Rinn lives in a village that subsists on mountain plants and the tea of the village’s tea dragons. While foraging, she meets Aedhan, a young dragon who was asleep for eighty years! Rinn’s uncle Erik and his companion Hezekiel try to solve the mystery of Aedhan’s sleep while the village prepares for their tea dragon festival. Rinn and her fellow villagers hatch a plan to help the newly awakened dragon adjust to his new life.
The Tea Dragon Festival is a sweet story about finding your place, and O’Neill weaves Rinn and Aedhan’s challenges together—with a dash of mystery for flavor—to make a sweet and thoughtful narrative. While Aedhan struggles with his guilt and loss, Rinn tries to figure out how she can best contribute to her village. Although there are serious topics covered, Rinn and Aedhan’s friendship and support for one another keep the story balanced and sweet.
One particular strength is the kindness the characters show to one another throughout the whole book. Rinn and Aedhan also receive a lot of support and validation from the other characters and return the gift. For instance, Aedhan helps with the festival preparations, and Rinn and the other villagers use sign language to communicate with the village cook who does not communicate orally.
O’Neill’s colorful, loose paintings effectively capture the tea dragon world; O’Neill has a knack for setting the scene with well-rendered scenery shots before moving into panels that effectively tell the story. The tea dragons, tiny stuffed animal sized dragons, are absolutely adorable, and O’Neill captures the mannerisms of the dragons and the other characters very well. Additionally, the human cast is portrayed in a wide variety of hues, and O’Neill’s brightly colored illustrations of them living and laughing together contribute to the light mood.
The Tea Dragon Festival is a sweet, charming fantasy story that should hold wide appeal. Oni Press sets the age range at children/middle grade, but teen and adult readers who want a light fantasy story should also enjoy it. Fans of The Tea Dragon Society will be excited to see the further development of the world and its dragons, as well as the appearance of Erik and Hesekiel, who are featured in that title. That being said, The Tea Dragon Festival stands on its own, and readers wouldn’t need to read The Tea Dragon Society first to appreciate it (although they should totally read it at some point!). Readers are also able to learn further details about the dragons in the glossary. Librarians whose patrons have loved O’Neill’s previous work will want to make sure to have this one on their shelves.
The Tea Dragon Festival By Katie O’Neill Art by Sinistmer ISBN: 9781620106556 Oni Press, 2019 Publisher Age Rating: 5-11
It’s a terrible thing to pick up a book knowing it’s going to make you cry. If you have pets and you care deeply for them, you might want to bring your tissues.
A Book for Sad Pets is told from your pet’s perspective. It’s about being a guardian and a parent to all our small friends, whether they are cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, or other critters. It’s a collective monologue and a plea for kindness and understanding. Even though we may laugh at the silly things that they do, pets need our reassurance that they are still pretty and smart and that they didn’t do anything wrong. They need stability and love. It serves as a reminder that a pet’s love is unconditional, that you are their whole world, and that they are not objects to dispose of but living, breathing, loving friends. It’s a sad reminder that their lives are brief (though not quite as brief as the book itself), and that we need to appreciate them and be gentle with them while they are with us.
A Book for Sad Pets is closer to a picture book than a graphic novel—it is told with sparse words and simple but emotionally powerful sentences, invoking both tears and laughter (but mostly tears). The art wonderfully fits the soft, pleading tone of the book. Tipping’s watercolor illustrations are lovely, the colors occasionally spilling out of frames and outlines, creating a gentle and dreamy effect. Her art fully focuses on the pets—in one frame that includes people, the edge of the panel is actually comprised of the outline of the people’s silhouettes, so that they are literally cut out of the scene. This distances the people in the panel from the reader, allowing the reader to effectively empathize with the fear and anxiety of the rabbit in the pet shop display. Blank space is also used very effectively, creating pause and asking the reader to meditate on what they are reading, and to fully absorb the sentiments.
