The story opens with David, a brown-skinned, lanky middle-schooler, imagining the “spark” of creativity and ideas as a cute little cartoon creature. He arrives home and meets up with his neighbor Marta, a lively homeschooled 2nd grader with red-rimmed glasses and the two investigate an explosion in David’s basement. It turns out his mom has successfully created a tool to shrink herself down so she can travel between dimensions into a “micro universe.” Unfortunately, she’s left the tool behind.
David and Marta go on a brief adventure to rescue David’s mom and, while in the microscopic dimension, encounter the blue spark of David’s imagination. It’s pictured as a blue ball with a purple cape, gloves, and boots on it’s stick-like arms and legs and a splash of blue “hair.” Together, with the help of David’s experiments, they rescue his mom from a crowd of purple creatures like Spark that seem to be sucking her creativity.
Inspired by Spark and their adventure, David tries again to start a Science Club and gets more interest this time. With the enthusiastic participation of Marta, he demonstrates how to make “space mud” at the club’s first meeting in his backyard and even gets the interest of a girl, Lisa. She’s shown wearing tights, a long skirt, and a loose jacket with curly black hair and a blue knit cap. David’s audience includes a kid with long blonde hair in a wheelchair.
However, the story is far from over – Spark isn’t the only creature that came through the portal from the microscopic universe and David’s mom is working on a new project in their basement that could mean disaster! David will have to bring out his trusty experiments and depend on Marta’s inexhaustible energy to save the day with science and keep the spark of inspiration alive.
There’s not a lot of variation in body types pictured, but that’s due more to Loux’s art style than a studied lack of diversity. Loux’s characters all have long, thin, flexible limbs and show exaggerated emotions with their wide mouths, heavily-drawn eyebrows, and the rapid changes in their eyes. The science experiments have a few illustrations, but these are mostly part of the story – the instructions are primarily in the text.
The other dimension is colored in orange-hued pinks, pale purples, and yellows with lots of ripples, creatures with multiple legs, and speech bubbles that look like tropically patterned easter eggs. This contrasts with the everyday suburb where David lives with blue skies and green trees and lawns.
The story includes 18 simple science experiments, from slime to a straw rocket and there is a QR code that has videos to accompany each experiment. The book is sponsored by a science organization called High Touch High Tech which creates fun science experiences.
There is some disconnect in the story – David is supposed to be a middle schooler, but the science experiments are more something an elementary student, like Marta, would enjoy doing. They do somewhat interrupt the flow of the story. As Marta points out, they’re running from monsters so why didn’t David just bring a compass instead of magnetizing a needle in the middle of a chase? However, the story is mostly a vehicle to carry the science experiments and a younger audience will enjoy the light story and be interested in trying the different projects. Manning is an experienced author who is used to creating nonfiction/fiction graphic novel scripts and the plot moves smoothly despite the sometimes jarring science elements. Older readers who like Matthew Loux’s art and are interested in the science-fiction genre are more likely to enjoy his own graphic novel series, The Time Museum.
The Spark Experiment By Matthew Manning Art by Matthew Loux Andrews McMeel, 2026 ISBN: 9798881601928
There is a long and storied tradition of bratty kids in children’s literature: Ramona B. Quimby, Max, basically every kid except Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And, of course, Junie B. Jones. Barbara Parks’ kindergarten heroine first entered the scene in 1992 and has graced 31 books, multiple stage plays, and a video game, even finding her way into Banned status in the early 2000s for not displaying good social values, poor grammar, and “mouthiness”. That by itself, in addition to being a straight up mood, could attract new readers to this legacy series. Now our kindergarten sass mouth is starring in her own graphic novel series from Penguin Random House, adapted by Colleen AF Venable and illustrated by Honie Beam. The first three books, Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business, and Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth, are already available and the fourth is expected September 2026.
