(2) 4-6 Scout is not a band kid...she's a fangirl. This graphic novel celebrates the lengths to which eighth grader Scout goes to meet her idol, Pristine Wong, creator of a beloved (fictional) book series about a magical girl. When Scout learns that her school band will be performing at ­Almontefest--where Wong is doing a signing--she enthusiastically seizes the opportunity to scam her way into the trombone section. The only other trombone player, Merrin, a type-A overachiever, is thrilled to have her company, until Scout's utter lack of musical knowledge becomes apparent. The two eventually find common ground and discover that each girl's strengths complement the other's vulnerabilities. New ­characters are introduced with a stat box that lists their pronouns and ranks personality traits (e.g., Merrin's "Dexterity, Intelligence, Charisma") from Scout's perspective on a scale of one to four stars. Additionally, Armstrong's cartoony art style and focus on expressions and interactions help animate the characters. While this graphic novel will immediately entice nerdy fans of all stripes, Scout's development models a nuanced, supported approach to goal-setting that will resonate with many middle-school ­readers. Back matter includes details and reference drawings for Armstrong's characters, and sixteen four-panel black-and-white mini comics.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) 4-6 PAWS series. Illustrated by Michele Assarasakorn. This lively graphic novel set in Vancouver, Canada, tracks friendship ups and downs along with a shared animal obsession. Gabby is the youngest member of her friend triad, which also includes all-star athlete Priya and stylish cool-girl Mindy. The girls all have big personalities and are desperate to interact with any kind of animal--but Gabby's dad is a neat freak, Priya's mom is allergic to pets, and Mindy's landlord doesn't allow canine or feline tenants. When a serendipitous dog-walking opportunity falls into their lap, they turn their good luck into a business: PAWS (Pretty Awesome WalkerS). While it's easy to love animals in cute online videos, the three friends learn the hard way that running a business while dealing with actual animals isn't everything they thought it would be. Fairbairn and Assarasakorn have both worked for DC and Marvel, so traditional serialized superhero comics inform their combined writing and art style: thick black lines border the panels, the fonts are referential and nostalgic, and the exposition fits neatly inside boxes at the top of panels. The bouncy, rounded art offsets the text's slight overemphasis on telling, and inclusion of visual background info about the three friends' families makes the characters feel bouncy and rounded, too. Animal lovers, burgeoning entrepreneurs, and fans of friendship sagas should look forward to planned future installments.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) YA Illustrated by Sara Alfageeh. Set in an alternate-history version of the Middle East/North Africa region, this sweeping graphic novel begins as a thrilling quest for glory and becomes an artful revelation of the destructive cost of imperialist power. In a conquered territory of the fictional Bayt-Sajji empire, Aiza spends her days peddling apricots while weathering taunts and threats because she is Ornu, a non-citizen. When a recruitment announcement tantalizes Aiza with promises of a path to full citizenship and a chance at glorious heroism, she convinces her parents, conceals her Ornu tattoos, and commences her enlistment journey. New friendships with other squire hopefuls make the relentless and intense training bearable, and late-night practice sessions with the combat-savvy cook help her improve after she fails her first squire examination. Everything changes during one climactic excursion on the border of an Ornu village, however, and Aiza must decide whether to pursue her dream of becoming a squire, thus upholding the fabricated histories of the empire, or to make a much greater, and graver, stand for justice. Alfageeh's light line work, desert-hued color palette, and inspired use of Islamic patterns and architecture in her compositions transport readers into the action. With its high stakes and robust characters, Squire feels like a new take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, minus the magic.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) 4-6 In a graphic novel with broad appeal set in Indonesia, wheelchair user Jordan remains the captain of the Kahawaii Multicultural School basketball team after an accident two years ago but is no longer permitted to play because the league does not allow mobility devices. One day when she is feeling particularly discouraged, Jordan finds an injured baby white elephant at a nearby playground, brings him home, and befriends the dejected pachyderm, whom she names Marshmallow. This new friend helps her discover water polo, a sport she can play for her school--but she has to sacrifice basketball. While the story includes light fantasy elements--the anthropomorphized Marshmallow is loosely based on Airavata, a Hindu god of clouds and rain--there are no magical solutions for Jordan. Though she is an exceptional athlete, she must work diligently to master her new sport even as it causes friendship fallouts and other tween turbulence. From the first page, author-illustrator Chau's background in animation is clear: her soft and saturated watercolors immediately situate readers in the story's setting and close-knit community, with little text. Clever compositions and notable lack of motion lines give readers what only the pause button can: perfect suspensions of climactic sports action. Extensive back matter includes facts about Indonesia and its regional foods, an author's note, a glossary of Indonesian words, and more.