Meesh the Bad Demon

by Liz | Aug 21, 2024

In Volume One, we are introduced to Meesh, a demon who loves fairy things. Unfortunately, this is unacceptable in demon society, which is kept separate from fairy society, and leads to Meesh being bullied by her classmates and teachers. When Meesh discovers that the lava her people tend has been corrupted and turns all her neighbors and her grandmother into stone statues, she musters the courage to find help.

She wants to ask Princess Nouna to use her magic ruby to save the demons, but after Meesh finds a way into Plumeria City, she discovers that fairies don’t like demons and is banished by the fairy queen, accidentally taking Princess Nouna with her. As they try to find their way back, they meet up with Chai (a werewolf) and Xavier (Meesh’s bully from school). The four of them discover that they’re not so different and that when they work together, they can do awesome things.

In the Volume Two, Meesh, and her friends, must save Chai’s family from the mysterious villain that poisoned the lava in volume one. When Chai’s temporary home is destroyed just like her family’s first home, Chai is separated from her family and accepts the aid of Meesh, Nouna, and Xavier. While trying to find the perpetrators, Nouna and Meesh discover the existence of fairy demons, which had disappeared long ago. Xavier and Chai examine what it means to be part of a team, not everyone gets to be the leader. A team’s support people are just as important. A lesson that the adults are learning in parallel.

What started out as a fun fantasy adventure for middle grade readers, developed into a much deeper exploration of belonging and teamwork. This duology presents a complete story, and I highly recommend that every library with a collection for middle grade readers add this series immediately (school, public, or personal). It does not feature LGBTQ+ characters, which are being heavily challenged right now, but does address racial disparities and misperceptions in a way that is easily accessible to the target audience. Parents will have plenty to discuss when doing a read-along, which I also highly recommend.

The illustrations worked great to support the storytelling. Light and dark were used to convey the differences between the fairies and the demons in volume one. In volume two, earthy colors were used for the city where all types of creatures lived together. Pale or pastel colors were used during emotional conversations to not distract from the speech bubbles. Black speech bubbles with white text were used when someone talked about historical events portrayed in the illustrations. Bright colors were used during high action scenes to help draw the reader’s eyes through the motions. I particularly liked that no single color was relegated to a particular race of creatures or gender. For a new voice in graphic novels, this author hit a home run.

Meesh the Bad Demon
By Michelle Lam
Knopf, 2023
ISBN: 9780593372869

Publisher Age Rating: 8-12

NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Creator Representation:  Chinese-American,