Salvage: A Graphic Novel

 

Rating: 5 out of 5 | We should teach Romeo and Juliet by looking at this graphic novel first. 

My Thoughts:

Theme/Plot:

I am excited about this book. It is stunning and the author/illustrator knows how to make poverty and loneliness beautiful while at the same time making opulence garrish.  The artwork is its own storyteller. On the other hand, the story itself is very timeless and intriguing. You have one character from the wrong side of the tracks. You have the other character with everything she could ever want except real friendship and love. You have two artists struggling to find their voice. You have climate change and what the world looks like when we lose a middle class. 

All of those elements, added to a forbidden romance, could be a K-Drama or a novel, but this is a graphic novel that encompasses all the best elements to make this a story that can only be told in graphic novel form. It is not just about the artwork. It is about the strength of a human story and the coming to life of two characters that as readers we want to root for. They do not need a lot of dialogue for us to see them, but this novel gives them just enough back story so that we are obsessed with seeing this relationship to the end. 

Recommendations:

This graphic novel would change the way I teach Romeo and Juliet. If we take away some of the other "noise" that is so destructive for the R&J story, and just allowed the two characters to figure their differences out themselves, I think we could have a different story. Using Salvage as a comparison piece to R&J will give your classes better questions and more meaningful conversations. Try it. 

From the Publisher:

In this heartwarming graphic novel romance from the adaptor and illustrator of The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel, two young artists' paths intertwine as they navigate the complexities of love in a world where sea levels have risen and society is sharply divided.

Paolo lives in the Flats, a dangerous, water-logged community where families survive by salvaging materials from skyscrapers hidden just beneath the ocean’s surface—remnants of a world before sea levels rose. Scavenging the depths comes with its risks, but when Paolo discovers a suitcase of designer clothes, he decides to fulfill his dream: To spend one night in the Uplands, a place of privilege, excess, and freedom. There he meets Jules and her friends, and what begins as a single night of reckless adventure turns into a secret double life—and a seemingly impossible romance that forces Paolo to reckon with who he is, where he belongs, and the importance of being true to himself.

Rendered in vibrant watercolor illustrations that bring every scene to vivid life, Salvage is as much a visual masterpiece as it is a moving tale of love and self-discovery. Renée Nault’s atmospheric and luminous hand-painted art draws readers into Paolo and Jules’ world, promising an unforgettable coming of age story.

Publication Information:

• Author/Illustrator: Renée Ault
• Publisher: Ten Speed Graphic
• Publication Date: July 21, 2026
• Print length: 256 pages
• Reading Age: 14 and up

(S)Kin: Novel in Verse

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 | Culture, magic, folklore in a fast paced novel in verse

My Thoughts: 

Theme/Plot --

Zoboi handles themes like colonialism, colorism, racism, and identity in a fast-paced raw feat of storytelling. The way a monster keeps track of who hurt her over a month waiting for transition, the implications of calling Daniel "The Collector," the different twists that happen throughout the novel are all part of the magic that seems like less urban fantasy and more about vengeance dreaming come to life on the streets of New York. Maybe this is happening still? I hope so. 

Zoboi, as an author, takes her Haitian background and infuses each work with the magical realism that allows her characters to address contemporary issues in a way where they both win and lose at the same time. Perhaps like Byron Graves' Medicine Wheels, happy endings for marginalized characters contain both loss and gain. There is no story where everyone wins. That is what makes this another powerful piece from Zoboi. 

Recommendations -- 

If your readers like this, send them to some of her other works: American Street, Punching the Air with Yusef Salaam, Okoye to the People: A Black Panther novel and Pride, her update of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I think Zoboi's Pride should actually be read or listened to first before reading the original. If they are younger middle, send them to Okoye first. 

Personal Reading Experience -- 

The only issue I had was completely external: I had to return my iPad when my huband retired, so I ended up reading this book entirely on my phone. When reading a novel in verse on a phone screen, the intentional formatting and white space decisions made by the author do not always translate well. I found myself reading lines jammed up on the far right, and some poems were even missing the beginning of words. While it has nothing to do with the book itself or my Kindle library, the formatting glitch was frustrating enough that I skipped a few poems when my eyes got tired.

From the Publisher:

“Our new home with its

thick walls and locked doors

wants me to stay trapped in my skin—

but I am fury and flame.”

