Picking up right where volume one ended, Sorceline must face more than one secret about her family in order to save her new friends from a mystery assailant. Meanwhile, a new apprentice, Charlie, arrives on the island to everyone’s surprise, including Charlie’s since he can’t see mythical creatures at all. This causes some confusion as they work to further unravel the mysteries presented in book one, which lead to new and more dangerous mysteries. As the overarching story progresses, the characters explore different areas of the island to help cryptids in distress, discover new and unexpected abilities, and learn about old enemies that may not be as helpless anymore.
This was an excellent second volume that manages to answer questions posed in the first book while introducing new storylines that will hopefully be expanded on in volume three, which does not currently have an English release date. I continue to be impressed by the use of color in the illustrations. The illustrator uses them to evoke emotions to great effect and enhances the storytelling by juxtaposing bright, cool color schemes with darker elements.
All of the characters are given more definition, building on volume one. Because there are so many side characters in this series, it is hard for each of them to have the same depth of characterization, especially when they do not appear central to the main plot. However, each character does contribute to solving the mysteries presented. This volume also includes a bestiary that highlights the name, habitat, special characteristics, and life span of the various cryptids found on the Isle of Vorn.
I still highly recommend that this series be added to any library with a middle grade patron population that enjoys magical schools, mythical animals, or a layered mystery. There is a little more violence in this volume than in the first, but not much.
Sorceline Vol. 02 By Sylvia Douye Art by Paola Antista Andrews McMeel, 2023 ISBN: 9781524882310
Publisher Age Rating: 9-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11) Creator Representation: Italian,
This series starter is intriguing but frustrating. It opens with the main character, Iggie, riding in a car with his aunt, who raised him from birth. He’s now being returned to “Aunt Jill,” his birth mom, who lives in Peculiar Woods. There are curious hints of an agreement and stories of the old flooded village; Iggie sees some odd things, including a brown-skinned girl with pinkish-white hair wearing scuba gear and watching them as they pass. He’s excited about being reunited with Jill, but that night he has a strange and frightening adventure where he discovers he can talk to objects, including his furniture, blanket, an old refrigerator, and a rock in the woods.
At school the next day, he encounters the strange girl again as well as a pair of chess figures who demand he help them return home since he interrupted their own attempts to escape. After an encounter with bullies and a misunderstanding with the girl, Iggie eventually makes the decision to go on a quest to help the chess pieces, accompanied by his blanket, Faye, and Boris the chair. Their quest leads them into the drowned village and a variety of strange encounters, and is ultimately successful while asking more questions than it answers and leaving readers balancing on a series of cliffhangers.
Colmenares’ art is simple and static, but oddly fitting for the quirky story. The characters look like wooden dolls, with stiff movements and fixed hairdos, which lines them up neatly with the sentient objects. Boris, the chair, demonstrates yoga moves and gallops like a horse. Faye is sometimes just a blue blanket but when in sentient mode sports two points of light as eyes within the dark “hood” of the blanket. The colors are subdued, with predominantly green and brown shades, but a few bright sparks of color in clothing. The seemingly straight-forward art makes the incursion of odd creatures and anomalies all the more eerie and there is an underlying hint of danger and menace which contrasts oddly with the doll-like protagonists and dry humor of the various characters.
The abrupt ending of the story leaves readers wondering whether all the hints at a darker plot and all the strange creatures and occurrences are going to lead to a more involved story in a sequel or peter out as they do in the first volume. It’s an odd choice of an ending for middle grade readers, who move on quickly in series. Even if a sequel is released the following year, most readers will have forgotten about this odd little book and moved on to other stories. Those with limited budgets will want to wait for a sequel to be released, review to see if there is more closure or at least more explanations included, and then purchase both at the same time to offer to readers who enjoy quirky, mysterious stories.
Peculiar Woods, Vol. 1: The Ancient Underwater City By Andrés J. Colmenares Andrews McMeel, 2023 ISBN: 9781524884918
Publisher Age Rating: 7-11 years NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11)
A fun take on the animated Big Nate series, but if you’ve seen the series, you’ve read this book already. This graphic novel has three episodes in it: “The Legend of the Gunting”, “Go Nate! It’s Your Birthday”, and “CATastrophe!”. The stories are essentially shorter versions of the animated episodes. Since they are based off episodes written by different authors, these are not directly written by Lincoln Peirce.