All three graphics follow the original books closely with mild nods towards modernization (a fidget seat in Junie B.’s classroom and the appearance of a cell phone) but no real structural changes. Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus sees Junie B. on her first day of kindergarten and her dread over the too loud, too crowded, too much bus pushes her to hide in her school overnight with disastrous results. Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business has Junie B. get confused over the arrival of her new baby sibling and telling an oopsie lie about him being a monkey. Finally, Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth follows our main character dealing with an upcoming job day at school and realizing that she occasionally talks before she thinks things through.
Visually, the graphic is cute with a bright, animated art style and easy to follow panel flow. Beam adds fun, wavy cell borders when Junie B. is imagining wild scenarios and the book plays with different text styles for moments of emphasis. Venable sticks incredibly closely to the source material, in fact a little too closely.
I’m not sure this graphic does enough that’s different from the books. I mentioned nods towards modernization and they really are only nods. Venable didn’t leave room for changes in how contemporary children move through what is essentially a new world from what Junie B. inhabited. I’m not saying kids today can’t be “mouthy” or opinionated, there’s just something about this that feels out of step for me. Not only Junie B.’s behavior, but the reactions from the adults in her life seem really far removed from how kids today may behave. The books are filled with moments of Junie B. struggling or lashing out in a way that’s played for laughs, but reads as almost upset and none of the adults in the book seem to acknowledge or provide thoughtful help. I really wanted to like this -I love a mouthy, rude kid- but I finished feeling a little indifferent.
Junie B. is a hard character to like and that has always been part of her draw. She represents that main character part of us that remembers each questionable childhood moment or sees others having those same moments and can take a minute to laugh at them. Having these stories in a new format may introduce a new generation to their parent’s favorite sassy, mouthy rude kid. But, I suspect they’re going to meet her and not know what to do with her.
Junie B. Jones By Colleen AF Venable Art by Honie Beam Penguin Random House Viking Books for Young Readers, 202
Volume
ISBN
Junie. B. Jones and the Stinky Smelly Bus
9780593706701
Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business
9780593706718
Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth
9780593706725
Company Age Rating: 6-9
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Picture Books (3-8)
The rules of the game are simple: don’t get tagged, don’t cross the Uphill/Downhill dividing line, and no adults allowed. If you get tagged, you’re immediately placed in the other side’s jail (until the streetlights come on, until the school year starts). Passed down through generations, everyone in Lakeside knows these rules are integral to keeping this decades long capture the flag game going. Newcomers must complete a puzzle in order to show their responsibility and be sworn into the game. When Fred’s family moves to Lakeside, he spends his summer playing The Endless Game, a summer he and the town will never forget.
The Endless Game, written by J.D. Amato with art by Sophie Morse, is a new middle grade graphic novel focusing on Fred’s first summer in his new town. He’s not happy his family’s moved again but almost immediately meets his fellow Downhill kids. After passing the entry test, Fred is sworn in as a member of the Downhill by the Council of Homeschooled Kids and quickly learns all about Lakeside’s infamous game. There’s DIY castles, root beer speakeasies, and bike races, plus years of lore and history to catch up on. As the summer flies by, Fred learns that the game always takes priority, even if winning never seems fully possible.
At home, Fred’s mom is glad he’s made friends and has finally fit in somewhere. She deals with her own job hunting struggles, something hinted at off page and in larger spreads, but not a main focus of Fred’s energy. His dad’s absence, however, is strongly felt throughout the story. Fred just wants his dad to finally move to Lakeside to be with his family, a move being held up by his work situation. They’re all tired of having to uproot their lives for his dad’s job and just want him to be home with them in this new place they love. Amato weaves the more emotional family touchpoints into more of a background plot, while still being a crucial element of Fred’s summer.
The Endless Game reads like the best kind of kids summer movie from the 80’s or 90’s but written for the kids of today, giving it a very timeless feeling. It takes place in a pre-cell phone time, seemingly the 90’s, without constant references to cultural touchpoints of the time, making it enjoyable and welcoming for readers of all ages. The kids of Lakeside are diverse, one benefit of this modern graphic novel over some existing classic “kids in summer” stories, and many young readers will see someone similar to themselves.