Fifteen-year-old Marisol is the daughter of a soucouyant. Every new moon, she sheds her skin like the many women before her, shifting into a fireball witch who must fly into the night and slowly sip from the lives of others to sustain her own. But Brooklyn is no place for fireball witches with all its bright lights, shut windows, and bolt-locked doors.… While Marisol hoped they would leave their old traditions behind when they emigrated from the islands, she knows this will never happen while she remains ensnared by the one person who keeps her chained to her magical past—her mother.

Seventeen-year-old Genevieve is the daughter of a college professor and a newly minted older half sister of twins. Her worsening skin condition and the babies’ constant wailing keep her up at night, when she stares at the dark sky with a deep longing to inhale it all. She hopes to quench the hunger that gnaws at her, one that seems to reach for some memory of her estranged mother. When a new nanny arrives to help with the twins, a family secret connecting her to Marisol is revealed, and Gen begins to find answers to questions she hasn’t even thought to ask.

But the girls soon discover that the very skin keeping their flames locked beneath the surface may be more explosive to the relationships around them than any ancient magic.

Publication Information:

• Author: Ibi Zoboi
• Publisher: Versify
• Publication Date: February 11, 2025
• Print length: 400 pages
• Reading Age: 13 years and up

Medicine Wheels

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 | Indigenous representation in literature and a prime example of failing upward.

My Thoughts: 

If you are looking for a "sports" read for young men, especially of the reluctant reader variety, like Graves' other book Rez Ball, this one will capture reluctant readers. It is a fairly easy read with all the right ingredients to keep readers interested. 

Bryce is abandoned by his mother and kicked out of the motel without his things when his mother violates her probation. Still, his relationship with his paternal grandparents is strong and they greet him with open arms. His grandfather, really his only father figure since his father died, is in home hospice, but is still raising him with his quiet wisdom and love. 

Being back on the rez is healing for Bryce and fills in all the emptiness that he was feeling, but it does not take away the pain of having an incarcerated mother and a dying grandfather. What holds this story together is his father's skateboard. 

The Wolf Creek reservation is another character in this book because it brings with it familiar "characters" in Bryce's life that he can rely on. It also brings the Ojibwe culture, language and rituals back into Bryce's life -- all healing players in his story. Finally, on the cover is a mantra that really exemplifies this Indigenous feel good book: "ride, crash, rise." This is a characteristic of a feel good Indigenous book when not everything is unicorns and rainbows, but despite the trauma, the characters still get a good ending when they lean into their cultural values. If readers want more like this, the publisher, Heartdrum, an imprint of  Harper Children's Books for Indigenous stories, is a great start. Cynthia Leitich Smith is the author-curator for the imprint, so checking her blog is also a good start. 

From the Publisher:

The American Indian Youth Literature and Morris Award-winning author of Rez Ball returns with the unforgettable story of a gifted young Ojibwe athlete learning to ride in his father’s footsteps while practicing for a skateboarding championship.

When Bryce’s mom walks out on her abusive boyfriend and back into jail for breaking her probation, he’s left facing the summer of his junior year with no parents, no phone, and only the clothes on his back.

With nowhere to call home, Bryce crashes at his grandparents’ house on Wolf Creek reservation. Wolf Creek is full of memories and old friends—including Robbie and Mikayla, who hang out at the local skate park.

Skateboarding reminds Bryce of his late dad: carefree, riding like he could fly. If Bryce could learn to ride like that, he’d take his crew to the top of the skateboarding championship at the end of the summer, and finally prove he’s not a loser, especially to the online-famous, captivating Mikayla. Summer is looking up, even as he’s falling on his face.

But when a fresh loss takes Bryce down, he’ll need to learn to lean on his Ojibwe community to get back on the board. Only then can he discover his father’s real legacy—and the true meaning of unconditional love.

Publication Information:

• Author: Byron Graves
• Publication Date: June 2, 2026
• Print Length: 344 pages
• Ages: 13 and up

Nest of Tongues

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 | Highly recommended for horror, paranormal, aswang and manananggal fans (IYKYK)

My Thoughts:

This is my third Randy Ribay book I read (not counting the Avatar book). While the first two, Patron Saints of Nothing and Everything We Never Had dealt with family history and realism, this horror book is a thrilling departure into the paranormal.  

