Tag: monsters

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Middle Grade Moms are Fantastic!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

It’s Mother’s Day tomorrow, so let’s shine the spotlight on some of our middle grade moms. These books are all for the middle graders, but the moms featured are pretty amazing.

Darkness and Demon Song, by M.R. Fournet, (June 2025, Square Fish), $9.99, ISBN: 9781250876065

Ages 9-12

Marius Grey is a tween monster hunter: think of him as one of Supernatural’s Winchester boys with a book rather than enchanted weapons. He’s fought a rougarou and he’s brought his mother back from actual Hell, but she didn’t come back entirely right. This second book in the Marius Grey series picks up from where Brick Dust and Bones (2023) left off, but the fun was only beginning. Set in New Orleans, Marius and his best friend, the flesh-eating mermaid, join forces with his magical community and a new friend who’s got some powers of her own to figure out what came back with his mother and how to get rid of it. If you haven’t read the first book in the series, don’t worry – Fournet takes care of a lot of the exposition within the narrative, but you’ll want to read it for sure when you’re done. The story is powered by Marius’s love for his mother and his desire to save her yet again. Additional characters have textured backstories and make this an all-around good read for middle graders who enjoy the spookier side of life. Darkness and Demon Song was originally published in hardcover in 2024; the trade paperback is publishing in June.

 

Vanya and the Wild Hunt, by Sangu Mandanna, (March 2025, Roaring Brook Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781250899835

Ages 8-12

Vanya is a British-Indian eleven-year old who doesn’t feel like she fits in. The English town where she lives in mostly white, and her ADHD keeps her distracted. And apparently, the books are talking to her – but she keeps that quiet from her parents; she doesn’t want them to have any more reason to worry about her. Except for the day when an honest-to-goodness bogeyman attacks her family, and she discovers that her parents have a LOT of secrets, starting with her mother, who brandishes a flaming dagger out of a table lamp at the bogeyman. Her mother is an archwitch: a protector of “fantastical creatures of mythical beasts”. Her father – who heard the books all along! – is an archivist who met her mother when they were children at Auramere, a magical library and school. Now that Vanya has the truth, she’s invited to go to Auramere, too; she’ll learn that all the mythical, magical monsters and creatures are real. Unicorns? They’re actually chubby Shetland pony-type horses, but they do have magical horns. That cute little mongoose that winks at her? That’s Victory, her mother’s famillilar. Magic is real, and now it’s Vanya’s turn to learn about it before The Wild Hunt – an enigmatic, powerful group – destroys her home, her family, and her life. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches author Mandanna brings her love of fantasy to middle graders with a story that fantasy fans will love. Black and white illustrations throughout keep things interesting. Readers who love fantasy like the Kiranmala series by Sayantani Dasgupta, Roshani Chokshi’s Pandava series (better known as the Aru Shah series), Dhionielle Clayton’s Conjureverse series (aka The Marvellers), and the series under the Rick Riordan presents umbrella, will enjoy a new adventure rooted in myth and legend.

Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Teen, Tween Reads, Young Adult/New Adult

Tales from the TBR: More Winx Club!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Winx Club Vol. 2: Friends, Monsters, and Witches!, by Iginio Straffi & Rainbow S.p.A., (June 2024, Papercutz), $14.99, ISBN: 9781545800805

Ages 7-12

The second collected volume of Winx Club reprints three classic stories from Winx Club’s 2004 run: In “A Friend for Bloom”, Bloom tells Musa, Tecna, and Flora how she came to Alfea, and how Stella helped her realize that she is a fairy. “Prisoner of the Dark” sees Bloom caught by the Trix, who trap her inside a tree. “The Swamp Monster” sees the Trix return to make more mischief when the Specialists notice animal carcasses in the swamp – just as the Winx are near the swamp on assignment. Middle graders and middle schoolers who enjoy Disney’s W.I.T.C.H. series will enjoy this collected volume, as will your anime and manga Magical Girl fans.

I’ve discovered that having the Winx Club Wiki on hand has been helpful for some of my graphic novel readers: it’s a good resource for anyone interested in learning more about the series, with in-depth profiles on the characters and resources on the various series, episode breakdowns, movies, and more.