Morse’s art is lively, full of motion and movement, an excellent complement to the action-packed story. The colors are warm summer tones to go along with its seasonal setting. The characters are very expressive. One particular highlight is the spreads at the beginning of each chapter, which often feature quick looks into Fred’s life and family beyond the game.
The Endless Game is a fast-paced graphic novel full of summer fun for middle grade readers. It will appeal to readers looking for slice of life graphic novels and those looking for exciting action in their graphic novels. While it is intended for ages 8 to 12, it has appeal beyond that in both directions, as well as older readers as well. It is an excellent summertime read.
The Endless Game By J.D. Amato Art by Sophie Morse Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2026 ISBN: 9781665927154
Company Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Tasha is absolutely thrilled to relive her Gramp Abominable’s stories of Camp Yeti, even if things will look a little different. Due to the low numbers of yetis, she’s convinced her parents to turn it into Camp Monster and welcome everyone, but things don’t go as expected.
The new campers—and Tasha’s cousin—don’t seem to appreciate the traditions or the changes at Camp Monster and there are lots of clashes from mischievous goblins using their magic to a nervous werewolf who doesn’t want to learn to swim. Even worse, there are rumors and signs of humans in the area! Will Tasha get to experience the joys of summer camp as she’s imagined or will the camp have to close down as soon as it’s reopened?
Falynn Koch has previously collaborated with Kate Messner, but this is her first fully fictional graphic novel; her previous titles included entries in the Science Comics and History Comics series. Her art is well-suited for middle grade fiction, leaning towards simple lines and colorful images. Koch introduces the diverse monsters at the beginning of the book, combining with Messner’s dialogue to create individual portraits of each creature. Tasha and her cousin Kami have fluffy white fur, curved yellow horns and yellow tongues, varying shades of blue skin on their face masks, hands, and feet. Kami wears a blue fedora, making it easy to tell the yetis apart. The campers include a pair of green goblin twins, with slightly different fur patterns, a nervous red werewolf, soccer-loving vampire in shades of purple, ballet-loving ogress with blonde hair and green skin, and a bright orange griffin who is eager to get swimming. The monsters are divided up into two cabins roughly along gender lines at the beginning of the story, but Koch does not portray them as conforming to human (or monster) gender norms throughout the book. They wear (or don’t wear) a variety of clothing, from a pink tutu to loose tunic-like shirts.
In this first book, the creators focus on getting to know the characters and Koch moves the story through various scenarios and running storylines at the camp that give readers a feel for each camper’s individual personality. Lupo, the werewolf, struggles to swim and while Coach Q, a mermaid, is understanding, the bulky sea serpent, Coach J, doesn’t really get it. Their confused faces and Lupo’s misery are shown in their features, regardless of fur and scales, as the campers interact with the lake in different ways. The most striking contrast is shown between Isabelle, the ballet-loving ogress and Vera, the soccer-loving vampire. Isabelle is clear on her love of all things pink and fancy, always shown in pink, her blonde hair in a bun, while Vera prefers more active clothing (all purple to match her hair and skin) and would rather be out playing soccer than doing her nails. On the other hand, Vera is a confirmed vegetarian and recoils from Isabelle’s collection of live spiders she keeps for snacks. Koch keeps the reader from stereotyping either of the two as she constantly introduces new facets of their personalities and interests while keeping their basic portrayal consistent.
The creators move the story through all the ups and downs of very different monsters trying to enjoy camp together until they end up faced with an enemy that makes them all scared – humans! To keep the camp from being shutdown due to the dangers of humans, the monsters will have to put aside their differences and work together, but do they even want to stay at camp? Messner includes letters home from each of the campers that fill out the story and keep the plot moving while Koch focuses on the humor and drama of the monsters’ daily interactions.