Despite the supernatural shift, Ribay's signature focus on family dynamics remains at the heart of the story. His protagonists are once again young adult males, but with a twist: Caleb and his older sister Lily (whom he calls ate, or older sister in Tagalog) are typical teenagers by day and manananggal by night. They are closest to vampires, but they are one kind of TaʻLi. There are others in hiding, like the kapres. 

Caleb, Lily, their mom and their Lola are manananggal, which is unusual for Caleb because in Filipino mythology, these creatures were always female. Their family escaped the Philippines and live in California, but none of their high school friends know that Caleb and Lily are able to separate from their legs, sprout wings and fangs, and fly around to hunt for wild animals in the mountains of California for their blood. What the community also doesn't know is that there are different kinds of TaʻLi in the community just trying to live their life.

The first chapter starts with a bang when the two teens find a murdered manananggal on the roof of Seafood City, branded with a tattoo calling her aswang, the human slur for TaʻLi. This reveals the presence of a bayani -- a monster hunter -- in their community.

Note for Educators: Ribay masterfully uses Filipino terms (like manananggal, aswang, bunso, and bayani) without immediate translation. This is a fantastic resource for teaching students how to use context clues or encouraging independent research into cultural folklore. 

From the Publisher:

As Filipino vampires known as manananggal, Lily and her brother Caleb understand the value of a secret. After all, to hide is to survive. To lie is to live. They’d never harm another person—but people only believe their worst fears around creatures of myth. So the siblings stay quiet. They follow their community’s rules.

Until a monster hunter turns up and kills a fellow manananggal, anyway.

Until Caleb is marked as the hunter’s next prey.

Suddenly, he and Lily realize there’s always been more at stake than the lives of their people. Because when doing everything "right" is still a death sentence, what can they take as truth? As the hunter nears, the siblings must decide if they’ll be driven from the only home they’ve ever known . . . or fight to protect a community that may already be lost.

Publication Information:

• Author: Randy Ribay
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication Date: August 11, 2026
• Print length: 384 pages
• Reading Age:  14 and up

The Unexpected Consequence of Bleeding on a Tuesday

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 | The diversity of this book is that it redefines disability.

My Thoughts:

Through the trials and tribulations of Delia, the protagonist, Toney tells a semi autobiographical story around how menstruation is a disability for some females that is not recognized by doctors, schools, employers, other females. 

Not only does Delia's life implode very quickly because of her period, but we get to see that this is not the first very public implosion caused by her period. The whole story seems to focus on her during her menstrual cycle, and her period seems to be a constant "flow." 

Although it takes over 8 doctors and a car crash to finally diagnose her endometriosis, along the way, she does have a lot of positives in her life, including a new love and a renewed childhood friendship, so it is not just about the bleeding on Tuesday and all the other days. It is also about hope, determination, love, and awareness. Ms. Toney does a good job of including the many gifts that Delia has in her life and within her, but the bleeding issue does take center stage, as it should.

At first, I felt like this was sooo dramatic, however, I have had debilitating periods in my time, and just luckily had a young OB/GYN who had a diagnosis and cure that was not as drastic as a full hysterectomy. If I had this problem when I was in middle and high school, and not after I had my children, I would be very dramatic too. I just forgot what this felt like, and this book helped me to remember and empathize with Delia. Delia really does have a disability. After all, how can someone with an over 4.0 GPA not be able to graduate on time because she has too many absences? How can a medical issue not be excused because the doctor did not diagnose anything? Or, even when her friend has a known condition, IBS - irritable bowel syndrome, the school still does not let her graduate on time and makes her finish in the summer because she needed to stay home and went over her allowed absences?  

On the website We Need Diverse Books, a non profit organization with a mission to get diverse books into the hands of young readers, they use a broad definition of disabilities in their statement around what they mean by diverse books.

"We subscribe to a broad definition of disability, which includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization."

This book hits multiple points of this definition of disability. In addition, it challenges the social barriers that we put up in schools and work places when we force females to ignore this disability or "tough it out," in order to gain equitable opportunities for advancement or learning.  This book is a good POV reminder for us as educators to have some empathy for individual students and be cognizant about what it means to be gifts-centered rather than focus on deficits. 

Side note: I also listened to the audiobook read by Mara Wilson and it is well done. 