 

Fate: The Winx Saga Vol.1 : Dark Destiny, by Olivia Cuartero-Briggs/Illustrated by Christianne Gillenardo-Goudreau, (August 2024, Mad Cave Studios), $14.99, ISBN: 9781960578938

Ages 12+

Folks, this is a Winx Club for middle school and beginning high schoolers! Fate is an original graphic novel and a continuation of the Netflix series (2021-2022). Set in the magical school of Alfea, this group of fairies is coping with the loss of their friend, Bloom, after she left to find her mother in the Realm of Darkness. The group is attacked with new powers and find themselves up against an enemy they’ve never experienced before. Is Bloom going to come back and save the day? The illustration has a more YA graphic novel feel – less bright, characters are more realistic with a soft cartoon feel; think Molly Knox Ostertag, Faith Erin Hicks, or M. Duffy. Fate brings Winx Club to a slightly older audience, whether it’s tweens and teens that have moved on from the earlier Winx series, are fans of the Netflix series, or are just ready for a magical series geared toward them. It’s a good investment for you graphic novel series, if you have fantasy readers.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Halloween Picture Books for Spooky Fun Read-Alouds

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Vlad the Fabulous Vampire, by Flavia Z Drago, (Sept. 2023, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536233322

Ages 3-7

Flavia Z Drago returns to the world of Gustavo the Shy Ghost (2020) and introduces readers to Vlad, a vampire whose passion is fashion – but he’s so worried that his friends will discover that – GASP! – he has rosy pink cheeks that make him look “horribly alive”! He tries to design fabulous fashion to disguise his cheeks, but he know that deep inside, he isn’t being honest to himself or his friends. One day, he discovers that Shelley, his best friend, has been keeping a secret of her own, and the two form an even stronger support system that inspires them to love their unique qualities and encourage uniquene in others. Mixed-media illustrations and folk-art illustrations bring this story to life, with positive, affirming storytelling. Readers will love spotting Drago’s other characters, Flavia and Gustvavo. A delightful addition to picture book collections. Download a free activity kit at publisher Candlewick’s page!

 

 

 

There Was a Young Zombie Who Swallowed a Worm, by Kaye Baillie/Illustrated by Diane Ewen, (June 2023, Kane Miller), $13.99, ISBN: 9781684645787

Ages 3-6

In this Halloween-y take on There Was an Old Lady… a young zombie gobbles up everything around him with amusing consequences. Young zombie, a green-skinned kid with head bandages, a torn green shirt and bright red ragged pants, munches his way through a bevy of creepy crawlies and ghouls, from the titular worm through bats, ghosts, and trolls until his tummy finally gives out. A fun seasonal take on the cumulative favorite, the rhyme scheme makes for a fun readaloud, with phrases like, “He swallowed the bat to catch the worm. / I don’t know why he swallowed the worm. / It made him squirm” and “He swallowed the troll to bother the beast, / Who grizzled and grumbled at being his feast”. As the story continues, kids wll be able to chime in with some passages they remember, and there are plenty of chances to get readers up and squirming, fluttering and flapping, giggling, and cackling. Colorful, expressive characters are cartoony, never scary, and endpapers show everyone who ends up in the Young Zombie’s hungry maw. A fun additional purchase for holiday collections.

There Was a Young Zombie Who Swallowed a Worm was originally published in 2022 in the U.K.

 

 

Billy and the Beast, by Nadia Shireen, (June 2023, Kane Miller), $13.99, ISBN: 9781684645893

Billy is a little girl who can think fast – and she needs to, because she and her trusty sidekick, Fatcat, have to thwart a big, hairy beast from eating some adorable forest friends… and Fatcat! Billy is a girl of color, out on a stroll with her feline friend, saying hello to a Hedgehog, a Fox, some mice, and bunny rabbits, when they come across a big, blue, hairy Beast who’s making a “big pot of TERRIBLE soup” and needs “all sorts of unusual ingredients”. A quick look at the recipe, and Billy realizes that those ingredients include the animals she and Fatcat just encountered on their walk! Her quick mind and resourcefulness helps her come up with ways to keep the animals safe from the Beast, but when he reveals his final ingredient, Billy decides to enact some old-school fairy tale justice in a laugh-out-loud resolution. Cartoon artwork and expressive facial expressions make this a great read-aloud choice. Pair this with Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Tom Knight’s Bone Soup (2018) for a snacky storytime.

