New Graphic Novels!

I really loved Rob Harrell’s middle grade novel, Wink, so I was thrilled to discover he was working on a graphic novel. His first Batpig book, When Pigs Fly, is no disappointment. If you haven’t seen it yet, let me tell you what the dedication is: “For all the kids out there writing stories and drawing whenever you can: Keep going! I mean, look at this – it’s a whole book about a pig in a cape. If I can do it, you can too!” Basically his humor and kindness radiate in that one dedication, and this graphic novel is sweet, funny, and goofy. Check out this book!

You might remember that I recently revealed the covers to Remy Lai’s new nonfiction graphic novels. Her first graphic novel, Pawcasso, is such a wonderful one. Every Saturday, Pawcasso trots into town with a basket, a shopping list, and cash in paw to buy groceries for his family. When Jo sees him, she follows Pawcasso and gets mistaken as his owner. Excited to make new friends, Jo reluctantly hides the truth and agrees to let “her” dog model for an art class the kids attend. What could go wrong?

I love this graphic novel because it’s set in my parent’s home town of Hong Kong. In this story, Grace moves to Hong Kong with her mom and stepdad, and when she’s on a school field trip, she runs into a woman who gifts her a dragon egg. Grace discovers that the wonderful stories of dragons she heard when she was a young girl might actually be real— especially when the egg hatches overnight. This book has beautiful illustrations and is full of action, humor, and mystery.

This sweet graphic novel is about Manu and her best friend, Josefina. They live at a magical school for girls where they are up to all sorts of mischief. When a prank goes seriously wrong, Josefina wishes for Manu’s magic to disappear… and it does. But then Manu performs a dangerous spell to restore her powers, and her magic becomes uncontrollable.

Meet two adorable kittens, Woolfrik and Perigold, who decide that the best way to make money is to become professional monster slayers. The only thing is, they know nothing about monsters, especially slaying them. Then they meet a ghost named Earl Mortimore, who is the last not-so-living member of an ancient guild of warriors, and he’s going to teach them everything he knows. Do these kittens have what it takes to save the day and prove they’ve got what it takes to be heroes?