From the Publisher:

High school senior Delia Bridges has the most amazing mom and sister, a killer GPA--and periods that are so painful they make her scream, pass out, and throw up. Though she doesn't know it yet, Delia has endometriosis, an affliction plaguing millions of people that is notoriously difficult to diagnose.

Pain makes everything harder, but Delia is just one semester away from graduating from Stockwood Prep and pursuing her dream of becoming the kind of doctor she's never had: one who takes her symptoms seriously. But when she breaks a rule for the first time ever and is caught using marijuana at school to manage her pain, Delia is expelled.

Her expulsion jeopardizes her college acceptance, her planned mentorship, and everything she had carefully planned for years. Without her academic success and no closer to a diagnosis, is Delia anything more than her period?

Publication Information:

• Author: Kelsey B. Toney
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: June 17, 2025
• Print Length: 304 pages
• Grade level: 7- 9
• Audiobook Narrator: Mara Wilson
• Audiobook Publisher: Listening Library
• Listening Length: 7 hours 27 minutes

Pride Month Reads

 

The Starting 6 for 2026:

These are not new books. In fact, I need to up my game for mixing my genres and representation. Instead, these are from this blog's archives and I wanted to bring them up again to give them new life and new breathing space. The links are back to this blog.  In no particular order, this June 2026 Pride Month starting 6:

1. Is Love the Answer (Manga) by Uta Isak (they/them)

A valuable classroom read because it beautifully explores the asexuality spectrum through a relatable coming-of-age story, helping readers understand that there is no single "normal" when it comes to romance and intimacy.

2. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (they/them and he/him)

In simple terms, this is a love story. In more complex terms, this is about the dangers of labeling. Although as a society we now have many more terms (LGBTQIA+++), there is a danger in labeling because it forces people to choose based on heteronormative comfort standards to silo and pigeonhole others. This book talks about this without preaching.

3. Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann (she/her)

As far as contemporary YA romance novels go, Alice is a typical protagonist - trying to find herself, battling some inner and outer demons (overbearing mother, ambitious and overprotective siblings, adulting growing pains and oh yes, asexuality). 

4. Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao (she/her and they/them)

Messy Roots is a funny, self-deprecating coming of age and coming out memoir of Chinese immigrant, queer, Wuhanese American Laura Gao. Born in the idyllic countryside in Wuhan, "Laura" and her family move to Texas where she literally is the unctious stinky tofu in a land of McDonaldʻs french fries. 

5. How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy (they/them)

Honestly, I forgot that this was about witches as it feels like a contemporary, realistic look at private schooling. Strong debut novel to add to the YA contemporary fantasy, LGBTQIA+ booklist.

6.  Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro (they/them)

Although the protagonist, Moss or Morris Jefferies Jr. is black and queer, it is not about being black in America, or even being queer in America. It is about continuing to survive through racism, social injustice, marginalization, trauma. Surviving is not enough though. Not wanting to jump off a building is not enough. This book, like the others is about YA characters fighting for a human experience and wanting to be seen and heard as individuals. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hollow Magic: a Graphic Novel

 

Rating: 3 out 5 | Artwork is stunning, clean lines, animation quality and crisp text.

My Thoughts:

Rosefinch was raised in a fey world and trained by a witch whome she later realizes is her father. However, when the Dawn Queen kills him,  she is forced to flee. 

She is looking for someone to help her control her witch powers, but although there are hints along the way -- like a familiarity to a curse's magic, or the way Thierry keeps reverting to a frozen state -- Rosefinch does not realize the solution to the mystery until it is almost too late. 

I was just as surprised even if I saw it coming. The particular "aha" twist, as well as the gorgeous artwork by Mars Lauderbaugh, makes this a welcome addition to a classroom library. While it is recommended for grades 10-12 -- likely due to some mature fantasy themes or its queer romance -- the content is entirely appropriate for younger readers.  The characters are not doing anything untoward. I would add this to a middle school classroom and the student that needs to find it will find it. I think the publishing world is getting stressed and oversensitive from Americans behaving badly.

As teachers of English, it has become a dangerous world, but righteous anarchy is the only way to protect our students and keep their minds sovereign. Thank you for providing a small space for ranting into the silence.