Billy and the Beast was originally published in the UK in 2018, and has two companion books, Billy and the Pirates and Billy and the Dragon.

 

The Pumpkin Who Was Afraid of the Dark, by Michelle Robinson/Illustrated by Mike Byrne, (June 2023, Kane Miller), $13.99, ISBN: 9781684647286

Ages 4-7

Boo is an adorable pumpkin who doesn’t like Halloween: she isn’t scary and she doesn’t want to be! All the other spooky pumpkins in Boo’s patch are chosen, but poor Boo sits all by herself. She doesn’t have scary cutout eyes or a wicked smile; she’s round, has big, friendly eyes, and a sweet smile. It turns out that she’s the best pumpkin choice for a brother and sister who venture into the patch: the little boy, dressed as a bat, is afraid of scary things! Told in rhyme, this sweet story takes the spookiness out of Halloween and talks about the fun: being with family, dressing up, and choosing the perfect pumpkin from the pumpkin patch; a pumpkin that will softly glow and keep the creepy stuff away. The brother and sister are brown-skinned, with expressive faces; Boo is softer than her fellow Jack-0-lanterns. She’s round and softly outlined; she’s a colorful orange with slightly more orange cheeks and bright green stringy arms, legs, and hair. A fun rhyming readaloud for holiday collections and a great opportunity to hand out pumpkin crafts!

The Pumpkin Who Was Afraid of the Dark was originally published in the UK in 2022.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Nibbles goes to bed… or does he?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Nibbles: The Bedtime Book, by Emma Yarlett, (March 2023, Kane Miller), $16.99, ISBN: 9781684644933

Ages 4-7

Nibbles, my favorite book-nibbling monster, is back at bedtime in this latest adventure. After a long day of escaping into libraries and eating his way through all the books, it’s finally bedtime and Nibbles is in crate… but a quick lift of the flap shows readers that he isn’t: he’s off on another book-nibbling escapade, hilariously chomping his way through bedtime stories like The Ugly Duckling, Cinderella, and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Will Nibbles finally slow down and get tired? Will fairy tales ever be the same? Flaps and die cuts reveal Nibbles’s adventures to readers, and the bright yellow monster pops off the quieter, darker backgrounds, letting readers easily spot him. A little bit of rhyme, mixed with exasperated storytelling and fractured fairytales, give readers a little something for everyone. A delightful addition to fairy tale collections.

 

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade

New intermediate series: Leo’s Map of Monsters

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Leo’s Map of Monsters: The Armored Goretusk, by Kris Humphrey/Illustrated by Pete Williamson, (Aug. 2022, Kane Miller), $5.99, ISBN: 9781684644858

Ages 7-11

Set in a fantasy world where kids receive apprentice Assignments at the age of 9, Leo wakes up on the morning of his ninth birthday and discovers that he’s been given a Top Secret Assignment! The Village Chief appears and whisks Leo off to the curmudgeonly Guardian, who keeps everyone safe from the monsters that lurk in the forest outside the village walls. He hands Leo a map, some magical stones, and a slingshot, and sends him off on his first mission: to draw the Armored Goretusk away from the village. Black and white fantasy artwork with an Edward Gorey-bent features on almost every page; antiquing elements give the appearance of reading an ancient tome. The adventure is light and fun, with a buddy-cop partnership between Leo and Starla, one of the forest residents; the promise of more fantastic beasts to come will keep readers coming back. A map lets readers follow Leo’s adventures; back matter includes stats and descriptions of the creatures he encounters in this first book and a look at the different stones he uses. This one is a fun fantasy series to add to your chapter book/intermediate shelves.

Originally published in the U.K. in 2020, The Armored Goretusk is the first in the Leo’s Map of Monsters series. All four books are available in the States and fantasy fans will want them all, posthaste!