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) YA In this graphic novel, Megan and Cass's families have always summered together at a cottage in Topinabee, Michigan, where the girls spend their time collaborating on art projects, to their parents' occasional consternation (those are rental cottage walls they're drawing on). When they are thirteen, Cass's parents divorce, and the joint family vacations and the girls' artistic partnership cease. Four years later, Megan has convinced her parents to let her stay with Cass and her mom in Brooklyn for a few weeks. In NYC, surrounded by Cass's artist friends and mentors, Megan steps out of her comfort zone and begins to pursue art on her own terms, without her father's rules and expectations for the future. Crilley's art style would feel at home in a Disney animated film: Megan and Cass have the large eyes and soft, rounded edges of an Elsa or a Rapunzel, and Crilley renders their facial expressions with exaggeratedly effective detail. While the character tropes are plentiful--the small-town girl with a big dream and strict parents; the experienced teen wunderkind; an eccentric girl gang of artists; the wealthy lady patron--there are idiosyncrasies and heart aplenty, and many teens will appreciate the tidy ending, which heralds a new beginning for both Megan and Cass's friendship and their respective art careers. An enjoyable coming-of-artistic-age tale for graphic novel enthusiasts.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau & Lark Pien. Here is a graphic novel adaptation of Holm's 2011 Newbery Honor Book of the same title (rev. 5/10). Turtle arrives in Key West to stay with her aunt and cousins after her mother gets a housekeeping job for a wealthy woman who cannot tolerate children. Because the United States is in the midst of the Great Depression, work is scarce, but Turtle's cousin Beans leads the Diaper Gang, a cheeky group of preteens who cares for babies and their irritated bums with its exclusive formula for fighting diaper rash. Turtle never experiences a dull moment with this crew, and they initiate a variety of mostly harmless antics. Holm's (Sunny Side Up, rev. 9/15, and sequels) novel lends itself easily to a graphic format: its short chapters translate well into paneled illustrations, and the great bits of fun in the novel now get full-color treatment (highlights being big ocean adventures and tick-tocking––a naughty prank). Ganucheau shines when drawing the tropical scenery and setting of the Florida Keys, and colorist Pien catches the eye with soft pastels and skillful mood-setting. The titular paradise is not always sunny, but all visual efforts reinforce the brightness and buoyancy of this idiosyncratic place.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(1) YA In this graphic novel, thirteen-year-old Mei Hao shares her homemade pies and homespun tales about the eponymous Auntie Po (a Chinese Paul Bunyan–type figure of Mei's own creation) with her white best friend Beatrice Andersen and many other eager listeners at Mr. Andersen's 1885 Sierra Nevada logging camp. Mei works hard to help her father cook for the camp's lumberjacks, plus separate meals for the Chinese workers, who aren't given board or allowed to eat with the others. But she dreams of a day when she and Bee can open a hybrid bookstore–pie shop together, even as she realizes that dream--and her unrequited love for Bee--may well be impossible. While Khor's pencils are digital, the rawness and unpredictability of their hand-painted watercolors complement Mei's fluctuating emotions and the harsh life at the camp, where incidents of racism and logging accidents can occur, both devastating. Khor frequently uses the whole page for their illustrations and works outside of panels, techniques that aptly enhance the historical and mythic scope of the ­narrative and that ultimately affirm Mei as the author of her own ­destiny. A multifaceted addition to the historical graphic novel genre, this unique bildungsroman successfully presents many formidable topics with intentional and comprehensive grace.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) 4-6 Lai's finger is always precisely on the pulse of kid humor (see Pie in the Sky, rev. 7/19; Fly on the Wall, rev. 9/20), and she provides laughs galore in this graphic novel. Joanna "Jo" Lin just wants to escape her house, where she feels the absence of her dad (who works overseas) and acutely notices the presence of her vexing siblings. One Saturday, she follows an extremely capable dog running errands downtown. A class of art students immediately mistakes Jo for the owner, and they convince her to bring the pooch (whom Jo, inspired by the curriculum, dubs "Pawcasso") each Saturday to model for the group. What begins as a weekly art class grows into genuine friendships, and the mystery of Pawcasso's true owner unfolds in layers, encompassing an ­off-leash petition that polarizes the town and provides a B-plot family drama. Lai excels at visually and verbally conveying Jo's anxieties through humorous and resonant gags. A strong reliance on black ink outlines will remind older audiences of classic syndicated comics by Bil Keane or Patrick McDonnell, while Lai's expert attention to angles and perspective makes even small moments cinematic for younger eyes. Move over, Jeff Kinney!

