Avery, a sturdy little girl with thick, curly brown hair, is excited to explore the yard and the woods in her new house. Wishing for a friend, she follows a deer, trips and falls down a hill and lands in a circle of mushrooms… where she shrinks! She meets Birch, a fairy with orange hair and light skin and the two set off together, but is Birch really going to be a new friend? Avery wants to explore this new world and be friends. However, Birch doesn’t seem very friendly, even when Avery offers to help, and she certainly doesn’t care that Avery is getting left behind because she can’t fly! The two will have to learn to work together if they want to be friends – and get back to the fairy village in time for the festival.
Kingsbury’s pastel illustrations lean heavily towards pink and purple, but not in an overwhelming way. Her art style is rich with rounded edges, little fairy details, and diverse hair, skin, and body types among the fairies. As the two children squabble, they travel through the woods, meeting the large deer that Avery originally followed, now drawn in close-up detail, a dark blue jay, and trees that tower over the tiny figures. When they arrive at the fairy village, there’s plenty of nature-themed architecture to enjoy, along with the neat little outfits of Birch’s moms and the other fairies in the village. The story concludes with some pages from Avery’s journal, including drawings of the different plants they collected and their descriptions, all with Kingsbury’s cute, rounded edges and warm colors. Kingsbury’s art reminded me of Rose Nadia Whittaker’s work in Adventures with Friends, a collection of RPG one-shots that we use with our D&D games with elementary-age kids and this simple story would make a delightful D&D adventure for young children just starting to play.
The text is in a very readable font and the text is generally simple, although there are some more complex vocabulary words in the description of plants. Most of the nuance of the story is conveyed through the protagonists’ expressions and body language and while the length of the book will appeal to younger readers, they will need to be a fairly fluent reader, both of text and art, to pick up all the details. This will make it double as an excellent read-aloud to a younger audience who isn’t fluent yet as well as hold the interest of older readers who might otherwise be beyond the simplicity of art and text.
It’s very common for younger children to express interest in chapter books with brightly colored, sparkling covers, only to be disappointed by the text and limited black and white illustrations within, so this is sure to fly off shelves both for independent readers and listeners. The interactions between the two girls model inclusive communication and readers will enjoy learning about the different herbs and plants and look forward to the next book set during Avery’s planned reunion with Birch in the autumn.
Avery and the Fairy Circle By Rowan Kingsbury Flying Eye Books, 2025 ISBN: 9781838749316
Company Age Rating: 5-9 years
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
This simple, informational comic starts the story on the endpages, with a small pink crab tumbling into the ocean. It falls on a small larva, who introduces itself. The larva is looking for a home and the crab is ready to get out of the boring bay – but agrees to show the larva around first. They meet kelp, anemones, and more inhabitants of the bay and finally become friends as well as figuring out the larva’s identity.
The plot is a little weak —Crab never really explains why it wants to leave and the “story” is mostly just there as a placeholder to move the characters around the bay and meet different creatures. However, with a younger audience this is fine and it’s a nice way to introduce the different inhabitants, which is the real point of the book. The short chapters, filled with puns and silly jokes, are divided by longer explanations of the different sea creatures the two meet and sometimes by interludes of puns, like a series of thumbnails of seagulls (one is a “trian-gull).
Information is included both in the general story, as when the two meet a group of mussels who explain that they are sessile, or when a sea urchin, sea cucumber, and sea star start an argument about the relative merits of their digestive systems, and in informational sections, narrated by the crab, which give more detailed information about behavior and habits.
Curll’s art style is very cute, with lots of blues and greens, picked out with brighter pinks and oranges. A red-lipped clam waxes philosophical about being the measure of happiness, with dramatic changes in its cartoon eyes. Kelp strands, some wearing old-fashioned glasses, gossips about their gas bladders and pokes the feet of littering humans. Two groups of opposing anemones, one orange, one yellow, wave their tentacles and zap each other and everything passing by, leading to a blue page with the heading “Pardon the interruption. We are experiencing tentacle difficulties.”
