Dana

Super cute graphic novel about a fairy and a beast deciding to coparent a human child because they don't trust the other one. That mistrust turns to love and it's sickeningly adorable. Super cute and I liked seeing the epilogue too!

TW: eating disorder, fatphobia, death of a parent, parental pressure, toxic family

Heartbreakingly raw look at a teen under the pressure to be a good daughter by being thin. Her mother is constantly reminding her of her food and it takes a toll on her health. Her mother, even when she confessed her ED, shrugged it off. It was the hardest part for me to read. She has a fat best friend and as the fat best friend, it would have destroyed me if my friend said what she said to her friend. You never know what someone is going through.

I'm glad things were worked out in the end and I'm proud of her for growing. I wish her mother had faced more consequences for her words and actions.

This review will be for the whole series; read at your own risk!

Read 1 volume

I did not except this to be so funny! We follow Flora as she inherits a creepy gothic mansion inhabited by a frankly creepy cat. This cat can stretch, multiply, and more. But he's so cute and fuzzy! I'm looking forward to more volumes!

This review will be for the whole series; read at your own risk!

Read 3 volumes

A solid start. My heart breaks for these kids but I'm glad they found each other to confide in. I'm looking forward to seeing this progress. I know it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Edit 8/12/23: this series makes me feel for the characters so intensely.

I was interested in this Arthurian story as I hadn't heard much about Sir Yvain before. The art was lovely at times and many times confusing and rough. Overall, nice for those into King Arthur and that time period, but otherwise meh.

I really loved the art and the story was just as fantastical as I hoped. It was resolved quicker than I had hoped, but still really enjoyed it. Love the queer rep as well. Well done.

My library doesn't have Belle's Tale, so I only read this one. Its good. Follows the 2017 adaptation to the tee, with a little extra background on the Beast. I found it odd that the art seemed blown up (and therefore blurry and pixilated) in some scenes but not others. Art felt a little unfinished and/or rushed at times. But overall, a faithful companion to the movie.

A great story about a young Black girl discovering herself and the history of Black people and swimming. Really enjoyed this one and the art is really nice.

It's fairly obvious that this tiny graphic is only a sliver of the novel, but it's still done pretty well. I enjoyed following Aru and seeing her grow as a person. I hope we get more!

Solid book 2 in the series about a “normal” teen living with her dad, Zeus, on Mount Olympus.

I liked the way they really integrated Karen's “normal” life and her video game stuff into this new reality she has. I liked that they began to touch on Karen's demigoddess powers and I liked how things were resolved (even if it felt a bit too easy or convenient). I would read more if there was more!

I can totally see why people would rate this one poorly but personally, I found it so much fun!I loved this version of Zeus who just loves his daughter and is super oblivious. He actually reminds me of Tamaki from [b:Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 1 1087204 Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 1 (Ouran High School Host Club, #1) Bisco Hatori https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388328993l/1087204.SY75.jpg 2192688] oddly enough. I really liked the other goddesses and seeing them in this middle school era. Sure the explanation for them being teens was kinda weak, but it's still fun.Super fun graphic for kids super into Greek mythology.

We follow the eldest daughter in a household of nine including seven kids from 4 months to 13 years old. Avery is desperate for her own space to the point where she is being selfish despite denying it to her older brother. I thought there was a lot done right (the family dynamics, the diversity, the difficulty of middle school) and a little done poorly (the consequence-less bullying, Theo's possible depression, Avery's friend dynamics) but overall, a great read for 5/6th graders with large families or those trying to find their places.

I took isotretinoin when I was a senior in high school and I also had acne similar to Jay's. Seeing him navigate his final year of middle school with so many changes to his friend group, his future, and his face; I really saw a lot of myself in him. I really enjoyed his identity journey as well; I struggled with mine in high school and early college as well. It's so comforting to know that we are never along in our struggles and this book is a great example of that. Not only does it touch a fair amount of topics, it handles them well in my opinion.

Overall, a fantastic graphic for kids struggling with body images and their identity. Especially if acne is one of those issues they're struggling with.

Even though I was never a Horse Girl, this was still enjoyable. Especially as someone who has drifted from someone they once thought was their best friend. I always love Faith Erin Hicks's art and the story, while quite brief, was sweet and relatable. I would read more if there was more!

Interesting start to a super series. Wyatt suddenly finds himself with superpowers that he must keep secret while trying to solve a mystery, deal with bullies, and survive middle school in general. I liked Wyatt enough but he was extremely dumbed down. I found it unnecessary as his sister is super smart, so he could be average intelligence instead of really making him seem idiotic. The plot was interesting and the twist took me by surprise. I hope there's more!

The art was nice and easy to follow. However the King was absolutely my least favorite part. His narcissism was hard for me to read as I've dealt with people who are like that in real life. It was pretty heavy handed but I was glad he learned his lesson in the end.

Cute short story that introduces tweens/middle schoolers to coding. Even I had fun figuring out the binary code. Does read sometimes like a ‘Dora the Explorer' type of situation: “Can you figure it out? Think hard. [...] What was the combination?”

A fine set up to a younger kid's intro to coding comic. I'll be reading more.

A solid follow up to volume 1. We get more coding opportunities that really builds off each foundation in a way that's easy to understand. (And if I can understand it, a kid certainly can!) There's plenty of plots to keep readers engaged if the coding isn't their thing also, but there are a lot of cliffhangers. Many important conversations keep getting put off for the sake of coding or moving the story along. I'm looking forward to more answers eventually.

The stakes are higher, plots get resolved, and we learn about ‘if else' coding. Overall a fun third installment with the worst cliffhanger yet!

A solid book about dealing with major family changes with a focus on baseball. While I sympathized with Gemma, she made a lot of poor choices and seemed very stuck in her own head. She really refused to see other people's points of view until it had essentially blown up in her face. But I like that she did earnestly learn from her experiences and will use that to grow. I wish we had seen a little more resolution and perhaps more consequences for her parents as well.

I thought Chunky was going to be about his weight and was going to be potentially triggering with attempts at weight loss. I was mildly surprised and much more pleased its more about being yourself to fit in. Hudi tries all these sports because his parents push him to try and lose weight in a healthy way but in the end follows his passion for drama and comedy. I liked it well enough!

Super fun book about a girl who lives in a human village of snobs and garbage people. She accidentally gets cursed and on her adventure to break the curse, encounters new friends and meets a bunch of different monsters. Turns out the monsters are good and the humans are awful! Go figure.

I hope there are more volumes as the art is so cute and the story was engaging. I'd like to see more of Prunella's adventures.

Super fun graphic for younger kids but maybe too young to fully get all the gaming references. Two best friends have to defeat video game bosses or get destroyed and the banter is fun, but the pacing is way too fast to get to know or care about anyone. I'd read more, but I'm not holding my breath for it.

Super cute graphic novel about what makes a hero and how prejudices can be really bad. I wasn't a huge fan of all the self-loathing on Tad's part, but I was glad he learned his lesson. I liked seeing the consequences to all the “bad guy's” actions and thing were wrapped up very well at the end. Loved the art and it was easy to follow, even during the action sequences. Overall, I really enjoyed this one!

So far, a fantastic graphic about a group of “heroes” set on destroying an evil witch. I really liked seeing where our main protagonist came from and I can't wait to learn more about our other heroes as well! I really like this art that blends cute with fierce and round with sharp. Even though we only see our fourth hero very briefly, I look forward to learning more about them.

Very much looking forward to book 2!