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(1) YA Illustrated by Rebecca Mock. In this third graphic novel collaboration between Larson and Mock (Compass South, rev. 7/16; Knife's Edge), what begins as a twentieth-century family drama quickly uncoils into a much more sinister--and spellbinding--modern fairy tale. Vonceil Taggert is the youngest of five siblings and the most adventuresome of the lot. So when her eldest brother, Elber, returns to Oklahoma after his service in WWI and immediately marries his longtime sweetheart, it's a disappointment to Vonceil, who'd had higher hopes for her favorite sibling. The nuptials also vex the stylish and enigmatic Greda, a Frenchwoman who claims to be Elber's ex-love and whose bruised pride causes her to curse the Taggert farm's spring to run with only salt water--a death sentence given the current drought. Vonceil pledges to restore their water and, with the help of an unlikely accomplice, discovers secrets about Greda that will affect the Taggert family forever. In Mock's skillful art, each panel glints with sharp, precise color work and expert shadow play, highlighting the cruel, dark side of Larson's world--a satisfying blend of the mythical and the historical that will enthrall graphic-novel lovers.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) 4-6 In this vivid graphic novel, adventurous thirteen-year-old Iris believes that she has explored every last corner of her small hometown with her best friend, the trepidatious Sam. She acutely feels Bugden's limitations and how they hinder her boundless ambitions. After a fight with her mom, Iris camps out at the river, her place of solace and possibility. Sam finds her in the morning, peering down at the strangely dried-up riverbed. Iris ropes Sam into exploring the riverbed, which soon leads them to the dripping remnants of a once-submerged town. The more Iris investigates, the more she realizes how cautious (and complacent) Sam has become, and this frustration culminates in an outburst that separates the two friends just as the first traces of true danger appear. A skilled animation artist, Pamment balances his plentiful and cinematic sequential storytelling with bright, personality-building dialogue to create a cohesive and immersive narrative in both art and text. Detailed visual motifs and many potent sound effects handily extend the narrative beyond the page and activate readers' senses. Hand this mesmerizing tale about hidden histories and friendship growth spurts to cautious and intrepid young explorers alike.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Andrea Bell. Eager to become an investigative reporter, tenacious twelve-year-old Ruthie begins an examination into polluted water at Particular Lake in her hometown of Twin Oaks. Her inquiry starts bumpily: her research is ­well-intentioned but incomprehensive, and she manages to ruffle a few feathers with her vigorous pursuit of the truth. With the mentorship of her older brother's girlfriend, who interns at the New York Times, and additional assistance from her science teacher, who teaches Ruthie's class about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, Ruthie quickly learns that her sleuthing must be watertight to stand up to the ­corporate corruption she uncovers. Given its dedication (to "the people of Flint") and its biracial protagonist, readers might have expected this graphic novel to include deeper discussions of racial inequities in water advocacy, but the narrative does present a detailed, dedicated focus on the proper way to conduct an investigation to hold wrongdoers accountable. Bell's rounded, colorful art style feels modern and accessible to digitally savvy readers; it reminds them that Ruthie is still a kid and still learning, especially when she makes her more embarrassing mistakes. A refreshing addition to the contemporary graphic novel landscape for middle-graders and middle-schoolers.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Stephanie Yue. Color by Braden Lamb. To join her two best friends at a pricey sleepaway camp outside of the city, plucky Katie, star of this entertaining graphic novel, puts up a flyer in her apartment building to advertise her entrepreneurial talents and earn some quick cash. Unfortunately, Katie is no match for spry Mr. Quinn, who can carry his own groceries up the stairs, or Mrs. Bell's plants, which require complicated watering instructions. Katie finds her perfect job cat-sitting for Ms. Madeline Lang, who has somehow kept her 217 felines a total secret from the building's snoopy super. These not-so-average cats have varied, impressive skills and intellects that they use to test Katie, so much so that she starts to suspect Ms. Lang might just be a supervillain...but things aren't that simple. Yue's drawing style will remind readers of Raina Telgemeier's work (most recently Guts, rev. 9/19), and the occasional departures from standard paneling keep the visuals feeling fresh. Venable includes a cast of supportive adults who provide Katie with scaffolding to grow out of old friends and into new hobbies that complement her love of animals. This enjoyable book (for which a sequel is promised) will pique the interest of readers who like their masked heroes with a penchant for animal activism.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Ann Xu & Sunmi. In this encouraging--and nourishing--graphic novel, twelve-year-old Cici's family moves to Seattle from Taiwan, taking her away from her beloved A-má, who has always nurtured Cici's interest in cooking. After starting at a new school and feeling lonely--despite some well-meaning but culturally clueless new friends--Cici enters a cooking competition for the prize money: she wants to buy A-má a plane ticket to Seattle for her seventieth birthday. Her competition partner dismisses Cici's Taiwanese culinary expertise in favor of her own knowledge of Italian cuisine, but she comes to appreciate Cici's kitchen prowess, and they bond outside of the competition. The narration occasionally sounds stilted ("That drummer sure can jam") but becomes more natural as our protagonist grows more self-assured. Chapter-heading decorations slowly bloom into fully formed cherry blossoms, gently symbolizing Cici's development and newfound confidence and also hinting at an imminent reunion with her A-má. Simple line art and minimal backgrounds are enlivened through expert coloring by Xu and Sunmi. The warmest images appear when Cici creates her dishes for the competition and deeply connects with friends and family.

Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021