MG – The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival

Nadel, Estelle, and Sammy Savos. The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival. Roaring Brook Press. 2024. 978-1-250-24777-3. 272 p. $18.99. Grades 6+.

Enia Feld enjoyed an idyllic childhood in rural Borek, Poland, surrounded by her parents, four siblings, and extended family. She especially loved to sing as she explored the natural beauty of her hometown. Her Jewish family prepared kosher food and observed the Shabbat each Saturday. In September 1939, German troops crossed the border into Poland, and German airplanes attacked numerous Polish towns. It took time to feel the effects of the invasion in Borek, but by December Enia’s life began to change dramatically. A yellow star on her sweater was followed by a raid of her family’s modest home, and then the devastating loss of her sister, brother, and father. World War II had arrived in Borek. Enia and her surviving family members went into hiding, sheltered by brave friends and neighbors who risked their own lives to protect the Felds. Though she had lost so much, Enia would suffer further incomprehensible losses before liberation in 1944, and her challenges continued with a “new beginning” in America (where she became “Estelle”). The Girl Who Sang is a truly unforgettable graphic memoir of hope and survival. Illustrator Sammy Savos cues the color palette to Enia’s emotions, from her bright and sunny young years to the dim and foreboding years in hiding to the subdued panels depicting her first years in New York. Readers will take heart in the return of sunshine in the book’s final section.

THOUGHTS: Estelle Nadel writes in her author’s note, “Someday there will no longer be any Holocaust survivors still living.” Fortunately, books like this one exist to deliver their testimony to new generations of readers. 

Graphic Memoir

YA – Lunar New Year Love Story

Yang, Gene Luen, and Leuyen Pham. Lunar New Year Love Story. First Second, 2024. 978-1-250-90826-1. 352 p. $17.99. Grades 8-12.

In Valentina’s family, romance has always led to suffering and she fears that she is destined for the same fate. So when her longtime “imaginary” companion Saint Valentine suggests that Val give him her heart so he can keep it safe, she agrees … but bargains to have one year to prove that her fate can be different from her family’s. When Val meets ultra-charming Leslie Liu through a lion dancing performance at a Lunar New Year’s festival, everything is absolutely perfect – at least, it looks that way on Les’s Instagram feed. Val worries that something is missing from her relationship with Les, and maybe it’s because her heart actually belongs to another lion dancer. But is one year enough time to figure out and reveal her true feelings? Lunar New Year Love Story is divided into twelve chapters, each representing a month of the year, and each chapter has a color theme that corresponds with the feng shui wheel. There are so many levels to unpack and adore in this love story about family, friendship, and – of course – romance!

THOUGHTS: No matter the month or the temperature outside, this graphic novel will melt your heart!

Graphic Novel

MG/YA – The Love Report

BéKa. The Love Report. Illustrated by Maya. Hippo Park, 2023. 978-1-545-81127-6. 192 p. $12.99. Grades 7-10.

Besties Grace and Lola have a lot of questions about dating, love, and romance. Why do all the boys at school like this one particular popular girl? What is going on with love and the goth girl? And the boys… well, there are a lot of questions about romance and the boys at school. The girls decide to write a love report filled with questions and answers following their love study. The girls will discover more about love, their friendship, and themselves as they ask questions and find answers.

THOUGHTS: A love report of self-discovery and worth. Middle School readers will relate to this book as they begin their own discoveries of love and relationships.

Graphic Novel

Elem. – Worm and Caterpillar are Friends

Windness, Kaz. Worm and Caterpillar are Friends. Simon & Schuster Book for Young Readers. 2023. 978-16659-2001-8. $17.99. Gr. K-3.

Worm and Caterpillar are similar but different. Even though they are different, they are best friends! Caterpillar is about to go through a big change and is concerned about their friendship. Can two different animals survive such a big change? Will their friendship survive this change?

THOUGHTS: A fun Ready-to-Read graphic novel for beginning readers. Although change happens in life, friendship can last throughout it!

Graphic Novel

Elem./MG – Silverwing

Oppel, Kenneth. Silverwing. Simon & Schuster, 2023. 978-1-665-93848-8. $23.99. Unpaged. Grades 3-7.

Shade is the smallest bat in his silverwing colony, and while his size may be small, his curiosity looms large. He wants to know why he is not allowed to see the sun. Of course, he knows about the law established by the owls millions of years ago: bats may only rule the skies at night while birds rule during the day. One day, he stays out at sunrise, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sun. An owl catches him and later comes to his colony to tell the silverwing leader that retribution must be made since Shade broke the rules. The leader refuses, and the owls burn down their roost. The colony has no choice but to migrate south to their Hibernaculum a bit earlier than expected. Shade sticks close to his mother during the beginning of the journey, but he gets blown off course by a strong storm. He finds himself lost and alone until he meets Marina, a brightwing bat who vows to help him get back to his colony. Together, they journey to Hibernaculum but not before many dangerous encounters with cannibalistic jungle bats, sewer rats, and vengeful birds. 

THOUGHTS: The graphic adaptation of Oppel’s novel by the same name is sure to be a hit with readers who love animal stories filled with adventure. The illustrations are detailed and colorful and the story, while action-packed, also weaves in details about bat life, including diet and echolocation. 

