Fantaskey, Beth. Wires Crossed. Illustrated by Oneill Jones. Clarion Books, 2024. 978-0-358-39621-5. Unpaged. $24.99. Grades 3-6.

Mia and Tariq are best friends at a STEM summer sleepaway camp. Tariq surprises Mia in the fall by moving to her hometown after his mom gets a new job. What Mia thinks will be an awesome transition takes a turn when Tariq arrives and seems…different. He’s confident and super athletic, but Tariq is still the same science-loving Tariq on the inside. Mia doesn’t know how to cope with this unexpected twist. Mia’s friendships with other classmates are also changing. Mia feels like she is in danger of being left behind. Will anything ever be the same for Mia and Tariq again?

THOUGHTS: Wires Crossed is a new graphic novel perfect for fans of stories like Awkward and Raina Telgemeier’s Smile. This new realistic graphic novel is about those little growing pains of middle school: shifting friendships, crushes, braces, and living with quirky (and let’s face it, embarrassing) family members. Nothing outlandish happens in this book aside from those middle school growing pains, and this coming-of-age simplicity will make the novel relatable to many current middle grade readers. Recommended for addition to upper elementary and middle school collections where realistic graphic format titles are popular.

Graphic Novel