This story is full of pranks, jokes, and fantastical creatures while carrying an underlying message of diversity, acceptance, and cooperation. There are several layers of humor, making this appeal to a wide range of readers, and middle grade readers are unlikely to outgrow their interest in the characters before the next book in the series is released.
Recommend to young readers ready to move on from Kevin Sherry’s Yeti Files and those who enjoy light-hearted graphic novels with bright, appealing illustrations like The Investigators.
Camp Monster By Kate Messner Art by Falynn Koch Bloomsbury, 2026 ISBN: 9781547609413
Science Comics is a long-running series, which invites a wide variety of skilled creators to explore different scientific subjects. All of the titles in the series have a certain amount of narrative story holding the information together, but some definitely lean more towards the expository, which is the case in this title
A prose introduction from Emily Lindsay, a paleontologist who works at La Brea Tar Pits, gives some context for the book, explaining the rise and extinction of megafauna and prehistoric mammals and the importance of large mammals today. Flood begins the narration with an iconic sequence of panels showing a line of mammoths tramping across a glacier in Siberia, where they are then attacked by a pack of cave lions and one young mammoth plunges into the icy water below.
He uses this sequence to kick off the basic concepts being introduced in the book, showing the modern relatives of mammoths and cave lions – elephants and African lions – and then jumping back to the origin of mammals and their gradual development over millions of years. These pages are filled with neatly drawn charts of evolution and cartoon creatures in bright colors who comment on each other’s adaptions with jokes.
Flood helps readers follow the evolutionary development of mammals with a yellow diapsid, “Dia” and a red synapsid, “Sid.” Eventually, Dia evolves into the dinosaurs, eyeing Sid hungrily, while Sid evolves into the early mammals, brownish-yellow, blue, and purple creatures. In the next big extinction, Dia’s survivors shrink down to a feathery yellow bird while Sid returns to his red, basic mammalian form. Flood’s color-coded animal adaptations make it easy for young readers to follow the complex concepts of evolution and adaptation over the huge periods of time represented.
The story next moves on to the Cenozoic, the age of mammals. Flood illustrates the early mammals in soft browns and grays with faint black patterns, setting them amidst lush green jungles and forests. This morphs into the more colorful variety of mammals we’re more familiar with today, as well as gradually diversifying plant life, with colorful flowers, birds, insects, and more. Dia and Sid continue to show up—Dia staying in her yellow bird form while Sid changes frequently, although generally keeping to a four-footed, small red mammal shape.
Flood continues the story, showing how the changes in climate and habitat prompted evolutionary changes in mammals and drawing more and more parallels between prehistoric and modern creatures as evolution progresses. The original red of Sid the synapsid shows up again here, in the arrows and charts, while extinct animals are generally shown in plain greys and browns, allowing the animals who have contemporary survivors to show up more clearly in the artwork.
Sid shows up again, illustrating the evolution of herbivores from small to large, to survive the large carnivores. Dia flies along above a fleeing Sid, making comments on the predator and prey racing about. The two follow along as the story nears the modern day, showing the niche animals that evolved on the now-distinct continents and the convergent evolution of different species. When the narration reaches the ice ages of the Pleistocene, Flood steps away from animals in a spread to illustrate the climate changes with blue and green diagrams and a fiery sun shooting rays of orange and red toward earth.
The narrative begins to return to the introduction, showing the migration of mammoths and describing the La Brea Tar Pits, as well as introducing the evolution of a new mammal – humans. Sid and Dia show up again, watching the arrival of humans. Flood illustrates the changing evolution of different human species, showing a variety of darker skin colors, postures, and hair textures. He has a distinctive style when drawing human faces and this begins to show up in this last section of the book, with larger eyes, square, blocky hands, and thick lips. The story ends with a discussion of the current extinction event we are living through and the effect it has on mammals, including humans.