The final end pages show the crab passing readers on to the next habitat exploration, a fern forest with their guide, Fern. Curll has a fun, squiggly style that matches well with her pun-filled text. Young readers will enjoy exploring the underwater world with crab and larva, painlessly learning about the different underwater inhabitants, and giggling at the puns and wordplay. A strong choice for elementary school libraries and public libraries that serve this age group, with special interest for those located in the Pacific northwest.
Barnacle Bay By Jana Curll Greystone Books, 2025 ISBN: 9781778401022
Lerner Graphic Universe often produces interesting graphic novels in translation and this informational series starter, translated from Korean, is a fun addition to their catalog. Illustrated in manga style, in full color and translated for Western readers to read left to right, it offers a fun mystery with a spooky element as well as some scientific facts.
Kihan Shin, a 5th grader, is the leader of the Mystery Science Detectives and always eager to investigate. Hannah Kang is their photographer and, more importantly, their muscle. Terry, a 4th grader, is just there to relax, but he’s willing to help out with his technological expertise as well as fly his drone to check out their investigations. They’ve even got a mascot, a cute black and white cat named Kkami. Their first mystery begins when Yunjin Ryu, a baseball player, comes to tell them that he lost his signed ball in the spooky woods on the hill behind the school. While searching for it, he had several terrifying encounters, including what appeared to be zombie fingers!
Kihan enthusiastically insists the team set out to investigate immediately, even though its nearly dark. As they explore the forest, there are frequent dramatic pauses in the narrative for entries in their case notebook, highlighting facts about forest ecosystems and the creatures they encounter there including Yunjin’s “zombies.” Clues and quizzes are included along the way, so readers can review what they’ve learned and try to figure out the mystery on their own. The story ends with a report on what they learned, a teaser for their next case, and a short comic from the artist.
The characters have the big eyes, spiky hair, and exaggerated expressions readers have come to associate with manga. However, this is clearly aimed at a middle grade audience since the characters differ mostly in hair color and style – they have realistic child-shaped bodies and the jokes that make them blush are mostly bathroom humor. Even the jump scares are child-appropriate. They’re drawn with dramatic dark colors, creepy shadows, and the characters drip nervous perspiration. However, scary things are quickly explained in a couple pages as natural phenomena, usually followed by case notes or activities. Kihan spends a lot of time grinning smugly, his mouth wide open to display prominent front teeth while fourth grader Terry tries to project a laid-back attitude with his blase face, despite his often obvious nerves. Hannah is fairly equal with Kihan, having a reasonable amount of time on the page and showing off her strength as well as her photography skills throughout the story, but although her high red ponytail never has a hair out of place she’s shown with a variety of emotions throughout the story.
This is a good introduction to manga conventions for younger kids as well as a great addition to STEM-themed graphic novels and a good choice for kids who want to read a comic that’s not TOO scary.
The case of the Forest Fingers By Chi-hyeon Ahn Art by Gyung-hyo Kang Lerner Graphic Universe, 2024 ISBN: 9798765627525
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11) Creator Representation: Korean, Character Representation: Korean,
Kennedy and Devon have a sister problem. Two sister problems, in fact. First, they have to share a room and they have absolutely nothing in common. Second, their arguments are exacerbated by the lack of sleep caused by yet a THIRD sister, baby Eve, joining them in their room. Their fights increase until they accidentally break the TV and are doomed to a device-less existence until they can get along. First, they need to get some sleep – which means they have to get Eve to sleep. Which means they have to…. cooperate. Kennedy begins telling a fairy tale, but Devon insists on joining in and Kennedy’s perfect fairy tale is soon invaded by pirates, spiders, and axes. Will the sisters ever learn to work together?