In “The Legend of the Gunting”, our main character and prankster, Nate, is thinking about a legendary prankster that wreaked havoc all over the school campus by doing all kinds of tricky things, like swapping all the school frisbees with slices of bologna. Nate is imagining how he can get to this level, when a new student, Bentley Carter, joins P.S. 38. Nate is asked to show him around and instead, it seems that Bentley is showing Nate around the world of high level pranking. In the first hour that Bentley’s at the school he somehow manages to prank the principal by stealing his underwear, a feat that Nate can’t help but be seriously impressed by. However, with this level of pranking, things are bound to get messy.
In the second story, “Go Nate! It’s Your Birthday,” we find big sister Ellen giving Nate a hard time, as usual, and Nate’s dad, Martin, continuing to be fearful of just about everything. Nate takes his friends on a spending spree to celebrate his birthday, which is a ton of fun until they get a massive bill at the end. Now Nate and his friends need to figure out how they’re going to manage to get themselves out of this situation.
In the third story in this series, “CATastrophe!” we have Nate up to his usual shenanigans. He craftily conjures up a distraction for his teacher that allows him to be partnered up with Jenny instead of Kim for a school project. Nate is so excited about this match up that he’s ready to work on the assignment as soon as class is out, instead of waiting until the last minute. Things don’t go quite as Nate has planned and a series of silly and comical situations ensue.
Overall, this is a very fun fast paced version of Big Nate. The artwork looks like it’s screenshots taken directly from the animated series. This is mixed in with pages stylized as graphic novel panels of snapshots of notebook pages filled with doodles and scribbles. The book is in full color with minimal text and short text bubbles.
This graphic novel is essentially a condensed version of the animated series. If your child enjoyed watching it, there are going to be no surprises in this book. It’s the same fun set of characters with all the silly situations that we find in the show. There are sure to be a lot of laughs. However, with no new stories and not a whole lot of text for children to read, the original Big Nate books (with a lot of text, pictures, and all kinds of fun page designs that keep readers engaged) are still a more worthwhile choice.
Big Nate: Destined for Awesomeness (Big Nate TV Series, vol 1) By Lincoln Peirce Andrews McMeel, 2022 ISBN: 9781524878061
Navigating middle school is no easy task, especially for future actress Heart Lamarr. Not only does she have to deal with the pressures of performing in her school’s latest musical, there are tests to be taken, friendships to forge, holidays to celebrate, and preteen milestones to accomplish. Comic readers can explore the world of Heart and her little niche of friends in Heart Takes the Stage: A Heart of the City Collection, Vol. 1 by Steenz.
Middle schooler Heart Lamarr is ready for the stage. However, the wannabe actress needs to focus more on her craft than her award acceptance speeches. Lucky for her, she has a small group of friends who are willing and able to help her hone her skills. There’s free spirited Kat with her great advice, theater techie Charlotte’s knowledge of stage productions, and pop culture enthusiast Dean’s insight on the acting style of William Shatner (which may or may not be as helpful as he believes it to be). But her premiere performance on the stage is not the only moment Heart will be experiencing. With teacher strikes, preteen party planning, ear piercings, detention, and Dean’s trail of lies, Heart and her friends will be very busy as the school year continues.
Even though this collection of short comics may look appealing, young readers may have difficulty enjoying it. The artwork of Steenz includes a diverse cast of students, parents, and teachers of different identities and races and her character’s actions flow from panel to panel. The artist uses panel placement similar to that found in newspaper comics, with characters completing a scene, ususally in four panels. However, there are some issues with the main character Heart and the comic’s various storylines. In most scenes, Heart is your typical preteen girl who fails to listen to directions and wants to be part of the newest trend. She is also shown to be self-centered and obsessive with her interests. Readers will fail to find anything relatable to this character, even those who have experience in theater work. It seems that Heart either does not learn from her mistakes or the latest drama she is experiencing is resolved too quickly. Pop culture references from John Wick to Kristin Chenoweth to Disney’s Gargoyles are abundant in each storyline, but young readers who are not familiar with some of the references being used will be lost in understanding their importance in the storylines.