A Book for Sad Pets is appropriate for teaching children about taking care of animals, but also serves as a good reminder for adults as well. It’s perfect for someone who has just brought home a new pet, or for when you are mad at your pet for breaking or chewing on something of yours. It allows you to take a breather, re-contextualize the situation, and remind yourself that their perception of what happened is different, and they likely don’t know that they did anything wrong. It’s a reminder to be kind. After reading this, you will want to hug your pets extra close.
A Book for Sad Pets By Kristin Tipping ISBN: 9781941250341 Uncivilized Books, 2019 Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
Amina is a young Syrian girl who is flung from an overcrowded boat that is carrying refugees. In the water she recalls sepia-toned memories of her family and what prompted her journey without the accompaniment of her family. Her meditations on playing hide-and seek and cooking with her mother are interspersed with scenes of her falling deeper through the water. She recalls her parents going into town and her mother’s last words to her, “Remember Zenobia!” Zenobia was an ancient Syrian queen and a symbol of strength, power, and independence. But Amina’s parents do not return, and her uncle comes to try to take her to safety. They journey through desolate towns destroyed by war, to a fisherman’s boat, where her uncle gives all his money so that Amina may know soon peace. In the water, she drifts to a sanctuary where no soldiers can harm her, finding solace in the strength of Zenobia, but heartbreakingly in the wrong direction.
While the book is fairly short, several artistic techniques are used to slow the reader down and meditate deeply upon the story being told. Words are used sparingly in the book, which features many large panels, evoking a wide expanse of time. Whole minutes could be spent on the two-page spread of Amina stepping outside her door and taking in what she sees—wide columns of black smoke, a destroyed tank, an ominous plane overhead, and not another person in sight. Sometimes a page depicting a single scene will be split into several panels, signifying the fragmentation and loss of that experience, something that can never be experienced as a whole again. Horneman mostly uses flat colors throughout the book, lending a sense of simplicity that seems appropriate for a story being told from a child’s perspective, but does not make the art any less impactful on the reader.
Dürr and Horneman are both Danish, and it is unclear why they were moved to tell this fictional story about a refugee, as no authors’ note accompanies the book. Zenobia reminds me in many ways of Khaled Hosseini’s Sea Prayer, a short and highly visual book that was inspired by three-year-old refugee Alan Kurdi drowning in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015. Similarly, Zenobia works to build empathy for refugees and the risks they have taken for peace, though there is no clear call to action to the reader. In an interview I found quoted online, Dürr responds that he intends for Zenobia to act as, “a few minutes of silence in honor of the victims.” Nonetheless, it stirs in readers a great pain that desires resolution, rather than to sit with this feeling of hopelessness and despair.
Other than the fact that it is utterly heart-wrenching, the content of the book is appropriate for children. Death and war are present, through the depictions of destruction, a few (not graphic) dead bodies pictured among rubble, and as an overwhelming presence overshadowing her story. While the book is told from a young perspective, the publisher markets the book as a story for both children and adults. I would agree that this heavy tale is essential for adult readers in order to humanize the stories that the news depicts of refugees, particularly those that focus only on their tragic journeys and not on their lives as individuals, their memories of home and hopes for the future.
Zenobia By Morten Dürr Art by Lars Horneman ISBN: 9781609808730 Seven Stories Press, 2018
The second volume of the 5 Worlds series, The Cobalt Prince, brings back Oona Lee, An Tzu, and Jax Amboy on their quest to light the beacons and save the Five Worlds from chaos and destruction.
Having successfully fought their way through the invading Toki and lit the first beacon in volume one, The Sand Warrior, Oona and her friends disguise themselves and take off for the other worlds. A series of threats and misunderstandings lead to them abandoning ship early on the moon of Salassandra, where they meet some new friends, and soon make their way to Toki in search of the stolen Queen’s Bones. Oona and her allies must figure out how to stop the evil Mimic from using those bones to regain its full power before it’s too late—and before the Mimic can spread its hatred and hostility across the Five Worlds.