In her debut graphic novel, Federman moves easily between the viewpoints of the two sisters, keeping their voices clearly differentiated with colored speech bubbles as well as exaggerating their different personalities. Kennedy wins math trophies and loves romantic fairy tales – she’s the older sister, slim with a neatly done braid of black hair – and her character Princess Sparklepuff is a typical princess with a lovely mass of curly red hair. Devon, on the other hand, is a short, chunky girl with a messy head of hair, pet tarantula, and a penchant for pirate pantaloons. She insists on introducing a crew of lady pirates, a tall Asian woman, slim Black girl with braids, and a short, chunky blonde with her curly hair in pigtails and a love of axes.
Watched by baby Eve, the two sisters fight, argue, and finally learn to communicate as they work through their story, eventually discovering their enjoy creating stories together and compromising in their stories and in their shared room. The story is humorous and relatable, up to the small house where the three girls share a room and their limited access to devices. There are some stereotypes shown in the parents, with the mom checking on the girls and the dad worrying about “my tv,” and the mom enforcing the discipline. As an adult, I also question why two young girls are being sleep-deprived by the baby, even if they do have very limited space in their home. However, I really appreciated how Kennedy’s obsession with a stereotypical “happily-ever-after” fairy tale, where the princess is rescued and gets married, was handled. Although Devon makes fun of it, her interests being more in the real of a kind of goth-style pirate adventure, Kennedy isn’t dismissed in the story as a whole. Rather, she’s gently guided into realizing there are a whole lot more options outside her narrow formula and it’s more interesting to explore other endings.
Story Spinners By Cassandra Federman Simon & Schuster Aladdin, 2025 ISBN: 9781665918237
Company Age Rating: Matheson Memorial Library (public library, open to the public since June 2020)
I’m always interested when Marvel brings out new all-ages, or child-friendly comics. While interest in the classic superheroes comes and goes over the years, there’s always at least a few elementary-age readers who want books about their favorite superheroes and finding titles that are age-appropriate can be a challenge, especially with today’s additional challenges. In 2023, they brought out a new trilogy of Spider-Man chapter book comics by Mike Maihack and they’re continuing the trend this year with a trilogy focused on Iron Man by Dean Hale and Douglas Holgate.
Iron Man loves saving the day and using his tech, but he does not love it when the phones aren’t working… and people start throwing around words like “magic” and “wizard!” When he encounters a strange, octopus-like alien monster, even his suit’s A.I., Franklin, can’t figure it out. Will he have to break down and call in, gulp, a wizard to help? Turns out he doesn’t need to call him – Doctor Strange is already here and ready to chat with the truly massive octopus-space monster that has appeared. But can the two work together to save the day – or will Iron Man let his devotion to tech and competitiveness get in the way of helping others?
Holgate’s art is crisp and contemporary. He keeps the familiar costumes of superheroes, from Iron Man’s suit to appearances by Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man. He even keeps Tony Stark’s iconic facial hair, but gives the art his own unique spin. Stark is a rather weedy little man, who strongly objects to Doctor Strange having a similar mustache. He neatly blends the tech of Iron Man’s suit with the gooey alien creature. With Iron Man in the grip of its green, dripping tentacles, starting at him with its giant, bulging red eye, the suit looks almost like a toy action figure. Readers will also notice a resemblance between the overlays and maps of Iron Man’s suit and the diagrams and flashing lights of Doctor Strange’s magic.
The creators have done a great job keeping the general spirit of the characters – Tony Stark comes off as a rather whiny and immature personality, which is very true to his character – while keeping the comic both appropriate and approachable for younger audiences. A brief resume of Iron Man’s history is included for kids who don’t know it and this will certainly interest them in exploring other characters, both old and new, like Doctor Strange and Ms. Marvel.