All in all, Heart Takes the Stage will be difficult for most school and public librarians to sell to their patrons. There is nothing that makes it stand out from other middle school comics, especially those that follow the same panel work as a newspaper comic strip. Graphic novel and comic readers in middle school, especially in grades 4-6, may give it a try, but will find its humor lacking and characters unrelatable.
Heart Takes the Stage: A Heart of the City Collection, Vol. 1 By Steenz Andrews McMeel, 2022 ISBN: 9781524871598
Publisher Age Rating: 8-14
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Andrews McMeel produces a wide range of both long-running comic strips, like Phoebe and Unicorn and Big Nate, collections from older and more obscure strips, and an interesting variety of more recent strips, including Will & Henry and now Crabgrass, which began appearing in papers in 2022.
This collection introduces the two main characters, Miles and Kevin, who join up as best friends when Miles moves into the neighborhood, despite their differences. Miles is Black and his family is middle class. While they are not “helicopter” parents, they have definite expectations and rules for Miles and he himself is comfortable with this more structured environment. Kevin, whose father is largely absent, lives in a rambunctious, low-income household with his long-suffering mother, teenage brother, twin sister, and baby sibling. He casually mentions to Miles at their first meeting that his previous friend wasn’t allowed to play with him because his family was “too poor” and his mom is working with limited resources. Kevin is the Calvin of their Calvin & Hobbes friendship, happier out of school than in, and causing havoc wherever he goes while Miles is the voice of reason (or at least the voice of concern) and is both intrigued and sometimes disgusted by Kevin’s hijinks. With rare breaks for introspection, the two play pranks, argue, get into trouble, explore the outdoors, and live a contemporary version of the idyllic suburban childhood.
Bondia, a Black cartoonist from Kentucky, has a great sense of comedic timing as well as a wonderful sense of characterization that helps him fill his strip with instantly recognizable characters. Their faces are all heavily expressive; the adults tend to have smaller eyes and frequently show their exasperation with an eyeroll or exasperated closed eyes. One of the fun parts of the comic is showing how the adults, as well as the kids, form friendships despite their differences. Some of my favorite sequences show Kevin’s mom, dangling a cigarette as she clues Miles’ mom into the facts of life of being a single mother of four.
The kids have huge eyes, which are useful in showing their more caricature-like expressions; Miles usually wears a worried frown and habitually wears red t-shirts with stars on them. He also shows wide-eyed innocence when Kevin pulls tricks or shocks him with revelations from his own life (like baths being for babies?!) Kevin has a mop of longish red hair and is always dressed in a sleeveless white undershirt, of varying cleanliness. He has some streetwise smarts, but is less strong on academics, glaring in suspicion at Miles when he suggests reading a book or produces an odd fact. Excepting Miles and his family, all the adults and kids shown are white.
The author has said the strip is based on his own family and friends from the 1980s, but it fits easily into a contemporary setting in a quasi-rural area. Despite being (apparently) the only Black family in town, Miles’ family meets with a general air of acceptance and Bondia’s philosophy seems to be encapsulated in a conversation between the two boys when Kevin asks if they would be less likely to be friends if there were more Black kids in town and Miles responds “I was friends with all kinds of kids in my old neighborhood.” Kevin agrees, saying “I just figure why not be friends with whoever is the most fun?” which quickly devolves into whether they’d ever be friends with a girl.
While readers who want a more serious-minded strip about the experiences of Black youth in predominantly white settings will do better to turn to Jerry Craft’s graphic novels, this comic strip fills a different niche, showing Black kids as the main characters in funny stories. Kids might pause to think occasionally, but mostly they’ll just laugh and enjoy the humor and hijinks of the characters and even adults may take a moment to snicker over a particularly wacky moment.
Crabgrass By Tauhid Bondia Andrews McMeel, 2022 ISBN: 9781524875558
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11) Creator Representation: Black, Character Representation: Black,
In 2006, Nancy Springer started a series of short chapter books featuring Enola Holmes, the imaginary younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes with an independent streak and a knack for solving mysteries without the aid of her brothers. The series reached six volumes, won several awards, and had a sufficient fan base to inspire a movie in 2020. Nancy Springer has returned to the series, writing a seventh addition, and the graphic adaptations, by French creator Serena Blasco and originally translated in 2018, are now being republished in omnibus format by Andrews McMeel.