Flood has written or illustrated several other Science Comics titles and his blocky, simply style with lightly humorous touches and clear, simple diagrams is well-suited to the series. He does an excellent job in this title of connecting the complicated and wide-ranging topic together, moving between epochs and eras and tying the exposition together with narrative touches from beginning to end. The text is very readable, although the number of Latin species names may daunt some young readers. However, those who are interested in prehistoric life will be generally familiar with the nomenclature and the text is very understandable even if readers stumble over some of the names. This is another excellent entry in a strong series that should be represented in all public and school libraries.
Prehistoric Mammals From the Jurassic to the Ice Age By Joe Flood Macmillan First Second, 2026 ISBN: 9781250868428
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Serendipity, a perky middle schooler, is lucky, as readers will see in the first pages when she wins a radio contest (again) for free carnival tickets. As her day progresses, her usual good luck continues—good grades, the lead role in the school play, good scores on the basketball court, and a solid position as class president.
However, once she and her best friend Basil have an UNlucky run in with ZamZam, the carnival’s fortune-telling rabbit, her luck starts to change. It’s all ZamZam’s fault! Or is it? Serendipity is determined not to let anyone down, stop making mistakes, and handle everything on her own – but maybe she needs more help than the school’s unofficial wizard can offer and maybe even the best luck in the world won’t let her handle all the things she’s taken on.
Serendipity is a white girl with long brown hair that curls perfectly at the ends (usually). Unless she’s dressed up in a pink princess gown for the school play, she sports a purple shirt, short blue jumper, and yellow shorts. Her legs are drawn with long, thin lines. Her best friend Basil is also white, with short, orange hair and a heftier build. She is usually shown in shades of green, her preferred clothes being a green shirt and brown shorts. Serendipity’s vice president, Chel, wears a headscarf and there are students with varying skin colors on the periphery of her circle. There are a lot of pink accents in the art, from Serendipity’s cute strawberry hat, worn to disguise her unexpected bad hair day, to the pastel swirls of her thoughts. The carnival tent is deep pink and the night scenes are shown in dark purple shades.
This is a candy-pink, sweet as lollipops offering. It’s more fantasy than realistic—most modern middle schoolers would laugh at the idea of involvement in three activities being too much to take on and the dramatic play director and aggressive school election are old tropes that don’t usually appear in actual school life. However, the overall message is a thoughtful one and there are some especially good moments where Basil expresses her frustration with how easily everything comes to Serendipity—and her lack of appreciation and awareness for that privilege.
This will be a popular choice where Raina Telgemeier read-alikes are in high demand, especially for younger elementary school readers and those who aren’t interested in, or ready for, the more serious challenges they may meet in middle school.
Serendipity By Gabbie Benda Holiday House, 2026 ISBN: 9780823457892
Mika Song’s repertoire includes both picture book illustration and the Norma and Belly graphic novel series. She returns to the world of tasty food in her newest graphic novel, Night Chef.
In a gourmet kitchen, when the chefs leave, Night Chef takes over. A small raccoon, she ties on her blue apron, recites her chef mantras, and gets to work. Her latest creation needs an egg and fortunately there’s one almost within reach… When her ingredient hatches a noisy baby bird, Night Chef ends up going on a journey with her new responsibility. Along the way, she will cook new dishes, encounter new friends, and discover secrets about her own past.
Song’s work is instantly identifiable. Her lush watercolors create a night world of dark greens and blues, a cozy waterfront diner with simple browns, and a unique cast of characters. Rounded green frogs with headbands mingle with a sharp-eyed grey shrew and a pink-hued possum. Night Chef herself is unique – when she first appears, sneaking olives from the humans, she’s a small round bundle, her cheeks bulging. In her own world, she stands on her hind feet, sporting a neatly tied blue apron with handy pockets and carrying a large spatula. At one point in her travels, she meets a crowd of other raccoons, “The Pats” and stands out from their round, brown bodies with her own larger size, gray fur, and oval head. The villain of story, although treated with understanding, is a flurry of brown and white feathers and snapping, angry beak.
The book ends with a fun little comic of Night Chef making “fly frittata,” and the same recipe tweaked for more human tastes. Song also includes the character development of Night Chef, from rough sketches to completion.
