three graphic novellas, Yang and Kim explore the lure of dreams--and the power of waking up. Yang's main characters include a lowly monk ("Duncan's Kingdom"), frog Gran'pa Greenbax ("The Eternal Smile"), and oppressed office worker Janet Oh ("Urgent Request"); Kim's varied illustrations give each tale a different mood. It's an optimistic volume, with big questions growing out of superbly inventive storytelling.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2009