In “The Case of the Missing Marquess,” Enola’s carefree life is disrupted by her mother’s abrupt disappearance. Disappointed and angry at her brothers’ dismissal of her mother and at plans to curtail her freedom, Enola cracks codes left by her mother and runs away, stopping only to solve the mystery of a kidnapped heir and discover her own skills as a detective. In “The Case of the Left-Handed Lady,” Enola is now masquerading as Ivy Meshle and makes the acquaintance of Dr. John Watson. She learns from Watson that her brothers are still searching for her, but also of the mysterious disappearance of Lady Alistair, and she decides to pursue the case herself. In a dangerous climax, she solves the case, while further building her reputation as a detective and navigating her complicated relationship with her brothers. In “The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets,” Enola is searching for a new persona with which to hide herself from her brothers, especially Sherlock, when she hears the news of Dr. Watson’s disappearance. As she works to find out what has happened to the doctor, she makes a few discoveries about her own situation and her family as well.
Serena Blasco’s art is a far cry from the original covers of the mysteries and a bit jarring to readers expecting the typical dark hues of Sherlockian Victorian London. Blasco reinterprets Enola’s surroundings with colorful, swirling watercolors, emphasizing the vibrant hues of the flowers used for coded messages and Enola’s daring disguises. Even the scenes set at night in London’s underworld are richly colored with murky blues, purples, and greens. Enola’s long brunette locks, when not hidden under brightly colored and elaborately coiffured wigs, swirl loosely around her narrow face, her sharp nose showing her likeness to her brother Sherlock. The villains are often grotesque, fitting with the pastiche flavor of the original books, with distorted, even demonic faces. Although Enola’s lodgings in London are bright and cozy, the poorest streets where she ventures dressed as a nun swirl with lavender smoke and green miasmas from the river, with figures crouching miserably in the shadows. Enola’s exaggeratedly large, lustrous eyes glow with purpose or dim with tears, as she frequently reflects on the anagram of her name, “alone,” and her mother’s absence in scenes dim with misty blues.
Art and flowers both play a part in the stories, with excerpts from newspapers, Enola’s notebook, and codes following each story, and encapsulating the events, clues, and resolution. Enola finds clues in the codes of the flowers, in her own artistic skill and in that of the women whose lives she explores, all helping her solve the mysteries. The miseries and injustice of Holmes’s London is hinted at throughout the story, as well as the curtailed lives of women—from being committed to asylums for not following society’s rules to the strictures Enola’s brothers attempt to place about her own life. There are several somewhat graphic attempts on Enola’s life, but they are not depicted so brutally as to make the title inappropriate for most middle grade readers. The Enola Holmes series has always been odd in that it fits best in a tween or middle school collection and the graphic novel adaptation is the same.
Fans of the original series may or may not be interested in this new vision of Springer’s work, and fans of the movie adaptation are unlikely to recognize the more mature figure of Enola in Blasco’s colorful fantasy, but readers who have not yet encountered Enola Holmes and enjoy mysteries with plenty of atmosphere and codes to solve are likely to enjoy this. It will also appeal to some manga fans, due to the art style.
Enola Holmes: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 By Serena Blasco, Nancy Springer, Tanya Gold, Andrews McNeel, 2022 ISBN: 9781524871321
Publisher Age Rating: 9-12 years Related media: Book to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13) Creator Representation: French
Sorceline travels to the Isle of Vorn to study cryptids under the tutelage of Professor Archibald Balzar alongside four other students. Sorceline quickly starts connecting with her fellow students, some more positively than others. In fact, Tara seems determined to outshine everyone, even going so far as to steal answers from Sorceline and present them as her own. During the first session, an unconscious and dehydrated gorgon is discovered and must be cared for. Unfortunately, Sorceline’s classmates start disappearing and the only clue left behind is a pile of glass. At the same time, Sorceline and her friends find some pixies that are acting like zombies and think they might be related to the disappearances.