This is lengthier, with more space for a deeper plot and character development, than Song’s earlier works. Although the story is a simple one, readers will feel the courage and dedication of Night Chef as she steps out into a scary world, leaving the only place she’s ever known, but keeps following her calling as a chef no matter where she goes. Squeamish readers may not enjoy the plentiful servings of worm-related food at the waterfront diner, but Song’s art makes everything look tasty.
This will be a sure bet for fans of Mika Song’s earlier works but will also appeal to readers who like reflective animal stories like One and Only Ivan as well as funny-food based stories like Stick Dog. It’s a great choice for encouraging young readers to explore different styles of art and graphic storytelling and even includes a timely message about the consequences of poisoning “pests” in the wild. Readers will root for Night Chef all the way to the satisfying ending.
Night Chef By Mika Song Penguin Random House Graphic, 2025 ISBN: 9780593303153
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11) Creator Representation: Filipino-American,
Jesus “Chuy” Reyes, age 12, starts the story by introducing himself and his best friend, Yael Levy or Yaya. Chuy is super smart and fascinated by all things intellectual—Yaya is a hands-on inventory and can make anything, even if she is a bit goofy at times. When a comet strikes earth and people gain mysterious powers, Chuy is super bummed – not only do these powers not conform to scientific laws, but he didn’t get any! When one of the second-rate supervillains of New Bork City ruins their ice cream, Yaya makes up her mind – they will become superheroes! With Chuy’s smarts and Yaya’s maker skills, the two take on Mr. Anti-Freeze, who is threatening to slimerize all the ice cream in New Bork City!
Florentine’s illustrations are bright and cheery, with lots of primary colors and drawn with clean, sharp lines. Chuy has brown skin, heavy eyebrows that move dynamically to indicate his exasperated moods, including up onto the outside of his pink baseball cap, and square glasses. He’s a tall, sturdy kid who gets a little excited about intellectual pursuits, but otherwise is mostly dragged along by the exuberant Yaya. Yaya, a skinny kid with short blue-black hair, is wildly enthusiastic about everything from superheroing to ice cream, despite the more cautious Chuy’s warnings and her younger brother’s embarrassment. Her family home is decorated to show her Jewish culture and Yoel, her younger brother, wears a kippah. Their villain has brown skin and pink hair.
The story is fairly simple, interspersed with lots of helpful (and random) facts from Chuy and step-by-step guides to making things from sorbet to grappling hooks from Yaya. The story ends with character studies and links to websites with guides for young makers.
Superhero take-offs like this tend to be cheesy, but this story is fully aware of its silliness and plays it for all it’s worth. Chuy’s repeated complaints that he’s NOT a superhero, the ridiculous villain, and Yaya’s wild enthusiasm will make readers giggle along with the author and maybe catch the making bug, even if they don’t want to put on a costume or have a super-powered bag to hold all their tools. While this is unlikely to satisfy readers who want “real” superheroes, it will certainly please younger readers who like funny stories and are interested in hands-on building. A must have for libraries and schools that include a maker space.
Maker Girl and Professor Smarts Vol. By Jasmine Florentine Candlewick, 2025 ISBN: 9781536239584
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
In a sparkling blue pond surrounded by lush greenery there is a village of happy frogs. But one small frog is not content to stay there – he’s ready to set out on an adventure. On his journey Froggy meets new friends, has some frightening and exciting adventures, and finally finds the place he belongs.
Walshe’s charming illustrations are a huge draw. Froggy is a small green lump with sturdy arms and legs – although he can jump like a frog, he is usually depicted more anthropomorphically, walking on his back legs. During peaceful moments in the story, green and blue predominates, but in moments of fear and drama the color scheme changes to hot reds and oranges. Froggy’s friends include a crew of regular woodland critters, from a gold fish (Fishtopher) to a pair of fuzzy bees. There are also more fantastical critters that include several cryptids and a wizard. The occasional humans shown include a Black family camping in the woods, a few teens fishing and boating, and a scruffy white man with greedy eyes and an old-fashioned camera looking for evidence of cryptids to benefit himself.