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Brave Enough confronts monsters… and humans!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Brave Enough, by Rob Justus, (Feb. 2022, Page Street Kids), $17.99, ISBN: 9781645673491

Ages 4-8

Little Brother sees monsters everywhere, and would rather stay inside and read about them – hey, forewarned is forearmed! – but Big Sister thinks monsters are just “a bunch of phoney-baloney fantasy make-believe”! She’s determined to teach Little Brother how to be brave enough… until that moment when they discover an honest-to-goodness MONSTER! Luckily for Big Sister, Little Brother has done his reading and knows how to handle monsters (that are just as scared of humans). With some stomping and stamping, and some clapping and snapping, everything is going to be just fine. Lively and bright illustrations pair with upbeat, everyday conversational text to make this a fun readaloud. Illustrations bring the lighter side of the story to light as Big Sister tries to get a rise out of her brother, putting him in a bright yellow cape (to match her flashy yellow boots!) and infuse him with confidence; the book titles also clue readers in to the Monster’s own fear of humans, with titles like “Humans and Loud Noises”, “What’s with Pants?”, and “Bumps in the Day”; mirroring Little Brother’s monster-related reading. The characters have exaggerated facial expressions so there’s no question as to how to read this story: with as much fun as you can muster! The moral of the story: understanding crosses barriers: even between monsters and humans (but maybe not vampires). Pair this one with Ed and Rebecca Emberley’s If You’re a Monster and You Know It for musical fun.

Visit author Rob Justus’s webpage for more of his illustration work.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Margo Maloo is back in The Tangled Web

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Time for another graphic novel roundup! I’ve been reading and tearing through both my new and pre-existing TBR, and work’s kept me on my toes, so please forgive the spotty posting schedule as of late.

The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo: The Tangled Web, by Drew Weing, (Dec. 2021, First Second), $15.99, ISBN: 9781250206831

Ages 8-12

The third Margo Maloo adventure is full of heart and humor, and introduces some new drama. Monsters’ hiding places are being discovered and they’re being run out by ghost-hunting teens, kids, and developers, who want to raze old buildings to make way for expensive new luxury housing (sound familiar?). There’s tension building between Margo and Charles, her assistant in monster ambassadorship, because Charles’s background as a monster journalist makes him a little sus in her eyes. A setup leads to a big misunderstanding between the two friends, but they have to put their differences aside when a family of giant spiders need to be saved from a factory about to be blown up!

Drew Weing has given us such fun, insightful characters in the Margo Maloo stories, and manages to address very real-world problems in the frame of a fantasy. He’s addressed diversity and prejudice in previous Case Files, and takes on gentrification and affordable housing this time around. Even Echo City’s human residents are feeling the stress as Charles’s superintendent dad fixes up the apartments in their building, expecting the rents to go sky high and price them out of their homes. Readers will be happy to see familiar characters, including Kevin Charles’s neighbor and friend, and Marcus, the Battlebeenz-playing monster. Drew Weing also starts an interesting new subplot that brings a shady new element into the story and causes strife between Margo and Charles. I can’t wait to see how this develops. Don’t miss this fun series.

 

Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Teen, Uncategorized, Young Adult/New Adult

Wishes aren’t free: The Well

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Well, by Jake Wyatt/Illustrated by Choo, (Apr. 2022, First Second), $17.99, ISBN: 9781626724143

Ages 14+

A seaside village is attacked by a monster. A woodcutter, his wife and mother in law, two powerful witches, join forces to battle it, and disappear, leaving behind their child and her grandfather, to raise her. Thirteen years later, Lizzie is a teen who helps her grandfather by selling their wares at the local market, but when she needs money to cover her passage home, she grabs money from the sacred well and awakens a spirit that urges her to repay her debt. Lizzie must grant wishes, but every wish comes with a price; some are painful to bear. In her quest to cover her debts at the well, Lizzie will learn about the magic that almost destroyed her family.

The Well unfolds like a fairy tale: a monster, a tragedy, a child left behind, and a legacy of magic to be discovered. The moral – every wish comes with a price, and having a wish granted isn’t always what it seems – runs through the story, reminding readers to think before they act, even before they wish. The artwork is dreamlike, with vibrant color and fantastic monsters. A must for your fantasy fans.

I love the idea of having tweens and teens create their own fairy tales, and The Well is a great way to introduce a program like that. Invite readers to volunteer fairy tale elements they see in the story. Outback Aussie Teaching has a planning template on Teachers Pay Teachers, to help writers organize their thoughts; the Bilingual Language Institute has a Spanish/English picture board with options for characters, setting, problems, solutions, and magic powers to help give readers a flow to work with.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Spoooooky Books for your Halloween Displays!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday. It’s a celebration of fun, all things spooky and weird, and candy.