Iron Man Something Strange Vol. 4 By Dean Hale Art by Douglas Holgate Abrams, 2025 ISBN: 9781419774591
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
Cloud Puppy returns in a second collection of fan and media-based adventures. This collection focuses on various types of gaming. In the first adventure, “Cloud Puppy and the S-Tier Games,” Cloud Puppy and her friend Berry Rose loves to play a simple farming game, Valley of Runes. Jack makes fun of their game, insisting that only “S-Tier” games, like those he and his brother play, are worth playing. It takes some gentle guidance from her mom and friends before Cloud Puppy can learn to enjoy what she likes without worrying about what other people like. Jack learns some lessons about being a friend – and being honest—as well. This adventure has 9 chapters and is the main focus of the book. It’s followed by two short adventures, both featuring Berry Rose, first in a Live Action Role Playing (LARPing) game and then with all their friends playing Valley of Runes.
Miller’s colorful artwork is front and center, creating unique fantasy characters—Cloud Puppy is a fluffy white cross between a cloud and a dog, Berry Rose is a teddy-unicorn with wings, Jack is a jackalope, and Mossquatch is a giant, moss-covered boulderand depicting them acting in believable, child-appropriate ways. This volume includes the character—s in lots of new settings, from video games to live action. In the video games, the screen shots are shown in lighter, pastel shades with simplified, slightly pixelated backgrounds to differentiate them from “real life.” More characters show up in the LARPing adventure, which happens outdoors, with lots of opportunities for fun costumes and colorful landscapes.
The colorful settings, quirky characters, and fun adventures all encapsulate various social-emotional learning opportunities with the overall lesson being similar to that of the first volume – everyone gets to enjoy things in their own way! Berry Rose steps outside her comfort zone and finds that others will respect her need for structure so she can have fun, but in return she needs to let them play in their own ways as well. Jack learns not to play mean tricks on his friends, even if they end well, and Mossquatch gets a little more confidence which each new adventure. Cloud Puppy; bouncy, excited, and enthusiastic, learns to stand on her own while still being kind to her friends and at the end all the kids are better friends for having learned more about each other, apologized for their mistakes, and tried new things.
While the first book isn’t necessary to read the second title, it does introduce the general cast of characters and explain how their world works. Younger elementary school students are the prime audience for this, especially those who love video games and other fandoms, but even older kids will enjoy the colorful art and goofy, sweet stories.
Cloud Puppy: Game On! By Kelly Leigh Miller Simon & Schuster Atheneum, 2025 ISBN: 9781665932158
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
Eleanor Spicer Rice, an entomologist, has only recently started publishing books for juvenile readers. Starting in 2023 with Unseen Jungle, an informative and hilarious book about microbes, she’s teamed up with illustrator Rob Wilson to create accessible and interesting nonfiction titles. Her newest series, The Deadliest debuted in 2025 with two exciting titles that combine her inimitable prose with the lively art of Max Temescu. The two debut titles focus on very different creatures—spiders and big cats—and combine comic panels, anecdotes, game-show style art, and interesting facts for a fun and engaging reading experience.
Both titles begin with a basic introduction and safety tips for interacting with these creatures, including not keeping big cats as pets and not disturbing spiders. In Big Cat, readers learn about the basic species of cats and the seven that are considered “big cats.” In Spider we learn what defines a spider and meet six spiders that are considered the most dangerous from the brown recluse to the mouse spider. In both books readers learn about the creatures’ interactions with humans, how they can be dangerous, why they might attack a human, and potential scenarios of their attacks. A spinner at the end shows the ranked creatures from “What’s the big deal?” to “Say Goodbye” and we learn which of the species we learned about is most deadly. The answers will be surprising! But the story doesn’t stop there. Rice continues to explore the importance of each creature to its ecosystem, compares them to other natural and man-made hazards, and includes some fun activities.
Max Temescu’s art is a great complement to Rice’s lively text. Sleek cats and carefully detailed spiders roam the pages and the books’ layout is busy but not cluttered. He combines comic panels, info boxes, layers of different fonts and colors, occasional speech bubbles, and action shots to keep readers’ interest focused on the facts and narrative. The humans pictured have diverse skin tones and body types and the spiders, especially are shown as cute and friendly instead of frightening.