This is a gentle but funny story – the narrator interjects comments from time to time, describing the action and lamenting that they don’t get to participate in the treats on offer – while Froggy’s determination and the goofy scenarios he gets into range from cozy to hilarious. The sequence where the two cryptids teach him how to bite and his miscommunication with the wizard are especially funny. Most of the main characters use male pronouns, although the cryptids do not have a designated gender.
Intermediate readers will enjoy the simple adventures, quirky humor, and fresh, bright colors and even older readers can find something to appreciate in the tongue-in-cheek humor of the narrator and the contrast between Froggy’s wild enthusiasm and his small size. There are other titles similar in theme and reading level to this debut comic – Paige Braddock’s Stinky Cecil, Rosemary Mosco’s Expedition Backyard, and Renee Kurilla’s The Flower Garden. However, Walshe’s title stands out with her charming and funny illustrations, the slightly snarky twist of her humor, and differs from the others in that there isn’t an informational aspect to her story. At times it might seem to be moving towards reality, but it’s really a cozy fantasy, from the anthropomorphic pond animals in clothes and homes to the peaceful cryptids, wizard’s potions, and finally the helpful tips for life in the pond on the last spread, warning readers that fish hold grudges and all snails are terrible gossips. Readers will be rooting for Froggy in his adventures and looking forward to more comics from this debut author.
Froggy: A Pond Full of Pals! By Paige Walshe Flying Eye Books, 2025 ISBN: 9781838749361
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
The town of Maple Hollow holds a special fondness for Halloween. Every October is marked with a lengthy celebration of the spooky season. There are nightly haunted hayrides, pumpkin carving contests and all manner of amusements! Indeed, there are only two people in Maple Hollow who don’t celebrate Halloween—the town’s dentists, Dr. and Dr. Hollowell. They see Halloween as the night all their hard work safeguarding the town’s smiles is ruined, thanks to all the trick-or-treating and the candy that comes with it.
To make matters worse, their daughter Holly Hollowell was born with a natural attraction to the Halloween holiday. She rejected plush toys in favor of a rubber spider and always dressed in orange and black. However, despite Holly’s well-researched arguments that there is more to Halloween than candy, her parents refuse to let her trick-or-treat or dress up. Indeed, they make her stay home on Halloween night while they go out to a dentist convention!
Thankfully, Holly’s wish that she might finally have the Halloween of her dreams is heard by the Spoops – the little spirits of Halloween who make the world a little bit more magical every autumn. With their help, Holly will make up for lost time. And, with a little bit of pumpkin spice, the Spoops just might help Holly’s parents see the magic of Halloween.
I will admit to some bias in my enjoyment of Spoops: The Little Spirits of Halloween. All Hallow’s Eve has always been my favorite holiday. I made it a point to dress up every year as a kid and I spent more than few Halloween’s during my misspent youth dressing up at The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Even now, I’m a cosplayer who dresses up enough that, while maybe not every day is Halloween, I certainly keep to the spirit of the season all year around. Spoops: The Little Spirits of Halloween will appeal to those of a similar bend.
This is the first graphic novel of voice actor A.J. Locascio. Hopefully it will not be his last, as he shows a tremendous talent for writing for children. His rhyme scheme evokes memories of Dr. Seuss and Clement Clarke Moore, though he avoids the silly words of the former. At first, I thought some of Locascio’s word usage might be a bit too advanced for the intended audience. Then again, since the point of children’s poetry is often to expand vocabulary along with horizons, I don’t think this is a huge problem.
The artwork by Laurie Conley is born of the same spirit. It calls back to classic Easy Reader books, with colorful pictures interspersed amid the text. In this case, however, the colors are all black, white, and orange. There are many subtle touches in the art, like Holly’s parents being dully monochrome amidst the colorful world around them. Holly in particular stands out from her dull home, thanks to her bright orange clothing. The Spoops themselves, it should be noted, are suitably designed, splitting the difference between eldritch and adorable.