If you’re going to have a seasonal, Halloween, or spooky book display up, consider some of these fun new books!

Poultrygeist, by Eric Geron/Illustrated by Pete Oswald, (Aug. 2021, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536210507

Ages 4-8

This cautionary tale is worth a giggle or three at storytime. When a chicken crosses the road without looking both ways, he reaches THE OTHER SIDE. No, not *that* other side, The Other Side: he’s a ghost chicken now… a POULTRYGEIST. The fun play on words brings us into a story where other ghostly animals try to pressure our poor chicken into scaring others, but Poultry doesn’t want to do that! The peer pressure continues until Poultry asserts himself, proving that even the friendliest ghost can show a little “pluck”. Smart wordplay, a fun story, and a strong messages about peer pressure and standing up for oneself let readers know that it’s okay to say “no” to bullies. The digital artwork is a Halloween delight, with sprawling midnight blue and black landscapes and shimmery, colorful ghostly animals. Spooky eyes dot the landscape, giving a tummy tickle to the littles. A free teacher tip card offers tips on introducing wordplay, homophones, and puns to students.

Poultrygeist has starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal.

 

 

This Book is NOT a Bedtime Story, by Eoin McLaughlin/Illustrated by Robert Starling, (Sept. 2021, Pavilion Children’s), $16.95, ISBN: 9781843655060

Ages 3-6

This rhyming tale turns into a hilarious dialogue between a monster who sees himself and his friends as terribly terrifying monsters, and the woodland animals who have questions. Lots of questions. A red, stripey, fairly adorable monster tells us straight from the start that he’s got teeth, claws, and big roars, but everything else points to the contrary. He claims  that his middle name is “Terror”, but his Scary Monster Society card reveals that his full name is “Fluffy Terry McFluff”. He calls in his “horrible bunch” of monster friends, but their monster stew is a tasty recipe they’re too happy to share, and their spooky hauntings are really quite sweet. As the story progresses, we see that the monsters have their own concerns and fears, and they’re getting just a little bit sleepy. Illustrations are colorful, kid-friendly, with kindly, cute monsters that readers will want to snuggle with, not run from. A monster story for kids who aren’t really crazy about monsters, this fits nicely with Rebecca and Ed Emberley’s Go Away, Big Green Monster and If You’re a Monster and You Know It. The rhyme scheme and fun spreads that break the fourth wall make this a great readaloud candidate. There’s no need to worry about these monsters – if they’re under your bed, they’re fast asleep!
Tiny T. Rex and the Tricks of Treating, by Jonathan Stutzman/Illustrated by Jay Fleck, (Sept. 2021, Chronicle Kids), $7.99, ISBN: 9781452184906
Ages 2-4
Tiny T. Rex is all about Halloween, and he’s ready to share with us what it takes to be a Treat-master! This delightful board book lays out the Six Tricks of Treating, according to Tiny T. Rex and his best friend, Pointy. Kids will love the step-by-step process, from costumes (try them all on!) to staying warm, to trick or treating with friends. Tiny makes sure to remind little Treaters to be kind and gracious, and that candy shared is much better than candy eaten alone. Tiny is cheerful and upbeat; the sentences are simple and to the point, injected with humor and kindness. Illustrations make this book a win – I can’t read Tiny books without squealing as I turn to each spread – with Tiny and friends dressed in adorable costumes. Cute details throughout, like Pointy’s and Tiny’s experimentation with bubble gum, and the costume montage, will have readers heading for this book again and again. A wonderful introduction to Halloween for little ones.
Owl Has a Halloween Party, Illustrated by Jannie Ho, (July 2021, Nosy Crow), $8.99, ISBN: 9781536217346
Ages 0-4
This cute little story about an Owl throwing a Halloween party for his friends is loaded with durable pull-tabs that babies and toddlers will play with for hours! Owl is having a Halloween party, and readers can help him look for his friends. Each page features a pull tab that reveals owl’s friends, hiding in costume. An astronaut monkey and princess frog peek out from behind pumpkins; a pirate lion and flowery bear hide behind treees. Tabs stick out from the book, showing a variety of friendly animals peeking out in all directions. Simple sentences are good for emerging readers and for a little lapsit storytime. Let your little ones play hide and seek with the animal friends, and identify who each could be; point out colors; count bats and pumpkins: there are so many great ways to extend the fun here.
My First Pop-Up Mythological Monsters, by Owen Davey, (Oct. 2021, Candlewick Studio), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536217643
Ages 3-7
Owen Davey introduces young readers to the world of mythological monsters in his follow-up to My First Pop-Up Dinosaurs (2019). Taking readers all around the world, My First Pop-Up Monsters encounters 15 faces familiar and new, as each spread reveals bold and colorful creatures rising off the pages, with a brief descriptive note and country of origin. Kids will likely recognize Greece’s Cyclops and the Minotaur, but have they met the Ushi-Oni from Japan, or Sarimanok from the Philippines? Absolute fun, with beautiful illustration and detail; this is a great book for kids and grownups alike.
Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Humor, Middle Grade, Middle School, Tween Reads