These are a step up in reading level from Pallotta’s popular Who Would Win easy nonfiction series and with the added bonus of Temescu’s art they are sure to become a favorite series for elementary-age students, as well as older readers who want to learn the truth about animals who are supposed to be “deadly.” Additional titles will be released throughout the year and they are an strong choice for most public and school libraries.
The Deadliest Spider; The Deadliest Big Cat By Eleanor Spicer Rice Art by Max Temescu Norton Young Readers, 202
Volume
ISBN
Big Cat
9781324053736
Spider
9781324053712
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
Where do I come from? It’s almost a universally asked question, one that can pop up in many ways and at many different points in your life. History Comics: Ellis Island, written by Felipe Galindo Feggo and illustrated by Tait Howard, explores that question, with the I standing in for American citizens. How did this island, and its nearby neighbor the Statue of Liberty, come to be such an important part of American history? How do we see its legacy today and can we create a better future from our past? This graphic novel tells a vital history that can teach compassion and invite reflection in young readers.
History Comics: Ellis Island starts with a short essay filling readers in on basic background information of Ellis Island, including some deeper questions to keep in mind while reading. These straightforwardly written facts are helpful for readers learning about immigration. This story of Ellis Island kicks off in 2012 as Hurricane Sandy ravages New York City. Paul and his mom Amie’s apartment is on a lower level so they visit their third floor neighbors, the Gómez family, to keep safe from the rising waters outside. Paul suggests telling campfire stories to pass the time so Mrs.Gómez suggests Amie share the history of Ellis Island. As a park ranger, she knows everything about it! Her own family even passed through there.
One of the most impressive things about this title is how wide-reaching the history is. Amie’s story telling starts at the very beginning, when the island was cared for by the Lenape, and goes through to its post-Sandy restoration in 2013. But it’s more than just the story of the island and the building itself, it’s the story of immigration in America over those hundreds of years. That story stretches beyond the titular island and moves across the entire country.
This book can serve as a great starting off point to a larger lesson about the topic or as a supplement to one already ongoing. It could be helpful in putting patterns of immigration and anti-immigrant movements into context, especially today when many young people may want to learn the hows and the whys. The rise of nationalism and “Deportmania” in the late 1910s is particularly relevant, along with the history of the laws created in the subsequent years.
Howard’s art is very helpful and appropriate in telling the story. It’s not too graphic or realistic but not too cartoony or silly; it doesn’t demean the story being told. Eagle eyed readers will catch some of the easter eggs and visual jokes Howard placed throughout the panels. There are some more intensely drawn scenes, including gun usage and hanging, along with medical related illustrations, that match the particulars being told at that point. Nothing is done gratuitously. Overall, the art is appropriately matched to what story the graphic novel is telling.
History Comics: Ellis Island is recommended for older middle grade readers.These facts aren’t always easy to read and could lead to intense, emotional discussion in shared spaces. With that in mind, it certainly deserves a spot in history classrooms. Curious history lovers will especially enjoy it and many adults could stand to give it a read. History Comics: Ellis Island gives its readers a thorough, truthful look at an important American landmark and the vast history surrounding it.
History Comics: Ellis Island By Felipe Galindo Feggo Art by Tait Howard Macmillan First Second, 2025 ISBN: 9781250768797
The odd-couple trope in children’s books is most often seen in early readers and beginning chapters, from Elephant and Piggy to Pizza and Taco. Plots tend to shift towards a single protagonist or a group as they grow more complex, so it’s a clever creator who can maintain this dynamic in a graphic novel aimed at elementary-age students.
