Pearl by Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie Scholastic Graphix, August 2024, $24.99 Grades 5 and up May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and though Pearl by Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie won’t be released until the summer, why not celebrate its upcoming release with a review? 13-year-old Amy is a Nisei, born in the U.S. to parents from Japan, and lives with herfamily in Hawaii. It’s 1941, and though the world is at war, Amy lives an idyllic life. She has friends and a rich sense of family. But when her great-grandmother falls ill in Japan, her parents can’t travel b ..read more

Anzu and the Realm of Darkness from Viking Books for Young Readers tops this week’s list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, along with a new title for emerging readers from Silver Dolphin Books. Other highlights include Korgi: The Complete Tale from IDW Publishing. Knopf Books for Young Readers releases Tryouts, Volume 2 of the Brinkley Yearbooks, while Seven Seas Entertainment releases the first volume of a new manga series from the creator of Yokai Cats and The Evil Secret Society of Cats, Monster Cats. The List: ANDREWS MCMEEL Another Phoebe And Her Unicorn ..read more

Time for some outdoor fun! Today we have a preview of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #350, a milestone issue with a brand-new story that puts Big Moose front and center, and the rest of the Riverdale gang… heading for the emergency room, apparently. The injury count is even higher in the complete classic story that follows. The digest will go on sale on May 8, but you can start reading right now! Enjoy ..read more

Cat Out of Water Writer/artist: Art Baltazar RH Graphic; $10.99 Publisher’s rating: Ages 5-8 What is most integral to the work of the monumental children’s book genius Dr. Seuss? Is it his artwork? His use of language? Or perhaps the characters he created? RH Graphic, which is launching a new line of graphic novels based on the works of Dr. Seuss, is betting on the characters, as that is all that is really retained from the good doctor’s original work, at least in the case of the first book out the gate, Art Baltazar’s Cat Out of Water. It stars Seuss’ signature character, The Cat in the Hat ..read more

Agents of S.U.I.T. : From Badger to Worse by John Patrick Green and Christopher Hastings, illustrated by Pat Lewis, colors by Wes Dzioba. First Second, 2024, $12.99 Grades 3-8 It’s Punny. That’s how my son describes the world of the InvestiGators. Though my son has already started high school, he immensely enjoys these titles. And every time First Second sends a review copy to my home, it takes a week before I can read it as it circulates multiple times with my 3 oldest readers. (I give it another year until my little one joins the fray of who gets to read it first.) Mango and Brash, the orig ..read more

Unhappy Camper from Harper Alley tops this week’s list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, along with a new graphic novel for beginning readers from Random House Graphic. Other highlights include eXpets Volume 1 from Caitlyn Diouhy Books, a treat for fans of Captain Underpants and Dog Man. Kokila releases the middle grade graphic novel Fake Chinese Sounds, while Nubeocho releases a new Olivia Wolf with Olivia Wolf and a Million Olivias. The List: ANDREWS MCMEEL Snoopy Beagle Scout Adventures TP, $12.99 ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS World Of Betty And Veronica Jumbo ..read more

We’ve got some big news this morning: In October 2024, JY, the middle-grade imprint of Yen Press, will publish The Weirn Books: The Ghost and the Stolen Dragon, the second volume of Svetlana Chmakova’s series about a middle school for supernatural students and their familiars. The first volume, Be Wary of the Silent Woods, was published in 2020, and the series draws on some of the concepts Chmakova came up with for her earlier YA series, Nightschool (see my interview with her for more about how she developed the characters and ideas). Chmakova has been busy with her other series, the Berrybro ..read more

K is in Trouble By Gary Clement Little Brown Ink, January 2024 Grades 5-8 In my new school, I have had many discussions about teaching YA literature in an English Language Arts Curriculum vs. Classic Literature. It’s an interesting debate, because while it’s imperative to hook young readers in and foster a love of reading, so many references may get lost on them without knowing the “canon,” the original works of literature. While I have never read much of Kafka’s work, I’m familiar with who Franz Kafka is and some of his more notable works. What does this have to do with a middle-grade graphi ..read more

Winnie-The-Pooh Writer: A.A. Milne Artist: Travis Dandro Drawn and Quarterly; $29.95 Publisher’s rating: Age 7 and up When A.A. Milne’s 1926 nursery classic Winnie-The-Pooh fell into the public domain in 2022, it perhaps became inevitable that there would be a comics adaptation of it at some point. It didn’t have to be as good as cartoonist Travis Dandro’s adaptation of it turns out to be, however, and for that we should be thankful. Dandro, a cartoonist best known for his 2019 graphic memoir King of King Court, gave himself a daunting assignment in adapting Winnie-The-Pooh in the 21st centur ..read more

Team Unihorn and Woolly Volume 1: Attack of the Krill from Harper Alley tops this week’s list of new comics, manga and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, along with the return of a classic 90s show from Maverick, Mad Cave’s YA imprint. Other highlights include the second volume of Batcat from Amulet Books, Sink or Swim. Graphix releases the new graphic novel Shiny Misfits while Keenspot releases a new all ages series Robot + Girl #1. The List: AMULET BOOKS Batcat Volume 2 Sink Or Swim GN, $13.99 ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS Archie Showcase Jumbo Digest #18 Halfway To Halloween, $9.99 BOOM ..read more