Over the course of the story, the friends find some answers but many more questions. They must piece together what they know and separate the information to discover the cause before they all disappear.
Set in a fantasy world, there are multiple mysteries woven together with lots of visual clues for readers to discover as they try to solve it along with the characters. Each new thread introduces a bit of the world or adds to a character. I liked how the author brought in real world examples of animal behavior when building the mystery around the cryptids.
The illustrations have an overall dark, cool palette that gives depth to the ethereal nature of the island and its mythical creatures, while adding a bit of terror sprinkled throughout by utilizing swatches of light color to draw attention to important moments.
This is clearly the start of a series, as it ends on a cliffhanger. It would be an excellent series addition to any library with a middle grade patron population that enjoys magical schools, mythical animals, or a layered mystery. Although there is no violence on the page, please be aware that several children go missing and death is discussed.
Sorceline, Vol. 1 By Sylvia Douye Art by Paola Antista Andrews McNeel, 2022 ISBN: 9781524871314
Publisher Age Rating: 9-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11) Creator Representation: Italian
CatNinja and Master Hamster are back to fight crime in Metro City together. Mecha-mecano, the mecha man is back, too, and this time he has a system upgrade to include lots of puns in their battles. Readers will follow along six short stories, as well as a five-part miniseries, making this an attention grabbing ride. The characters are constantly facing new challenges and exciting situations to get themselves out of.
This book is packed with mini stories each done by different authors, illustrators and inkers. They seamlessly keep to the same writing and artistic style, each adding humor and action to every story. This makes it a really easy read, especially for reluctant readers. They can feel a sense of accomplishment as they quickly finish each chapter, most of which are entire short stories. The authors include a lot of humor for adults or older readers who may be reading this book alongside a younger child, such as a chapter titled, “Lyin’, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” A little pun that younger readers wouldn’t catch unless they’re family with C. S. Lewis’s classic series.
It would be a good idea to read the first two books in this series before diving into this third book. There are references to things that have happened in previous books that don’t get explained in this edition. Also, the story goes straight into action without any character development. It’s not confusing, but it certainly would make the story more enjoyable to already understand a bit about the personalities of each individual and their relationships to one another.
Wow! What colorful and fun filled pages this graphic novel has. Full beautiful backgrounds with swirls of blended shades set the mood for each section of this story. Darker hues add more intensity and drama, while brighter reds, yellows and oranges lighten up the more humorous parts. A huge variety of panel arrangements is used throughout, from full page action to every shape of rectangular panel you can imagine. Illustrators, Chad Thomas and Derek Laufman got seriously creative with planning out each page, yet it’s very easy for readers to follow along with the story sequentially.
Overall, this is a silly, and quick read for young readers that they will surely enjoy. This book has a lot of action, humor, and even lessons sprinkled in. There is a focus on the difference you can make in the world whether or not you have superpowers and a great message about working through your differences with others. If you give individuals a chance to change their ways, you can become friends. I’d highly recommend this series for any elementary or middle school library collection.
Cat Ninja, vol. 3: Wanted By Matthew Cody Art by Chad Thomas Andrews McNeel, 2022 ISBN: 9781524875107
This entertaining story shares the experience between two siblings as they discover that the brother, Jacob, has Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) while his older sister Samantha has to deal with going through all the trials and tribulations of school, moving and new siblings. This book is unique in that we get the perspective of a sibling learning how to cope with ADHD in the family, instead of from the perspective of a parent, or the one diagnosed. We see her dealing with the changes her family is experiencing as Jacob struggles in school, difficulties he has in forming relationships with others, and her parents continuously doing their absolute best to learn everything they can while trying out new accommodations to keep things in their household fair and functional.
This story starts off with an introduction by Samantha, as she explains what life is like in her family with her new baby brother, Jacob entering their world. It’s a very realistic, and not a sugar coated version of what life was really like. She even includes her mother’s brief episode of what she calls baby blues, or postpartum depression, a subject that was once quite taboo to talk about. There’s a lot of humor and empathy to be felt as Samantha shares some of the craziness that Jacob brings to their world with needing to have diapers duct taped on, and his super human baby strength that shocks everyone.