From the Publisher:

Raised in the world of fey, seventeen-year-old Rosefinch has the ability to lift curses with nothing but a twist of her fingers. But when a witch's magic is left long enough in the fey realm, it becomes supercharged, painful to use, and potentially even dangerous.

Following a rumor that the village of Harp is home to a witch who might be able to help control her magic, Rosefinch discovers an ancient ruined castle with the inhabitants long gone; the only remaining soul a knight cursed to stand a frozen guard at the entrance. The magic she uses to free them melts more than just the ice, and soon, Rosefinch is falling for this charming stranger. But Thierry has secrets of their own, as do other members of the Harp family still hidden within the castle walls. The Harp witch’s wicked magic ripped this family apart for a reason, and Rosefinch must find a way to stop the curse or she'll lose Thierry―and the chance to learn the truth about her magic―forever.

With mesmerizing art and a sweeping queer romance, this spellbinding fairy tale shows the power of found family and love where we least expect it.

Publication Information:

• Author/Illustrator: Mars Lauderbaugh
• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
• Publication Date: August 11, 2026
• Print Length: 240 pages
• Grade level: 10-12

King of the Neuro Verse

 

Rating: 3 out of 5| Good glimpse into the frustration of the neurodivergent brain and a lesson for those of us in education about hōʻike (the power of authentic assessment built on inquiry and student gifts).

My Thoughts:

In this novel in verse, we see Pernell, a junior in high school, being ridiculed again by his English teacher, Ms. Harding. He realizes that by walking out of his class, he is putting himself back into summer school for the third summer in a row. But he is ok with summer school because summer is different because he gets to battle to become the Cypher king of the lunchroom and he thinks this summer is his year. 

What becomes ironic is that he loves to freestyle rap, but he has a hard time paying attention and focusing on the "rap" in English, until his parents finally get him diagnosed with ADHD. Through the verse, we see the difficult world of institutional education through his lens. It is not about medication alone to fix the system. It is also about teachers finding the strengths of all the students and helping them to meet the same standards as others, but assess them differently based on their own strengths. For Pernell, it was about seeing the connection between rap, cyphers, griot, iambic pentameter, music, and Pernell. 

Teacher Note | April is poetry month and that is when this was started, however, there are many novels in verse within this blog that can be used rather than individual poetry units. That being said, though, if you are teaching Seniors, April is a good time to introduce the Romanticist poets and then spend the last month (May) having the students create their own poetry anthology.

From the Publisher:

For the third summer in a row, Pernell is back in the classroom, facing the same struggles that have always made school seem more like a battlefield than a place of learning. This summer is different, though: he’s battling to become the Cypher King, leader of the lunchroom’s impromptu rap circles. Here, the rhythm flows and the words fly, creating a space where the wittiest and most rhythmically inclined reign supreme. Here, Pernell’s ADHD gives him an edge.

But life outside the cypher isn’t as forgiving. Pernell’s English teacher has it out for him. His parents are pressuring him to see a doctor for his lack of focus. And Electra, his friend-slash-crush and the only one who truly gets him, is too busy chasing her dream internship to give him the time of day.

If Pernell doesn’t pull himself together, he won’t just lose the title of Cypher King—he’ll lose his chance to graduate high school. In a world where the systems are turned against kids like him, Pernell needs to find a way to succeed with his ADHD, rather than in spite of it.

Publication Information:

• Author: Idris Goodwin
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication Date: October 14, 2025
• Print Length: 256 pages
• Grade Level: 7-12

Journey to Tomioka

 

Rating: 4  for Studio Ghibli like artwork and supernatural, fantastical power of children

My Thoughts:

If you are a studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki fan and a fan of  Rhoald Dahl, Journey to Tomioka has a similar vibe of tragedy, fantasy and the strength of children. Osamu and his older sister Akiko live with their grandmother. They once lived in Fukushima, but the tsunami hit Fukushima, killing their parents and destroying their home, In addition, the effects of the tsunami started a nuclear meltdown in the area and former residents were displaced. If readers are interested in the real story in Fukushima, direct readers to the graphic novel Meltdown: Six Days of Disaster at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant. 

The small family is as content as they can be even if they can no longer go home. Osamu lives in his own lonely world where he befriends imaginary friends known as yōkai, or spirits. See the connection to Hayao Miyazaki? When Bāchan dies, though, Akiko and Osamu are adamant that they need to return grandmother's ashes to their home

From the Publisher:

For fans of This Was Our Pact and Hayao Miyazaki films comes a breathtaking graphic novel about siblings who risk everything to return their grandmother's ashes to her home inside the Fukushima Exclusion Zone.

