Eowulf: Of Monsters & Middle School
Eowulf Wegmund is a regular middle school kid—she has a fun and supportive friend group, a loving family, and 
does her best every day. If her name rings any bells, it might be because she is, in fact, a direct descendent of the legendary Geatish warrior Beowulf. And like her ancestor, Eowulf is committed to dimension-bending battle against monsters and creatures of all kinds!
But, after returning from a summer vacation’s worth of magical adventures fighting monsters just to end up back to the middle school same ol’ same ol’ is proving to bit difficult to adjust to for Eowulf. She has brought back a little bit of her other dimension combat mentality to her mundane middle school existence. It’s just as well since her classmate, Amadeus Hornburg, might have some evil plans up his sleeve.
.… or does he? Eowulf returns to find her friends aren’t quite who she thought they were, her family is keeping secrets, her ordinary world is under magical threat, and that she isn’t as sure of herself as she once was.
This story is set in the Nico Bravo universe (but is not necessarily a part of that series), which is something to be considered if purchasing. There are definitely instances where some additional context is needed—Eowulf’s narration to the audience will occasionally yield a “I’ll explain later” with no other explanation that I could find—there are certain elements that connect to the larger comic book universe of Nico Bravo. But, that likely won’t be a make-or-break deal for Eowulf. This is certainly not a narrative that needs to be picked apart. It’s a fun, colorful brawl that unites friends and enemies alike! The art is simple and relies on color to establish hierarchy, instead of character size or render completion. The pallet is bright, the colors and shading are flat.
The narrative is mostly direct exposition, which might be the way to go for this target age group, but there is an overarching story about perspective-taking, relating to others, and the harms of judgment that will be pretty easy to understand for most readers. The adventure is almost non-stop, especially towards the latter half of the book. Readers need not worry about gore or blood or anything shocking; this title is exciting, and colorful! Just sit back and enjoy the slay ride! If you’re a fan of Adventure Time, Hilda, and other monster-slaying (or befriending) items, you’re going to love Eowulf!
Eowulf: Of Monsters & Middle School
By Mike Cavallaro
MacMillan First Second, 2024
ISBN: 9781250846440
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