5 Worlds: The Cobalt Prince is an exciting and fun continuation to the comic series. Though the book has a clear arc and resolves many of its major conflicts by the end, it’s by no means a stand-alone book. The Cobalt Prince starts immediately after the end of The Sand Warrior without re-establishing much context or re-telling previous events, so it would be confusing for readers who are not already familiar with the series.
As with the first book, The Cobalt Prince develops its vibrant setting with large conflicts and issues that echo modern real-world problems, such as climate/environmental concerns, bigotry and discrimination, inequality, and corruption. The story also takes the characters through relatable personal issues pertaining to family, identity, illness, and more. This volume spends more time with Oona’s sister, Jessa, giving the reader insight into her decisions, thoughts, and actions during the time she has been missing.
Overall, the world-building is well-done and the characters, both familiar and new, are memorable. The setting blends fantasy and science fiction in a pleasing way. The comic has a lot of heart, and Oona’s adventures are interesting and exciting to follow. Fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender or Hayao Miyazaki films would likely find something to enjoy about this series.
In terms of diversity, I thought this comic was good but could be better. The book spends significant attention on the issue of racism, but in a fictionalized way. In other words, the main racial conflict is between the Toki, who have blue skin, and what seems to be rest of the Five Worlds, who are depicted with a variety of human skin tones. This works and makes sense in a fantasy/sci-fi setting, but is a metaphoric and “safe” way of approaching the very real issue of racism. All too often, issues such as this only get explored through metaphor and never directly, with aliens or supernatural creatures standing in for people of color, in a way that allows readers enough distance that they can avoid engaging with real-life racism and inequality. (There is an excellent breakdown of this problem in this Twitter thread by N.K. Jemisin). I did appreciate the diversity of body types among the characters, and An Tzu’s condition could be seen as some disability representation, though that would be the only depiction of disability in the comic.
I really enjoyed the art of The Cobalt Prince, which reminded me a little bit of Noelle Stevenson’s art. There are lots of soft, round shapes and curved lines, giving things a nice flow. The colors are bright and do much to bring the story to life and to define the characters.
5 Worlds: The Cobalt Prince is a well-done sequel, and the series as a whole is a great addition to a collection. The publisher categorizes the series as middle grade (8-12), and I agree this age range is appropriate, though there is plenty to appeal to older readers, as well. I myself will be looking forward to picking up book 3 when it’s released.
5 Worlds: The Cobalt Prince, Book 2 By Mark Siegel Alexis Siegel Art by Xanthe Bouma Boya Sun Matt Rockefeller ISBN: 9781101935910 Random House, 2018 Publisher Age Rating: 8-12 Series Reading Order
Harriet has just moved to Chicago and her parents are too busy with their new jobs to help her adjust to her new life. Lonely and frustrated, Harriet waits for replies from her camp friends and struggles to get through her summer reading. As she develops a relationship with her elderly neighbor Pearl, Harriet learns to confront her fears and adjust to her new situation.
Sincerely, Harriet is a quiet, tender story featuring a young girl struggling with loneliness and her own burdens. At first glance, the story seems crafted from scenes that don’t fully connect, but a closer reading shows an arc full of love and growth. Although Harriet is passionate about stories and friendship, she often comes across sullen and difficult because she lies in her postcards to camp friends and makes up tall tales about strangers and acquaintances. Because she is frequently seen doing solitary and sedentary pastimes, the story’s pacing can be slow. The character arc is also not straightforward because readers do not immediately understand the cause of Harriet’s behavior. However, Searle sprinkles in little details that hint at Harriet’s inner life and her struggles, and patient and observant readers will be rewarded with a thoughtful and engaging tale.