More Graphic Novels!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’ve got more graphic novels! Let’s get to it.

Nori, by Rumi Hara, (May 2020, Drawn & Quarterly), $24.95, ISBN: 978-1-77046-397-4

Ages 10+

Three-year old Noriko – Nori, for short – lives in Japan’s Osaka suburbs and spends most of her time with her grandmother while her parents are working. Set in the 1980s, Nori is all about a little girl’s adventures as she explores the world around her, accompanied by her best friend: her grandmother. The book contains five short stories and is infused with Japanese culture; the events of World War II still reverberate with the adults around Nori, and cultural festivals bring the excitement of the city alive in the pages. Nori brings childhood memories alive for readers: a part in a school play; chasing rabbits and watching neighborhood kids play with crawfish and beetles; she even wins a trip to Hawaii for herself and her grandmother, which leads to a healing moment for a family who’s lost their own matriarch. Black and white artwork has one-color moments for contrast and interest. Nori is a celebration of childhood and the special relationship between a child and grandparent and middle school-aged readers and young teens will especially love this.

Nori has a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. Read an interview with Rumi Hara on We Need Diverse Books, and visit her website for more information about her work. Nori is a nominee in the 2020 Cybils Graphic Novel category.

 

Marge’s Little Lulu: The Fuzzythingus Poopi, by John Stanley, (Sept. 2020, Drawn and Quarterly), $29.95, ISBN: 9781770463660

Ages 6+

This collection takes me back to my childhood in the best of ways. I used to read Little Lulu reprints when I was growing up, alongside issues of Richie Rich, Casper, and Archie, to name a few. Little Lulu comics were all about the adventures of Little Lulu Moppet and her best friend/frenemy, Tubby; originally published by Dell Comics in the 1940s and 1950s, they’re all about childhood adventures like having snowball fights, trying to gain admission to the “No Girls Allowed” clubhouse, telling stories to a sick friend, and various – hilarious – money-making schemes. This is Drawn and Quarterly’s second Lulu collection, and is filled with reprinted Lulu and Tubby comics, “Lulu’s Diry” diary pages that ran in individual issues, and a cover gallery. The stories are loaded with imagination, like the clip where Lulu houses a ghost who’s been ousted when the house they haunt is torn down; imagines herself in a desert and has to retrieve a nickel from a sewer grate (still in the desert!) by using strands of her hair, leaving her bald. She foils a burglar claiming to be Santa Claus because “he didn’t have a twinkle in his eye!”, and rallies the neighborhood girls together to fight back when they find themselves targeted for snowball attacks by the boys.

Great for new readers who want fun, day-to-day stories of childhood and adults who grew up with Lulu, Tubby, and Alvin. This is a keeper. Read more about The Fuzzythingus Poopi and read an excerpt at publisher Drawn and Quarterly’s page; discover the impact Little Lulu has had on comics, culture, and feminism through this Comics Alliance article and this New Yorker piece.

 

Mary: The Adventures of Mary Shelley’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter, by Brea Grant, (Oct. 2020, Six Foot Press), $18.99, ISBN: 978-1644420294

Ages 12-16

Mary is perfect for every goth tween and teen you know. She’s the 5 times great-granddaughter of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, and she’s from a family of overachieving women dedicated to that legacy. They’re all writers of renown, especially her superstar author mom, who can’t understand… Mary’s ennui? Lack of interest? The fact that she’s not an overachiever in school or life just yet? The thing is, Mary does have a very special family gift, and it makes its debut in these very pages. Mary can heal monsters. Actual, real-life monsters do exist, and Mary discovers that one night when she reattaches one walking dead guy’s foot. He tells his friends, and they tell their friends… and so on, and so on, and so on, as the old commercial goes. Monsters of all sorts show up at Mary’s with some amusing results, and Mary doesn’t know what to do with herself and this gift! Does she walk away from this gift, or does she embrace it?