Pablo, a tall, skinny penguin, is perfectly happy living in the cold and snacking on krill pops. Splash, a short round penguin with a hat and scarf, is NOT. She wants to explore other places, preferably somewhere warm! She wants to go on… a vacation! When they fall into an underground lab and are captured by Professor O’Brain, they attempt to escape. A helpful “robot” invites them to hide inside of it… and turns out to be a time machine! Splash gets her vacation in a warm place after all – but it’s not what she imagined at all! She and Pablo will have to work together, combining Pablo’s patience and smarts and Splash’s enthusiasm and can-do attitude, if they’re going to make it home in one piece – and discover the secret plan of Professor O’Brain.
Dempsey’s art is bright and colorful, a good fit for her light-hearted and humorous story. The two penguins, with their unique body types, zip and bounce through the stark blue and whites of Antarctica, the warm underground yellows and browns of O’Brain’s lab, and the bright greens of their tropical destination. Time Bender, the time-traveling machine, is a round white orb, with a suspiciously grinning face and bland delivery of its lines, shown in an old-fashioned type. Professor O’Brain typifies a mad scientist, with a wild swirl of pink hair, pointed chin, and big goggles. She shows up at first in an ankle-length shirt dress, fuzzy slippers, and tool belt, and appears to be a villain, but by the end of the book her true colors show as she explains her plan with a friendly smile.
There is a lighter amount of text in this graphic novel, but it’s fairly complex, with puns, snarky jokes, and the penguin’s favorite exclamation, “for cod’s sake!” There’s also back matter with more in-depth and factual information about penguins, their time-travel destination, and Antarctica. Young readers who are fairly fluent, can handle different typefaces, and are comfortable with a thicker book but who prefer lighter, simpler storylines will be delighted to discover this goofy pair. This is also a good choice for kids who are reluctant to try longer or harder stories as the humor, fun illustrations, and rapid action will draw them into the story and encourage them to build their reading skills to decipher the story.
Pablo and Splash By Sheena Dempsey Bloomsbury, 2024 ISBN: 9781547616176
Company Age Rating: Matheson Memorial Library (public library, open to the public since June 2020)
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
JieJie and her little brother DiDi live in a desert wasteland outside of a bustling metropolis known as Oasis City. Their mother works long, grueling hours in order to get her children admitted to the city. JieJie does her best to keep her little brother in good spirits and acts as sister, best friend, and mother. But this is no job for a child. Scavenging for water, enduring sandstorms, and trying to make nutritious meals from dry packets weigh heavily on JieJie. Things change when the children come across a scrapped AI robot in a junkyard. This new addition to the family is able to do pretty much everything their original mother can and the children begin to develop a familial love for her. Despite the story’s dark premise, it ends on a very hopeful note.
I do want to draw attention (pun intended) to the beautiful illustrations in this book. The character designs are minimal and delicate – the people in this story have a cartoonish, child-friendly design that is almost evocative of dolls or toys and I think the whole vibe endears them to the reader. The harsh environments and settings are realistically rendered, and Goujing makes excellent use of color and highlight to bring out the despair and hope in the story.
Oasis has a lot of potential for dark storytelling, but ultimately leaves these plot threads behind to favor a saccharine ending. I feel that there was a rich vein to mine about AI, environmentalism, the nature of work in capitalist societies (a very haunting connection is drawn between the children’s mother and the AI robot), and how all of those things have the potential to just slam together and what sort of disasters it might create.
But really, this book is not necessarily trying to speak to me personally. As the author states, the book was inspired by the “left-behind children” of China—children who live in rural areas while their parents seek work in cities. A happy ending is what we want to give these children who are so far away from their parents, and it’s easy to see that desire reflected in the story. The publisher describes it as “filled with equal parts hope and suspense,” and I am inclined to agree.