Graphic Novel

MG – Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life

Steinkellner, Emma. Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life. Labyrinth Road, 2023. 978-0-593-57066-1. 220 p. $21.99. Grades 4-8.

12 year-old Nell Starkeeper lives in the magical town of Gumbling where her friends are fairies and centaurs. Her dad runs a magic star farm, and she has dreams of becoming an artist. It is her 7th grade year, and all students are assigned an apprenticeship. Nell is hoping to be assigned to Wiz Bravo – an artist. Unfortunately, she gets the “worst” assignment possible. Though that is not the only problem she is facing…the town of Gumbling is about to be sold to become an upscale resort. Will this graphic novel have a happy ending for the town and for Nell?

THOUGHTS: Such a great graphic novel. The illustrations are so vivid and fun! The students will get lost in the images looking at all the clever details.

Graphic Novel

Elem./MG – Wires Crossed

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

MG – Saving Chupie

Ortiz, Amparo. Saving Chupie. Illustrated by Ronnie Garcia. HarperAlley, 2023. 978-0-06-295028-4. 224 pp. $19.99. Gr. 3-7.

Violeta and her family have just touched down in Puerto Rico to spend the summer helping her grandmother (“Abuela”) re-open her restaurant, La Casita, post-Hurricane Maria. The adults have more than enough work to keep them busy, but they will not accept Violeta’s help. Frustrated, she longs to feel useful and a little less lonely. When Abuela learns from her butcher, Amanda, that their meat supplier’s animals have been viciously attacked, Violeta is more interested in the opportunity for a new friend in Amanda’s son, Diego. Diego soon reveals that he suspects “El Chupacabra” is behind the attacks, but Violeta knows that monsters aren’t real. At least, she thinks they aren’t real … until she finds a baby “Chupie” in the woods while on chupacabra patrol with Diego and his friend, Lorena. When Chupie saves her from a trap, Violeta realizes that he is not a fearsome beast but just a youngster in need of protection. She secretly hides Chupie in her Abuela’s shed, but not everyone agrees with her decision to shelter a cryptid. Can Violeta and her new friends come together to save Chupie from a bigger danger than chupacabras? Author Amparo Ortiz has created a stand-out middle grade graphic novel that blends the fantastical with the all-too-real. Artist Ronnie Garcia colorfully depicts the Puerto Rican setting through lush greens and sparkling blues. And of course, winsome Chupie (and his adorable underbite) are the star of the show!

THOUGHTS: Themes of family, friendship, and bravery ground this exciting tale of magical creatures!

Graphic Novel

YA – If You’ll Have Me

Eunnie. If You’ll Have Me. Viking, 2023. 978-0-593-40322-8. 331 p. $24.99. Grades 9-12.

While dropping off some class notes at an acquaintance’s dorm room, Momo bumps into cool, mysterious PG. They meet again at a club and share a sweet dance in an alleyway. After accepting skin care tips from Momo at a drugstore, PG gives Momo her phone number on a receipt. A friendship soon develops, as well a tentative crush, but Momo has never dated before and isn’t sure if she and PG are looking for the same kind of relationship. After all, PG has a reputation as a flirt and decidedly non-monogamous type. As their endearingly awkward romance hits a few inevitable bumps along the way, readers will root for these two college students to reveal their true feelings and let love in. Author and illustrator Eunnie depicts an almost entirely female world bathed in pink, peach, and lavender tones. Flashback segments, which fill in the characters’ backstories, are outlined in heavy blank ink to help the reader transition between timelines. 

THOUGHTS: Readers will fall in love with Momo, PG, and the world that Eunnie has created in this ultra-charming graphic novel. It’s perfect for fans of Crumbs by Danie Stirling. 

Graphic Novel

MG – Mexikid

Martín, Pedro. Mexikid. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-0-593-46228-7. 309 p. $24.99. Grades 5-8.

In this graphic memoir, a Mexican-American family goes on an adventure-filled road trip to Mexico to bring their Abuelito to live in California. Martín identifies himself as a Mexikid–Martín’s term for himself as first-generation American child of Mexican immigrants with “one heart belonging to both sides.” Mexikid takes place in the late 1970s, and is filled with nostalgic family memories: the Winnebago, a brother’s cassette recorder, and shows like Happy Days. Martín is one of nine children. The sibling interactions and intergenerational interactions are the heart (and the humor!) of this tale. Along the way, the siblings meet many of Abuelito’s friends and extended family members. By the end, Martín grows a great deal from this experience, and Abuelito settles into California life with the family.

THOUGHTS: I couldn’t stop laughing out loud while reading this book—particularly the first half. This memoir has a great mix of humor and heart. Mexikid is a wonderful window into the realistic dynamics of a family. Pieces of the memoir’s second half are incredibly sad (at one point, the family must recover and move their Abuelita’s grave to save it from being washed away). By the time I got to the growing pains and the stories of this second half, I had become so close to this story’s subjects, I felt like they were extended family. I won’t spoil ‘the deer story’ for you. Middle school students will love Martín’s humor. A few readers may struggle with the Spanish language included in the book, but it is just one of the many things that makes this story authentic (and of course, a window for readers not from this similar heritage). This story highlights culture while also underscoring the universality of families. Highly recommended for all middle school graphic format collections: Martín’s story belongs right alongside recent award-winning graphic memoirs like When Stars Are Scattered and A First Time for Everything.

Graphic Novel
Graphic Memoir