Work with me: this is relatable! Teens feel the pressure to know what they want to do with their lives by the time they’re seniors in high school. Imagine the stress of being Mary Shelley’s descendant? When there’s a shrine to your many times-great grandmother, who wrote an enduring classic at the age of 19, in your very own home? Imagine discovering you are good at something… it just happens to be something unusual, or different, and the extra stress that can carry with it! Mary is a teen trying to find her way in a family of high-achieving, highly valued women, and isn’t quite sure that being known for healing monsters is what she wants to be known for. To accept her gift and embrace herself is a journey that most tweens and teens can get on board with. Brea Grant’s moody artwork gives great atmosphere to the story, and the dialogue is wonderfully snarky and introspective all at once. Please buy this for your collections and the readers in your life.

Don’t believe me? EW has an excerpt and article on it. Check it out.

 

The League of Super Feminists, by Mirion Malle/Translated by Aleshia Jensen, (Oct. 2020, Drawn and Quarterly), $16.95, ISBN: 9781770464025

Ages 12+

A fantastic guide to feminism for tweens, teens, and beyond, The League of Super Feminists explains the basics of feminism: YES! you can still enjoy princess movies! NO! You don’t have to hate men! What we need everyone – EVERYONE – to understand is how to critically evaluate the media that makes men knights and dragon slayers, and women damsels in distress. That women don’t come in one size: skinny, white, blonde. That women need to build one another up, not tear each other down. That boys and girls can be friends! Diving into such topics as gender, representation, inclusivity, consent, and beauty, The League of Super Feminists uses a range of characters to illustrate and explain these concepts and deconstruct myths and falsehoods for readers. Written like a conversation between the friends, the book is fun, upbeat, and playful, but always self-aware and smart. Mirion Malle never talks down to readers; it’s straight talk that lets everyone know that feminism is good for all, leads to healthy thinking and self-image. A great beginning to an ongoing conversation. See an excerpt on publisher Drawn and Quarterly‘s webpage. Aleishia Jensen’s translation from the original French to English is flawless and picks up all the nuances set forth by Mirion Malle.

Read more about The League of Super Feminists at publisher Drawn and Quarterly’s webpage, including an excerpt on representation. Read an interview with Mirion Malle on We Need Diverse Books.

Psst… makes an excellent holiday gift for the tween in your life. Just saying. The League of Super Feminists is a nominee in the 2020 Cybils Graphic Novel category.

And one to look forward to!

 

Forever Home, by Jenna Ayoub, (Feb. 2021, Boom! Studios), $12.99, ISBN: 9781684156030

Ages 9-13

This sweet, funny haunted house story is perfect reading for kids who are big on comedy. Willow’s a girl who’s been raised all over the world: her parents are in the Army, and that means moving around every couple of years. She’s had to say goodbye to friends too many times, and she doesn’t want to move again! Her parents have just bought Hadleigh House, an old, pink house in need of some TLC, and Willow is happy to finally set down roots: but Gladys and Viola, the ghostly Hadleigh sisters, want their home all to themselves – and the two ghosts that live with them, the Lady and Thomas, a World War I veteran. The sisters raise a ruckus, but they don’t count on the fact that Willow can see and hear them, and she lets them know she isn’t going anywhere. A touching story of belonging and family, Willow is a smart kid who has no problem digging in her heels to stay in the home she loves; Viola and Gladys are delightfully mischievous ghosts, and The Lady’s habit of killing husbands and fiancees is played for laughs as it’s alluded to, never quite addressed. Thomas’s backstory is poignant, and he emerges as a sweet, almost tragic figure. Forever Home has a little bit of comedy, a touch of bittersweet, and enough affection to make this a sure bet for readers who get a kick out of spooky comedies like The Addams Family and The Boxtrolls. Good for middle grade, great for middle school.