Searle’s appealing artwork draws in readers. The art brings Harriet and her world to life with colorful illustrations, and Searle excels at conveying Harriet and other characters’ emotions. Additionally, Seale uses the illustrations to reveal little details that clarify some aspects of the story and foreshadow others.
A strength of this work is the sensitive way Searle portrays living with a disability. Searle’s gradually reveals that Harriet has multiple sclerosis. This portrayal is a quiet and sensitive way of handling disability that realistically balances its impact with the fact that multiple sclerosis is only a part of her experience and identity. Searle’s decision does affect the story’s pacing, but this is a way of handling disability that should hold appeal.
Another strength lies in Harriet’s relationships with her parents and her neighbor Pearl. Harriet’s habit of lying puts her at odds with the people in her life, but she is also surrounded by people who care about her. Searle effectively shows the depth of Harriet’s relationship with her parents through their actions toward one another, and she uses Pearl’s discussions of books and her family to build Harriet’s relationship with her elderly neighbor. Harriet’s growing relationship with Pearl is a major catalyst for her character growth; she begins to step back from her usual actions and be more open.
Despite its slow pacing, Sincerely, Harriet is a well-crafted story that will hold appeal for readers looking for a warm coming of age story. Public libraries looking to include more stories about disability in their collections would do well to consider this one. Graphic Universe recommends this work for ages nine to fourteen. The subtle portrayal of certain details and slower pacing probably limits it to mature readers in that age range, yet the quiet, subtle storytelling and illustrations would also appeal to readers older than fourteen.
Sincerely, Harriet By Sarah W. Searle ISBN: 9781541545298 Graphic Universe, 2019 Publisher Age Rating: Grades 4-8 (ages 9-14)
Browse for more like this title Character Traits: Characters Ability, Mexican American, Multiracial
Jorge Ruiz is the type of character the world needs right now. He’s a big, tall, intimidating middle schooler. But he is the definition of a good guy. He has a good group of friends and no one at school really bothers him. Instead, he uses his intimidating appearance to stop bullying when he sees it. The other kids call him sheriff because of this, but Jorge doesn’t mind. He’s just keeping the peace.
The only thing that seems to fluster him is his newfound feelings for his friend Jazmine. Whenever she’s around, he can’t find the right words to say. Jorge is trying to understand what these feelings could mean and if this is his first crush, what is he supposed to do?
Svetlana Chmakova could have just stopped there and Crush would still be a sweet graphic novel about a middle schooler’s first steps into dating. But Crush goes so much further and touches on some timely topics that haven’t really been discussed or shown in juvenile literature before.
As Jorge is sorting out his relationship with Jazmine, the other boys in school (mostly the basketball team) are acting completely different. As the head of the athletic department lectures about body autonomy and having a no tolerance policy, the boys snicker. They make jokes about invading girls’ personal space and even go so far as push against girls after the lecture. They continue with this kind of behavior throughout the book. For example, the popular guy in school gets mad when the popular girl cuts her hair, the basketball team says rude things about the girls online, and in general they act in misogynist and sexist ways. Through it all, Jorge stands up for the girls. He refuses to spend time with any of the basketball team, even when one of this best friends joins in with them. He is not peer pressured into behaving that way, and stays true to his kind, compassionate, and loyal self. It is unusual to see an emotionally vulnerable male character like Jorge, and I loved it.
Crush is a refreshing book. It will draw in tweens and teens with the promise of a sweet, chaste romance, but then it shows them a diverse cast of characters doing what is right and not accepting the horrid behavior of other people. It also shows forgiveness and how to right your wrongs. I really loved this book and think it is a needed addition to middle school and YA collections. Definitely the best book in an already strong series by Svetlana Chmakova.
Berrybrook Middle School, vol. 3: Crush by Svetlana Chmakova ISBN: 9780316363242 Yen Press, 2018 Publisher Age Rating: 10-14
Complexity and simplicity seem at odds with each other, but David Jesus Vignolli seamlessly weaves together complex themes with simple, expressive art to create a charming and thoughtful story in his debut graphic novel, A Girl in the Himalayas.