Oasis By Guojing Macmillan, 2025 ISBN: 9781250818386
Company Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11) Creator Representation: Chinese, Character Representation: Chinese,
Avery, a sturdy little girl with thick, curly brown hair, is excited to explore the yard and the woods in her new house. Wishing for a friend, she follows a deer, trips and falls down a hill and lands in a circle of mushrooms… where she shrinks! She meets Birch, a fairy with orange hair and light skin and the two set off together, but is Birch really going to be a new friend? Avery wants to explore this new world and be friends. However, Birch doesn’t seem very friendly, even when Avery offers to help, and she certainly doesn’t care that Avery is getting left behind because she can’t fly! The two will have to learn to work together if they want to be friends – and get back to the fairy village in time for the festival.
larva, who introduces itself. The larva is looking for a home and the crab is ready to get out of the boring bay – but agrees to show the larva around first. They meet kelp, anemones, and more inhabitants of the bay and finally become friends as well as figuring out the larva’s identity.
Korean, is a fun addition to their catalog. Illustrated in manga style, in full color and translated for Western readers to read left to right, it offers a fun mystery with a spooky element as well as some scientific facts.
nothing in common. Second, their arguments are exacerbated by the lack of sleep caused by yet a THIRD sister, baby Eve, joining them in their room. Their fights increase until they accidentally break the TV and are doomed to a device-less existence until they can get along. First, they need to get some sleep – which means they have to get Eve to sleep. Which means they have to…. cooperate. Kennedy begins telling a fairy tale, but Devon insists on joining in and Kennedy’s perfect fairy tale is soon invaded by pirates, spiders, and axes. Will the sisters ever learn to work together?
and goes over the years, there’s always at least a few elementary-age readers who want books about their favorite superheroes and finding titles that are age-appropriate can be a challenge, especially with today’s additional challenges. In 2023, they brought out a new trilogy of Spider-Man chapter book comics by Mike Maihack and they’re continuing the trend this year with a trilogy focused on Iron Man by Dean Hale and Douglas Holgate.
the first adventure, “Cloud Puppy and the S-Tier Games,” Cloud Puppy and her friend Berry Rose loves to play a simple farming game, Valley of Runes. Jack makes fun of their game, insisting that only “S-Tier” games, like those he and his brother play, are worth playing. It takes some gentle guidance from her mom and friends before Cloud Puppy can learn to enjoy what she likes without worrying about what other people like. Jack learns some lessons about being a friend – and being honest—as well. This adventure has 9 chapters and is the main focus of the book. It’s followed by two short adventures, both featuring Berry Rose, first in a Live Action Role Playing (LARPing) game and then with all their friends playing Valley of Runes.
Jungle, an informative and hilarious book about microbes, she’s teamed up with illustrator Rob Wilson to create accessible and interesting nonfiction titles. Her newest series, The Deadliest debuted in 2025 with two exciting titles that combine her inimitable prose with the lively art of Max Temescu. The two debut titles focus on very different creatures—spiders and big cats—and combine comic panels, anecdotes, game-show style art, and interesting facts for a fun and engaging reading experience.
Where do I come from? It’s almost a universally asked question, one that can pop up in many ways and at many different points in your life. History Comics: Ellis Island, written by Felipe Galindo Feggo and illustrated by Tait Howard, explores that question, with the I standing in for American citizens. How did this island, and its nearby neighbor the Statue of Liberty, come to be such an important part of American history? How do we see its legacy today and can we create a better future from our past? This graphic novel tells a vital history that can teach compassion and invite reflection in young readers.
and Taco. Plots tend to shift towards a single protagonist or a group as they grow more complex, so it’s a clever creator who can maintain this dynamic in a graphic novel aimed at elementary-age students.
long, grueling hours in order to get her children admitted to the city. JieJie does her best to keep her little brother in good spirits and acts as sister, best friend, and mother. But this is no job for a child. Scavenging for water, enduring sandstorms, and trying to make nutritious meals from dry packets weigh heavily on JieJie. Things change when the children come across a scrapped AI robot in a junkyard. This new addition to the family is able to do pretty much everything their original mother can and the children begin to develop a familial love for her. Despite the story’s dark premise, it ends on a very hopeful note.
