The Greenies
A lunchtime party under the bleachers leads to a group of middle schoolers facing a week of detention. Except instead of regular old 
boring detention, they’re roped into helping out with the school’s new Enviro-Club. In The Greenies by Emma Mills, with art from Sarah Nicole Kennedy, readers meet kids just like them who want to make their world a more environmentally friendly place and have some fun doing it too.
After her parents’ divorce, Violet moved to St. Louis with her mom, where she’s about to start a brand new school halfway through the school year. She’s thankful for having her cousin Kris there to help out but she mostly plans on relying on faking it till she makes it. When she gets invited to the Best Under Bleachers Party of the Century, she figures it’s a great way to meet her classmates. It’s fun, everyone’s having a good time… until they’re caught by a teacher who makes them clean up and assigns a week’s worth of detention to all the kids under the bleachers.
This week of detention turns into forced participation in the Enviro-Club, a group with a very passionate leader but very little interest from other students. The Greenies take on tasks around the school to make it into a greener, more beautiful space. There are some mishaps along the way, including a big one involving the mysterious 4th floor of their school and missing recycling, but there’s lots of joyful and funny moments. One standout is when the group rescues a chipmunk at school, which animal lovers will appreciate. The group also deals with some minor infighting and squabbles, showing readers that even when you’re working together, sometimes personalities and ideas will clash and it’s okay.
As the first book in a new middle grade graphic novel series, much of the action and story in this particular book involves the group as we get to know them, with a special focus on Violet as our main character. She realistically struggles with sharing her true emotions and trying her best to fit in at a new school in a new city. She misses her friends from home and seeing her dad everyday. Mills’ writing does a good job including these emotions in the novel without them overtaking the storyline. Yes, Violet is the main character but there’s more to the story than just her.
Kennedy’s art complements the story perfectly and is pleasantly reminiscent of other popular middle grade graphic novels, a selling point for voracious graphic novel readers. The characters in the book are diverse and expressive, with their facial expressions being a particular highlight for how realistic they are and their part in driving the book forward.
The Greenies is very focused on social responsibility and how small acts can make a difference. This particular aspect of the group makes it a fine choice for a classroom or book club read, where readers can consider what they can do and work together to make changes like the group does. The focus on a neighborhood clean up makes it an excellent springtime choice that may spur middle grader readers into action in the environment around them.
The Greenies
By Emma Mills
Art by Sarah Nicole Kennedy
Macmillan, 2026
ISBN: 9781250815767
Company Age Rating:Â 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