The story opens with young Vijaya’s house in flames, and she flees her home alone, wandering into the snow of the Himalayas. When she collapses, Prasad, a supernatural being, sees her and decides to give up his immortality to preserve her life. Prasad takes her to the Sanctuary, a place he and another immortal, Vasu, have created as a shelter from humanity. Prasad and Vasu introduce Vijaya to the Elementals who travel to the Sanctuary to recover from the choking “Illusion” of humanity that threatens to kill them. While Vijaya is quick to befriend a group of Elementals, not all of them are pleased by her presence in the Sanctuary. After all, she is a human, and humans are the source of the Illusion. She must prove to herself and to the Sanctuary that not all humans are ruled by Illusion and that she can honor the values of the Earth and the Elementals.
The novel is in part reminiscent of the mythology of ancient religions. Vignolli incorporates the Indian concepts of maya (Illusion) and yoga to describe energies at war with each other, addressing the heights of humanity found in the innocence and curiosity of a child, versus the depths displayed by the greed and cruelty that some men reach. The story questions what it takes to change the minds of people (or creatures) who are entrenched in one viewpoint. The answer? Love. Hope. Sacrifice. Forgiveness. Curiosity.
Vignolli relies on black, white, and soft orange to color his novel. I found myself examining and appreciating the details of each panel more closely than I often do in a full-color spread. Vignolli depicts the greed, insecurity, and self-centeredness of humanity in a black roiling cloud, in contrast to the softer whites and creams of the Sanctuary. The Elementals are whimsical shapes born of Vignolli’s imagination, representing energies of the Earth that wish to heal the world and live harmoniously. The style of art aligns perfectly with the spirit of the story and its characters.
Lovers of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, KiKi’s Delivery Service) will enjoy this graphic novel and its mix of reality and whimsy. This graphic novel appeals to a spectrum of ages and backgrounds. Young readers are able to identify with Vijaya’s eagerness to explore and befriend the world around her, and older readers able to appreciate the more complex themes of sacrifice, hope, and the heights and depths of humanity. As a wonderful story with simple, expressive art and an underlying homage to mythology and ancient belief systems, this graphic novel is a strong addition to any collection.
A Girl in the Himalayas by David Jesus Vignolli ISBN: 9781684151295 Archaia / BOOM! Studios, 2018 Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
In his first work intended for young readers, Jaime Hernandez reworks three traditional folktales from Latin America. F. Isabel Campoy’s useful introduction speaks to universal importance of folktales, the complex interplay of the folklore from various countries on the folktales from Latin America, and the importance of strong independent women in the body of tales.
The title tale, “The Dragon Slayer,” has many familiar motifs from other folklore traditions. The youngest daughter’s generosity to an older stranger results in a reward of a magic wand that informs her about everything she needs to know. Armed with her courage and wit, she seeks employment at a castle, falls in love with the prince and, in a series of clever maneuvers with the help of the magic wand, slays the dragon, saves the day, marries the prince, and, in a slight twist to a traditional ending, establishes a new home and kingdom.
The second tale, “Martina Martinez and Perez The Mouse,” is adapted from Alma Flor Ada’s version of the traditional story of Raton Perez’s marriage from Tales Our Abuelitas Told. Martina and her red hair ribbon catch the attention of several suitors, but it is little Raton Perez that captures her heart and hand in marriage. Unfortunately, one day he falls into a cauldron of boiling soup creating a series of overemotional and unhelpful chain reactions from Martina and neighbours and friends. Thankfully, for Raton and Martina, a wise older woman offers wisdom rather than melodrama and another happy-ever-after-ending is the result. The final story, “Tup and The Ants,”’ is another amusing tale, this time of three brothers, none of whom are particularly clever. The youngest, Tup, is especially lazy and he manages to create an advantageous alliance with ants to win the respect of his in-laws and family.