Their misadventures include the harder times they face as Jacob gets himself into real trouble and has a difficult time adjusting to school. We see Samantha maturing as she feels upset that she gets so frustrated with Jacob when she doesn’t want to get angry with him, hit him back, or say rude things to him. She has real guilt and clearly loves her little brother, despite how challenging he can make it for her to have patience sometimes.
This is a fantastic story that shares a glimpse into life with ADHD. The characters are easy to relate to, the story moves at a good pace, keeping any reader engaged, and it is sure to bring out a lot of laughs. The artwork was created by the author, Samantha Edwards. She has a colorful and fun artistic style. The chapter title pages are creatively done, they’re stylized as a young child would draw with crayons. To end things off, she includes some photos from her actual childhood with her brother Jacob, whom this story is based on with a note about how this story is fictional, but based on her real life experiences.
Overall, this is a terrific graphic novel that I would highly recommend for any elementary or middle school library collection. The story keeps the reader wondering what will happen to this family next. The main characters face some challenging situations that they aren’t sure how to navigate, but as a family unit they work through the problems and find a way to live happily, despite having incredibly different personalities and temperaments.
A Tale as Tall as Jacob: Misadventures With My Brother By Samantha Edwards Andrews McMeel, 2021 ISBN: 9781524865047
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12:
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
I was initially skeptical when Epic!, a provider of ebooks and online content for schools, branched out into the traditional publishing market. However, several of their titles have proven quite popular and over the past few years they have created several excellent graphic novels and chapter books. One of the tests of staying power is whether promised sequels of properties appear and Cat Ninja looks as though it is going to be a long-running series.
Originally published in print in 2020, Cat Ninja follows the adventures of Claude, a grey-striped cat who moonlights as Cat Ninja, a superhero in Metro City. The comic is episodic, including the first five digital issues released online, but does follow a rough storyline. The first collection introduces Cat Ninja and readers hear the origins of both the titular superhero and his first nemesis, Master Hamster. Humor abounds as the two balance their lives as pets with their dramatic battles, secret lairs, and gadgets, while a second story line introduces a mysterious villain and follows the family life of their owners. Leon and Marcie appear to be Asian-American and are dealing with their parents’ separation and divorce as well as the normal worries of school and friends.
The second collection, Cat Ninja: Time Heist, teams up Cat Ninja, Master Hamster (aka Mr. Squeaks), and a series of new villains and superheroes with a hatchling owl Hoot and a mysterious visitor from the future. The whole family will have to work together the save the day and find out who is mysteriously controlling superheroes and supervillains alike.
The first title is illustrated by Yehudi Mercado, the second by Chad Thomas. Bonus content is included in the print versions, including additional sketches and activities.
The illustrators do a good job of matching up their styles, so the reader hardly notices the transition. Mercado’s style is a little smoother and sleeker, while Thomas is more of a commercial illustrator with bigger eyes, thicker lines, and a slightly more exaggerated style. The art includes a diverse range of characters, both in the animal superheroes and villains and in the people in the city: Black; female police; passersby wearing hijab; and a diverse range of skin colors in the teachers at the kids’ school. Humor is the main focus here, though, with lots of weird gadgets, visual gags, dramatic reveals, and explosions. Mercado brings to life the immortal Fury Roach, a lumpy brown cockroach, with a hilarious montage of the roach’s costumes through the ages and the kids’ harried and caring but unobservant parents, always seen in scrubs or business suits. Thomas carries on Mercado’s depiction of various animals battling throughout the books, although emphasizes the cartoon aspect a little more in the second book, which keeps it from getting too dark. Their combined style keeps the animals from becoming just another set of cartoon creatures, though. Cat Ninja flies across the page with athleticism and enthusiasm, but he also has moments of just being a happy, purring pet or a soaked, miserable cat. Cynical Mr. Squeaks, an overgrown brown hamster with a perpetual sneer can show a softer side when he helps out his family, and fluffy little Hoot combines ultimate cuteness with ultimate destruction in her debut in the second book, with giant eyes, fluffy feathers, and the aimless flutterings of a newly hatched chick.