Osamu hasn't been the same since that day. When the tsunami hit Fukushima prefecture, it killed his parents, destroyed his home, and triggered one of the world's worst nuclear disasters. Now, all Osamu has left is his grandmother, Bā-chan, and his big sister, Akiko. As he withdraws into his own world, he befriends friends yōkai―spirits only he can see.

Then, tragedy strikes again, and Bā-chan dies. Osamu and Akiko are determined to return her ashes to their family farm in Tomioka, a town within Fukushima's forbidden zone. There, the siblings will face dangerous radiation and yōkai, both friendly and deadly―but they're willing to risk it all to make it home.

Publication Information:

Author: Laurent Galandon

Illustrator: Michael Crouzat

Translators: Owen Smith, Anne Smith

Publisher: First Second (June 9, 2026)

Print length: 112 pages

Grade level: 4-6

See You In Memories

Rating: 4 out of 5|Artwork and artist reflection is fabulous

My Thoughts:

It feels like the first 50 pages are just artwork, but the fine line drawings are fabulous and the more pictures you look at, the closer you look at them. At first I was rushing through to get to the story, but keep your binoculars on and see what story the pictures are telling. I had to "read" this book 3 times. The first time, I got about 10 pages in and realized I was reading my pdf backwards. 

The second time I read it, I understood the weird time lapse in the sketchbook and was not surprised when she fell, but I was sad about what "See You in Memories" meant to the two characters. Time in this story is very confusing. Read it more than twice. 

The third time, I read the sketches at the beginning: people out, people in. 

This was a lovely experience and I appreciated the ability to read for three different purposes.

From the Publisher:

A lost memory. A mysterious sketchbook. A city full of secrets. See You in Memories is a lyrical journey through loss, art, and self-rediscovery. Billie, once an online music sensation, is found unconscious and amnesic, clutching a sketchbook of Hong Kong’s streets. Following her own drawings, she retraces a city she no longer remembers, blurring the lines between past and present, reality and imagination, until she uncovers the truth of who she is.

A once promising singer-songwriter is found unconscious on the street with only a sketchbook full of drawings of Hong Kong, sending her on a profound journey as she rediscovers what she's lost and what is to come.

Billie once basked in the spotlight as an internet singer-songwriter until her fame faded and her songs drew only harsh criticism. Urged by her father to give up her “star dream,” she fled home in a storm of emotion. Three years later, she wakes up and discovers she was found unconscious on the street with no memory of her disappearance, clinging to a sketchbook filled with evocative drawings of Hong Kong’s streetscapes. As Billie retraces the vivid locations within her sketches, she embarks on a profound, otherworldly journey through memory and place—seeking not just what she has lost, but who she has become.

This slipcase edition includes both See You In Memories and a reproduction of Billie's sketchbook, inviting readers to follow her through her Hong Kong.

Publication Information:

• Author: Pen So
• Translator, Letterer: Book Buddy Media
• Publisher: Nakama Press
• Publication Date: May 26, 2026
• Print Length: 124 pages

 

Magical Girl Dandelion, Volume I

 

Rating: 3 out of 5| Both creepy and cute?

My Thoughts:

Tampopo (dandelion in Japanese) loses both her parents when they were killed by a fiend. She is raised by her grandfather and her "best friend" Shade, who is himself a fiend. He has always protected Tampopo by killing other fiends, which is both creepy and cute because again, he is a fiend, complete with razor sharp teeth and psychopathic smile. 

As she gets older, she is sought after because she will be a magical girl. Her scores are off the charts. This is not good for Shade. How can he keep her to himself if they are going to make her into a fiend killer? 

Read more volumes as Tampopo learns about her growing "magical girl" powers. 

From the Publisher:

Tanpopo Ohanami’s quiet days are interrupted by a life-changing offer to become a magical girl! But she has one big, bad, serrated-toothed secret: Her best friend, Shade, is a fiend in a world where fiends are villains to humankind.

Shade is none too pleased with the idea of Tanpopo joining the ranks, but there’s more than their friendship at stake when Tanpopo’s grandpa falls victim to fiendhood!