Spoops: The Little Spirits of Halloween contains no adult content or cursing. The only thing I think might draw objections is the belief that Holly’s Halloween wish might equate to summoning demons or performing witchcraft. Then again, anyone who would make that argument is unlikely to read a book about Halloween spirits in the first place. Most, I think, will find this appropriate for its intended audience of 5–9-year-olds, though some young readers may need help with some of the words.
Spoops: The Little Spirits of Halloween By A.J. Locascio Art by Laurie Conley Top Shelf, 2025 ISBN: 9781603095617
Company Age Rating: 5-8 years
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Picture Books (3-8)
The story opens with David, a brown-skinned, lanky middle-schooler, imagining the “spark” of creativity and ideas as a cute little cartoon creature. He arrives home and meets up with his neighbor Marta, a lively homeschooled 2nd grader with red-rimmed glasses and the two investigate an explosion in David’s basement. It turns out his mom has successfully created a tool to shrink herself down so she can travel between dimensions into a “micro universe.” Unfortunately, she’s left the tool behind.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And, of course, Junie B. Jones. Barbara Parks’ kindergarten heroine first entered the scene in 1992 and has graced 31 books, multiple stage plays, and a video game, even finding her way into Banned status in the early 2000s for not displaying good social values, poor grammar, and “mouthiness”. That by itself, in addition to being a straight up mood, could attract new readers to this legacy series. Now our kindergarten sass mouth is starring in her own graphic novel series from Penguin Random House, adapted by Colleen AF Venable and illustrated by Honie Beam. The first three books, Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business, and Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth, are already available and the fourth is expected September 2026.
line, and no adults allowed. If you get tagged, you’re immediately placed in the other side’s jail (until the streetlights come on, until the school year starts). Passed down through generations, everyone in Lakeside knows these rules are integral to keeping this decades long capture the flag game going. Newcomers must complete a puzzle in order to show their responsibility and be sworn into the game. When Fred’s family moves to Lakeside, he spends his summer playing The Endless Game, a summer he and the town will never forget. 
low numbers of yetis, she’s convinced her parents to turn it into Camp Monster and welcome everyone, but things don’t go as expected.
titles in the series have a certain amount of narrative story holding the information together, but some definitely lean more towards the expository, which is the case in this title
carnival tickets. As her day progresses, her usual good luck continues—good grades, the lead role in the school play, good scores on the basketball court, and a solid position as class president.
Mika Song’s repertoire includes both picture book illustration and the Norma and Belly graphic novel series. She returns to the world of tasty food in her newest graphic novel, Night Chef.
fascinated by all things intellectual—Yaya is a hands-on inventory and can make anything, even if she is a bit goofy at times. When a comet strikes earth and people gain mysterious powers, Chuy is super bummed – not only do these powers not conform to scientific laws, but he didn’t get any! When one of the second-rate supervillains of New Bork City ruins their ice cream, Yaya makes up her mind – they will become superheroes! With Chuy’s smarts and Yaya’s maker skills, the two take on Mr. Anti-Freeze, who is threatening to slimerize all the ice cream in New Bork City!
In a sparkling blue pond surrounded by lush greenery there is a village of happy frogs. But one small frog is not content to stay there – he’s ready to set out on an adventure. On his journey Froggy meets new friends, has some frightening and exciting adventures, and finally finds the place he belongs.
The town of Maple Hollow holds a special fondness for Halloween. Every October is marked with a lengthy celebration of the spooky season. There are nightly haunted hayrides, pumpkin carving contests and all manner of amusements! Indeed, there are only two people in Maple Hollow who don’t celebrate Halloween—the town’s dentists, Dr. and Dr. Hollowell. They see Halloween as the night all their hard work safeguarding the town’s smiles is ruined, thanks to all the trick-or-treating and the candy that comes with it.