There have been a lot of Dog Man read-alikes in the past few years, but Cat Ninja manages to include the familiar humor, animal characters, and adventures, while being a unique creation of its own, emphasizing the importance of family no matter what it looks like. Parents who are reluctant to endorse the cruder humor of Pilkey will be relieved by the more light-hearted and situational comedy of this series, especially for younger readers. Available in paperback, paper over board hardcovers, or prebound editions, these are sure to circulate enthusiastically to elementary students in schools and libraries.
Cat Ninja By Matthew Cody Art by Yehudi Mercado, Chad Thomas Andrews McNeel, 2020 vol 1 ISBN: 9781524860943 vol 2 ISBN: 9781524868086
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
Picking up right where volume one ended, Sorceline must face more than one secret about her family in order to save her new friends from a mystery assailant. Meanwhile, a new apprentice, Charlie, arrives on the island to everyone’s surprise, including Charlie’s since he can’t see mythical creatures at all. This causes some confusion as they work to further unravel the mysteries presented in book one, which lead to new and more dangerous mysteries. As the overarching story progresses, the characters explore different areas of the island to help cryptids in distress, discover new and unexpected abilities, and learn about old enemies that may not be as helpless anymore. 
This series starter is intriguing but frustrating. It opens with the main character, Iggie, riding in a car with his aunt, who raised him from birth. He’s now being returned to “Aunt Jill,” his birth mom, who lives in Peculiar Woods. There are curious hints of an agreement and stories of the old flooded village; Iggie sees some odd things, including a brown-skinned girl with pinkish-white hair wearing scuba gear and watching them as they pass. He’s excited about being reunited with Jill, but that night he has a strange and frightening adventure where he discovers he can talk to objects, including his furniture, blanket, an old refrigerator, and a rock in the woods.
A fun take on the animated Big Nate series, but if you’ve seen the series, you’ve read this book already. This graphic novel has three episodes in it: “The Legend of the Gunting”, “Go Nate! It’s Your Birthday”, and “CATastrophe!”. The stories are essentially shorter versions of the animated episodes. Since they are based off episodes written by different authors, these are not directly written by Lincoln Peirce.
Navigating middle school is no easy task, especially for future actress Heart Lamarr. Not only does she have to deal with the pressures of performing in her school’s latest musical, there are tests to be taken, friendships to forge, holidays to celebrate, and preteen milestones to accomplish. Comic readers can explore the world of Heart and her little niche of friends in Heart Takes the Stage: A Heart of the City Collection, Vol. 1 by Steenz.
collections from older and more obscure strips, and an interesting variety of more recent strips, including Will & Henry and now Crabgrass, which began appearing in papers in 2022.
In 2006, Nancy Springer started a series of short chapter books featuring Enola Holmes, the imaginary younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes with an independent streak and a knack for solving mysteries without the aid of her brothers. The series reached six volumes, won several awards, and had a sufficient fan base to inspire a movie in 2020. Nancy Springer has returned to the series, writing a seventh addition, and the graphic adaptations, by French creator Serena Blasco and originally translated in 2018, are now being republished in omnibus format by Andrews McMeel.
Sorceline travels to the Isle of Vorn to study cryptids under the tutelage of Professor Archibald Balzar alongside four other students. Sorceline quickly starts connecting with her fellow students, some more positively than others. In fact, Tara seems determined to outshine everyone, even going so far as to steal answers from Sorceline and present them as her own. During the first session, an unconscious and dehydrated gorgon is discovered and must be cared for. Unfortunately, Sorceline’s classmates start disappearing and the only clue left behind is a pile of glass. At the same time, Sorceline and her friends find some pixies that are acting like zombies and think they might be related to the disappearances.
CatNinja and Master Hamster are back to fight crime in Metro City together. Mecha-mecano, the mecha man is back, too, and this time he has a system upgrade to include lots of puns in their battles. Readers will follow along six short stories, as well as a five-part miniseries, making this an attention grabbing ride. The characters are constantly facing new challenges and exciting situations to get themselves out of. 
I was initially skeptical when Epic!, a provider of ebooks and online content for schools, branched out into the traditional publishing market. However, several of their titles have proven quite popular and over the past few years they have created several excellent graphic novels and chapter books. One of the tests of staying power is whether promised sequels of properties appear and Cat Ninja looks as though it is going to be a long-running series.
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