Publication Information:

• Author: Kaeru Mizuho
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
• Publication Date: March 3, 2026
• Print Length: 160 pages

Eva to the Max

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 | girl power, feminist, novel in verse

My Thoughts:

Yes to girls on dirt bikes and the families who sacrifice for them! 

Hurray for Title IX!

This novel in verse by Rebecca Caprara packs in action, fear, heartbreak, character growth and heart-expanding friendship all within poems and words that race across the page. 

 Outside of school, Eva gets to live her passion through racing, while also hanging out with her dad, her best friend and his dad. In the garage, she is safe.  Eva can be the muddy, hard driving, competitive "Eva Knievel". But at home with her mom, as well as in her new middle school, Eva has the same fears of fitting in, not standing out, wanting to disappear. She has already moved schools to get away from the bullying of girls that teased her about her love for motocross. She has to face her mother's disappointment that she cannot be the kind of daughter that will focus on school and find a hobby that is safe.

What helps her grow is that she has a great pit crew who can give her space to fail upward in both her personal life as well as her racing life. This is a feel good story because Eva has to learn to balance disappointment and upheaval  without further sacrificing her dream and her relationships. 

Finally, stay for the historical notes on the actual history of female motocross. I am noticing more girls on dirt bikes in our middle schools. This is definitely not just a boy's world. 

From the Publisher:

Motocross is Eva’s life. Nothing beats the rush she feels ripping it up on the course—except maybe the moment just after the race when she removes her helmet, and the other riders realize they just got smoked by a twelve-year-old girl.

While fear of bullying leads Eva to keep her passion a secret at school, she’s known in the local racing circuit as “Eva Knievel,” a brazen competitor willing to risk it all to win. But when her daredevil behavior leaves her with a bruised ego and a busted bike, Eva is forced to reckon with the high costs of her beloved sport—financial, physical, and emotional.

As if that reality check weren't harsh enough, there's a new girl at school whose arrival not only threatens Eva's carefully crafted school persona, but her place on the podium, too.

Publication Information:

• Author: Rebecca Caprara
• Publisher: Dial Books
• Publication Date: May 19, 2026
• Print length: 400 pages
• Reading age: 10 years and up

An Expanse of Blue

 

Rating: 5 out of 5 |  for a big "mirror, window and sliding glass door" -- in verse -- for ʻopio kanaka.

My Thoughts:

Finally, a novel in verse, similar to The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, and When We Make It by Elisabet Velasquez but for Pacifica, and specifically Hawaiian teens. The characters are in the diaspora (Western Washington), but they are in a Hawaiian community. Aouli lashes out at her father, at her sister, at her mother, at the church. There is so much going on and no one really sees her. . .until Nalu.

• The good: This novel in verse uses poetic elements like white space and concrete poetry strategies to help the reader feel her frustration and the breaking of the pieces of her. This is perfect for reluctant female readers as Nalu is dreamy and Aunty Ehu is someone we all have in our family.

• The tolerable, but unfortunate: While the story is contemporary, the cover art feels disconnected; the character appears older than Aouli and Kaia, and the styling, from the earrings to the perfectly neat tita bun--doesn't quite capture the raw, youthful energy of the vere.

• The relatable: I think the characters and situations will be very relatable to local teens. It is both global and ʻāina grounded. That is the highest praise I can give.

From the Publisher:

Aouli Elizabeth Smith is adrift: unheard at home and an unbeliever at church, fighting her sister and losing her best friend. Overflowing with feeling, she pours her secrets and herself into her song journal when the world threatens to sweep her away. The one place she feels tied down to earth is at her Aunty Ehu’s house. Those joyous Saturdays with her extended Native Hawaiian community living in Western Washington are precious to her. Under the maple trees, the fragments of her life fit together, if only for an afternoon.
Then, an unspeakable truth about her father shatters this one perfect corner of her life.
As Aouli’s world constricts around what others wish she could be, language fails her. But when a new boy, Nalu, turns up with eyes that seem to pierce right into her soul, maybe it’s love that can give her the words to set herself free.

Publication Information:

• Author: Kauakanilehua Mahoe Adams
• Publisher: Heartdrum
• Publication date: May 19, 2026
• Print length: 464 pages
• Reading age: 13 years and up

Mahalo to Heartdrum books, NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the digital advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.