All three folktales are told sparingly and simply in both text and illustration. The brightly coloured illustrations are generally divided into six panels with ten pages allocated for each tale. These colourful, unpretentious, and unadorned illustrations are extremely appropriate for the retelling of folktales for readers of all ages. While economically drawn, the characters, human and non-human, are imbued with expressive body language and emotions. Their eyes, in particular, are effective in developing character, tension, and moving the story from panel to panel just as the oral storyteller would use his or her facial expressions to bring the stories alive. There is a joyful movement and play that is evident in each panel, in the gutters, and, ultimately, in the telling of the three tales.
There are four pages of notes following the stories that provide background on each of these tales. The notes, aimed at older readers, include a bibliography of print and online resources and several stock beginnings for oral storytelling in Spanish and English. They explain antecedents and put the tales within context of the history of the area where the tales were traditionally found. Realizing that this collection is intended for young readers and those who share books with young readers, I will not take umbrage at the fact that a moral or lesson for each tale is spelled out in the notes. Stories from a rich heritage such as these should not have to be elucidated to the reader or listener of the tales and, as told by Hernandez, they are left for the audience to embrace their own conclusions. At the same time, I am very pleased that the background information to the tales is included in this slim, colourful, approachable, and enjoyable collection. Also available in Spanish: La Matadragones: Cuentos de Latinoamerica. hardcover and paperback editions of both languages.
Highly recommended.
The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America by Jaime Hernandez ISBN: 9781943145287 Toon Graphics, 2017 Publisher Age Rating: 8+
Spunky teen detective Goldie Vance is back with even more mysteries and adventures! After saving the day in Volume 1, Goldie and her diverse cast of friends and allies continue to keep Crossed Palms Resort safe for everyone.
Set in 1960s Florida, Goldie is a valet at the beachfront resort her father manages. On the side, she is the assistant to the resort’s detective (although she sometimes runs the show). In volumes 2 and 3, Goldie takes on cases involving a stranded astronaut on the beach and possible sabotage on her frenemy Sugar Maple’s race car. Since the first volume set up the characters and the setting, these issues are free to explore the personalities and events happening in Goldie’s world. (At times, there is a reference to a storyline from a previous volume, but the author has included an asterisk that lets readers know what volume they can refer back to if they aren’t familiar with that detail.)
Volume 4 is when the story really starts to take off after the setup of the first three. The resort is hosting a music festival, but numerous problems keep happening. Walt, the resort detective, decides to let Goldie take charge of the mystery. At the same time, Goldie’s girlfriend Diane is getting closer to Chris who is helping organize the festival’s bands. Feeling jealous and scared of losing Diane, Goldie lets her personal feelings cloud her judgement, which jeopardizes the case. Even though Goldie has made mistakes before, this volume really shows her falter. But the most important thing is that Goldie recognizes that, owns it, and apologizes for it.
Through all the volumes, Goldie solves her cases with charisma and intelligence and with the help of her friends, girlfriend, and parents. She remains kind and welcoming to everyone she meets. But Goldie is also stubborn and she can get lost in her detective duties. In volume 2, she steps on her friend Cheryl’s toes, taking credit for a detail Cheryl noticed. This causes a fight between the best friends, but in the end Goldie looks at things from Cheryl’s perspective and apologizes. Volume 3 focuses on Goldie and her frenemy Sugar Maple. The two have a rivalry that has lasted since childhood. While they butt heads, Goldie still treats her with respect. No matter what, you root for Goldie (and Sugar Maple, who is a dynamic character on her own). Even when she is being jealous or selfish, you still like her. These may be mystery comics on the surface, but really every story revolves around friendship and how to be a good person.
