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Scary Stories for Little Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

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Heidicker, C. (2019). Scary Stories for Young Foxes. (J. Wu, Illus.) Henry Holt and Company.       An adventurous tale with a tinge of horror, this book follows three separate plots that slowly come together as one. Our first plot is one of a litter of kits wanting to hear a story that is so frightening it will turn the tips of their tales white. They go to the den of an older fox that is known for sharing this kind of tale. This plot is what mainly pushes the book forward, coming in between each scary story to serve as a palette cleanser and to engage the reader. The kits listening to and engaging with the story serve as surrogates for the reader, asking the questions they are bound to be asking themselves and sharing reactions. Encouraging the kits to keep listening and paying attention, the old fox is also engaging with the reader, compelling them to continue reading as well.     The other two plots alternate until they come together, one following a kit named Mia and the other fo
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Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

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Mbalia, K. (2019). Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky. Disney Hyperion.         Inspired by West African gods and African American folk tales, this book takes a stab at the tried and true formula of integrating old myths and tales with a modern world to give new life to the stories that have already inspired many. Right away, we see that this book will be magical even though it begins with very human troubles. The magic is hinted at by the glow that seems to come from the journal Tristan’s late best friend wanted him to have which only he seems to be able to see. The introduction of magic early on allows the reader to understand what kind of book this is and not be surprised when it jumps into a magical world a few chapters later. Also introduced early on so the readers are aware that it will become a major component of the story are the tales shared by Tristan’s grandmother and best friend. Based on Tristan’s emotional connection to them, the reader starts off simply understandi
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In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III

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Marshall III, J. (2015). In the footsteps of Crazy Horse. (J. Yellowhawk, Illus.) Amulet Books. This book is a historical fiction novel retelling the legends of the famed Native American warrior Crazy Horse that uses a parallel plot structure with the overarching plot of a boy taking a road trip with his grandfather to learn the history and find a solution to his bullying problem. This plot structure provides context for the stories told and gives this history a modern breath of life to keep readers invested and make the story relevant to their lives even though it happened generations ago. By connecting Crazy Horse’s stories to the life of the protagonist, the relationship between past and present are clear to the reader helping them understand the importance of learning about this history. An integral part of this story is the setting. Throughout the road trip, the boy and his grandfather hit different geographic locations which are the real settings of the historical stories being
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Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire by Susan Tan

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Tan, S. (2017). Cilla Lee-Jenkins: future author extraordinaire (D. Wulfekotte, Illus.) Square Fish. This is the story of a girl who is against the idea of sibling coming into the world because she is afraid to share her life.  Written in first person, the book is meant to take the form of a journal that the protagonist is writing to make into a bestselling novel believing that is the best way for her to stay important and remembered after her baby sister is born. This is immediately established by a letter from the author (Cilla) to the reader which opens the book to inform the reader of what to expect and why the book was written. Because it is written this way, the tone is very conversational and light, for the most part. There are moments where Cilla learns a lesson or experiences an issue which can lead to a more somber tone, but it always returns to a lighter tone. It also always stays in the realm of what is easily understandable to young readers, sometimes branching off with mo
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Babymouse: Queen of the World by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm

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Holm, J. & Holm, M (2005). Babymouse: queen of the world. (J. Holm & M. Holm, Illus.) Random House         Babymouse: Queen of the World is an introductory graphic novel to a series about a young mouse with lofty dreams and a strong imagination. The series includes many titles, but each is a standalone story, so you don’t need the entire series to understand the plot of one of the books. In this particular story, we get to learn a bit about who Babymouse is and how she goes about living her life. We are provided with a character breakdown page right at the beginning of the book so as not to slow down the story with introductions to the world and characters. The story takes on a plot that many children will be able to relate to: wanting to be invited to a popular kid’s event and discovering who your true friends are. This plot is similar to many others in children’s media, so a child should be able to understand it and learn the life lesson it is trying to teach.       Because
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The Amulet: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi

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Kibuihi, K. (2008). The amulet: the stonekeeper. (K. Kibuishi, Illus.) Graphix.       The Stonekeeper is the first book in The Amulet series, a magical fantasy series that revolves around family. From learning about ancestors to rescuing family members, the theme of family stays at the forefront of the story with a number of relationships the reader can relate to. This allows the story to stay grounded even with the crazy fantastical elements that are constantly present. To assist in portraying the unique qualities of the created world, the color scheme is unorthodox but pleasant rather than distracting. A mix of warm and cool colors like blues, purples, oranges, and browns fills each page. The illustrations also help keep up the forward momentum; there are many panels drawn with action lines which lets the readers eyes glide across the page with ease, making this a quick and fun read. Though it begins pretty somberly with a car crash resulting in the death of the father, the action
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New Kid by Jerry Craft

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Craft, J. (2019). New kid. (J. Craft, Illus.) Quill Tree Books. New Kid follows the story of a twelve-year-old Black boy, Jordan, who starts to attend a new mostly white private school in graphic novel format. Each illustration is full of color bringing to life the wide range of characters and the many New York settings. In a full page spread split into three panels describing the crowd of students arriving to school as zombies, the street setting as a background shines through with rows of unique bodegas that could actually exist on a New York City street. Alongside the typical comic panels, this book also features sketched illustrations that are meant to represent the sketches that Jordan draws in his journal throughout the story. These spreads are black and white and look to be drawn with pen or pencil to look as close to a journal sketch as possible. The only bits of color on these spreads are items that are on the border of each image to really enhance the perspective the reader i
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