Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J Krosoczka
The Lunch Lady graphic novel series is always a safe bet for quick and funny entertainment. While the stories aren't complicated they are fun to read. Like an episode of Scooby Doo. That's especially true of this volume, set at summer camp and involving a swamp monster.
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
I was a pretty big fan of the Percy Jackson series when it was introduced and remain a fan of the construction so I was on board with the idea of this book. Chokshi presents us with a pair of female demi-gods, part of the Hindi mythology, on a mission to prevent the end of the world. They are, as is often the case in fables, deeply flawed and yet immensely likeable characters. Their flaws balance out their strengths, keeping them mostly human. I listened to this one as an audio book. It's well narrated, funny and exciting with a dynamic voice.
Rainbow Brite by Jeremy Whitley
I never watched Rainbow Brite when it was on tv (a bit before my time). I've never seen in in reruns or on streaming or anything like that. So I have no idea if this is an accurate representation of the plot of the original series. I do know that I like what I read. There's a fair amount of magic, to be certain. But there's a hint of science too, a brief explanation of the different wavelengths of light. This is a quirky book but tells a reasonably coherent story.
Estranged by Ethan M Aldridge
Changelings may be my favorite of the mythological beings and are, in my opinion, woefully under-represented in fiction. A good changeling story explores duality - the changeling and the human he replaced. And that's exactly what this graphic novel does. It examines the life of a magical being above ground and his human counterpart below, how each envies the other and brings a unique perspective into their interactions. Aldridge has created an involved world with a wide variety of creatures, each having a specific role to play in the social strata of the World Below. The illustration style is reminiscent of Ben Hatke's work and worth examining all on it's own.
Moth & Whisper by Ted Anderson and Jen Hickman
Imagine a world where your identity is your most valuable commodity, where you're tracked everywhere you go and it's basically illegal to be unknown. That's the world of this book. Anderson and Hickman introduce us to this world and to Nikki, a teen on the run, searching for missing parents. Parents who are the world's greatest thieves. Nikki has taken over both their roles while searching for information about their whereabouts. It's a complex world but one that's well portrayed visually so we aren't weighed down with expositional dialogue. The text and illustrations work together well to tell a complete story. This is a great book, both to read and to simply admire visually.
The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston
Oddly enough, the whole "discovering that my rich dad is an embezzler" is an increasingly common theme in teen fiction these days. This is a fairly strong entry in the genre. We have elements of family secrets and worlds colliding; of the truth about a person's actions at odds with your emotional connection to them. And there are hints of The Count of Monte Cristo in the plot, so that's fun too. A truly solid read.
Beyonders Volume 1 by Paul Jenkins and Wesley St. Claire
If you have any interest in secret societies, history mysteries, or conspiracy theories, than this is the book for you. Building off of the Voynich manuscript and the Antikythera mechanism, Jenkins spins a complex world of early computer programming and predictions, of secret societies at war with one another.