The best part of the Goldie Vance comics is how effortlessly inclusive it is. There are characters of different races, sexualities, and personalities, but all of them get along and respect each other. Every character is fully formed and has strengths and weaknesses, making them realistic and relatable. There is no fanfare around Goldie being gay and there isn’t a big coming out scene. It’s just what she is. Goldie and Diane have a very sweet, chaste relationship. They have lives away from each other, but also support and care about each other’s hobbies.
Each volume has a different artist and the illustrations vary but are still cohesive. They have their own style, but they still look like they belong to the same series. The color palette holds it all together using soft pastels to color Goldie’s world.
These are inclusive, fun, entertaining reads that are recommended for all libraries. It is aimed at teens, but there is a strong crossover appeal to younger kids and adults. Give them to readers who enjoy Lumberjanes, but want something more realistic.
Goldie Vance, vols. 2-4 by Hope Larson and Jackie Ball Art by Brittney Williams, Noah Ball, and Elle Power Volume 2 ISBN: 9781608869749 Volume 3 ISBN: 9781684150533 Volumw 4 ISBN: 9781684151400 Boom! Box, 2017
Raven Xingtao, whose story begins in the third volume of Princeless [see our review here], Jeremy Whitley’s Eisner-nominated series, is the daughter of the Pirate King and an accomplished pirate in her own right. She is heir to her father’s fleet, but her two greedy younger brothers convince her father that because she is a girl, she should be imprisoned for her safety instead.
Book One, aptly titled Captain Raven and the All-Girl Pirate Crew, opens with Raven, newly freed from the tower in which her scheming brothers imprisoned her, on the hunt for a crew to sail a ship she’s stolen from another pirate. Book Two (Free Women), Book Three (Two Boys, Five Girls, and Three Love Stories), and Book Four (Two Ships in the Night) follow Raven and her crew as they learn to work together, face down their rivals, and grow strong enough to confront Raven’s brothers.
Initially, the story focuses on Raven’s single-minded quest for revenge, but as she assembles her all-female crew and sets sail, the story increasingly focuses on the connections among the women on-board and the way they protect and care for one another. The ship becomes a haven against the incompetent grandstanding common among the pirate men who challenge them along the way. Raven’s crew consists of women of diverse races, sizes, abilities, and sexualities. Multiple main characters are openly LGBTQ+, including Raven herself, and the friendships and romantic relationships among these characters feature prominently throughout the series.
Jeremy Whitley writes every issue of Raven the Pirate Princess, and it is similar in tone to Princeless. Raven and her crew are funny, resourceful, and endlessly supportive of one another as they learn to work together as a team. While this is not an Own Voices story, Whitley navigates Raven’s feelings and experiences, and those of the other crew members, with grace and thoughtfulness. Artists Rosy Higgins and Ted Brandt (Books 1-3) and Xenia Pamfil (Book 4) complement the story with scenery and characters that are distinctive and rich in detail.
While Princeless is suitable for audiences of any age, Raven the Pirate Princess includes content that may be better suited to the tween and teen crowd. For example, when Raven is interviewing pirates to form her crew in Book One, most of the humor hinges on the reader understanding the references behind the sexism of the male candidates (“You’re probably not even a real pirate girl,” one laments. “I bet you don’t even know what Captain Fraction’s name was before he changed it!”). Though younger audiences may certainly enjoy the series, and there is no content that would be inappropriate for this age group, some cultural references and tongue-in-cheek jokes may fly over their heads. This title will appeal most strongly to readers who recognize and appreciate these references to real-world frustrations.
There is one caveat to my enthusiastic support of Raven the Pirate Princess: there is a sharp thematic change between the third and fourth volumes. Book four came out after a year long hiatus and features the opening arc of a new title (Raven The Pirate Princess: Year Two). The focus of the story veers sharply away from the camaraderie and revenge narrative driving the first three books and toward shallow disagreements and manipulative cat-fighting among the crew members, whose personalities deviate significantly from their Year One counterparts. The plot of books 1-3 goes unmentioned entirely. It is a significant and jarring departure from an otherwise very strong series.
Despite my disappointment in the fourth installment, it is worth purchasing the series in its entirety, as Raven the Pirate Princess is still ongoing. Book Five: Get Lost Together was released on June 26th. While Princeless vol. 3 establishes the context for Raven’s story, it is not necessary to read Princeless before beginning the Raven series. Raven is structured with new readers in mind, and the first pages provide enough exposition to follow the story fully. This series is an excellent purchase for fans of Princeless and other high-energy and relationship-driven adventure series, including Lumberjanes, The Legend of Korra, and Misfit City.
Raven the Pirate Princess, vols 1-4 by Jeremy Whitley Art by Rosy Higgins,Ted Brandt, and Xenia Pamfil vol 1 ISBN: 9781632291196 vol 2 ISBN: 9781632291295 vol 3 ISBN: 9781632291400 vol 4 ISBN: 9781632292643 Action Lab, 2015 Publisher Age Rating: 9-12 years
Rinn lives in a village that subsists on mountain plants and the tea of the village’s tea dragons. While foraging, she meets Aedhan, a young dragon who was asleep for eighty years! Rinn’s uncle Erik and his companion Hezekiel try to solve the mystery of Aedhan’s sleep while the village prepares for their tea dragon festival. Rinn and her fellow villagers hatch a plan to help the newly awakened dragon adjust to his new life.
It’s a terrible thing to pick up a book knowing it’s going to make you cry. If you have pets and you care deeply for them, you might want to bring your tissues.
Amina is a young Syrian girl who is flung from an overcrowded boat that is carrying refugees. In the water she recalls sepia-toned memories of her family and what prompted her journey without the accompaniment of her family. Her meditations on playing hide-and seek and cooking with her mother are interspersed with scenes of her falling deeper through the water. She recalls her parents going into town and her mother’s last words to her, “Remember Zenobia!” Zenobia was an ancient Syrian queen and a symbol of strength, power, and independence. But Amina’s parents do not return, and her uncle comes to try to take her to safety. They journey through desolate towns destroyed by war, to a fisherman’s boat, where her uncle gives all his money so that Amina may know soon peace. In the water, she drifts to a sanctuary where no soldiers can harm her, finding solace in the strength of Zenobia, but heartbreakingly in the wrong direction.
The second volume of the 5 Worlds series, The Cobalt Prince, brings back Oona Lee, An Tzu, and Jax Amboy on their quest to light the beacons and save the Five Worlds from chaos and destruction.
Harriet has just moved to Chicago and her parents are too busy with their new jobs to help her adjust to her new life. Lonely and frustrated, Harriet waits for replies from her camp friends and struggles to get through her summer reading. As she develops a relationship with her elderly neighbor Pearl, Harriet learns to confront her fears and adjust to her new situation.
Jorge Ruiz is the type of character the world needs right now. He’s a big, tall, intimidating middle schooler. But he is the definition of a good guy. He has a good group of friends and no one at school really bothers him. Instead, he uses his intimidating appearance to stop bullying when he sees it. The other kids call him sheriff because of this, but Jorge doesn’t mind. He’s just keeping the peace.
Complexity and simplicity seem at odds with each other, but David Jesus Vignolli seamlessly weaves together complex themes with simple, expressive art to create a charming and thoughtful story in his debut graphic novel, A Girl in the Himalayas.
In his first work intended for young readers, Jaime Hernandez reworks three traditional folktales from Latin America. F. Isabel Campoy’s useful introduction speaks to universal importance of folktales, the complex interplay of the folklore from various countries on the folktales from Latin America, and the importance of strong independent women in the body of tales.
Spunky teen detective Goldie Vance is back with even more mysteries and adventures! After saving the day in Volume 1, Goldie and her diverse cast of friends and allies continue to keep Crossed Palms Resort safe for everyone.
Raven Xingtao, whose story begins in the third volume of Princeless [see our review 
