Category Archives: Graphic Novel or Adaptation

Review: Song of the Court by Katy Farina

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,
Song of the Court by Katy Farina

Song of the Court
Katy Farina
Union Square Books
Published October 6, 2020

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About Song of the Court

A charming fairy tale—told in graphic novel style—about two unlikely friends who encourage each other to pursue their dreams.

In order to buy seeds for her beautiful garden, Arietta plans to sell her treasured family violin. Then music-loving Princess Cassia spots Arietta with the instrument and excitedly asks her to perform at her upcoming birthday party. What the Princess doesn’t realize is, Arietta can’t play! Too ashamed to tell Cassia the truth, Arietta sets out to learn a special song for the occasion. But as Arietta’s musical passion blossoms, her devotion to her garden fades . . . and her trees and flowers begin to die. Will she be able to master the tune in time for Cassia’s celebration—and save the garden, too?

My Review

One of my big problems this summer has been keeping enough books around the house for my littlest to read. She’s aging out of chapter books and just tiptoeing into middle grade. Graphic novels have worked out as a great format for her right now. I’m able to read a lot of things first before handing them over to her. I’ve also got a backlog of titles that I’ve read that I think she’d be interested in. I’ll probably do a list soon that corrals some of her favorites together, since I’m sure a lot of families face similar challenges as their readers age up into middle grade.

Song of the Court was a lucky find for us at our local library. We have two cats, and my littlest loves them, so I’m always on the lookout for stories with a cute cat on the cover. (I haven’t been able to sell her on the Warriors series yet, but it’s early.)

The story follows a cat named Arietta, who cares for her family’s garden. She sells flowers and fruit at the weekly market to make a living. At the opening of the book, money is short, so Arietta decides to pawn her grandfather’s violin. On the way to the music store, she meets Princess Cassia, who is looking for a musician to perform at her birthday party. Arietta gets so flustered at meeting the princess that before she knows it, she’s promising to play a song at the party.

Fortunately for Arietta, her best friend Emily is an accomplished violinist, and she offers to teach her to play a special song. Arietta finds great joy in learning to play the violin, and soon her garden wilts because she spends so much time playing music. She wants to keep playing music, but she doesn’t want to give up the garden. How can she balance both?

The storytelling is so gentle and upbeat. I love that Arietta wrestles with this problem of passion versus responsibilities. Ultimately she learns that a balanced, happy life has room for both.

Conclusion

What a sweet story! This book is perfect for readers aging out of chapter books into middle grade literature. A couple of the names were hard for my seven-year-old to decode, but that was an easy bridge to cross. If you liked the Cat and Cat Adventures series by Susie Yi or the Tea Dragon Society series by K. O’Neill, then put Song of the Court on your reading list.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from my local public library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung le Nguyen

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Angelica and the Bear Prince
Trung le Nguyen
Random House Graphic
Published October 7, 2025

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About Angelica and the Bear Prince

At her lowest point, a teen girl finds solace and a potential crush in her local theater’s mascot’s DMs, sparking a quest to uncover the true identity of this mysterious figure. From the bestselling author of The Magic Fish comes a new fairy tale romance with a twist.

What do you do when you’re the girl who can do it all, and suddenly you can’t?

After burning out last year, Angelica is ready to get her life back together. Thankfully she has amazing friends to support her…including Peri the Bear, the mascot of her town’s local theater. At her lowest moments, Angelica found comfort in private messaging Peri’s social media account, and well, she might have a bit of a crush. Now, Angelica is interning at the local theater in the hopes of finding the person beind the account and thanking them. Who was this mysterious stranger and why did they help her out? Was it just caring for a stranger…or did they feel the same connection that Angelica felt?

My Review

At its surface, this is a story about estranged childhood friends who reconnect through a local theatre group. Much like he did in The Magic Fish, the author tells a fairytale alongside a contemporary story. The Bear Prince fairytale is based on the story “East of the Sun and West of the Moon,” which I’d never read. The plot is a little similar to “Beauty and the Beast”.

Angelica and the Bear Prince hints that Gable is a transgender character, but the narrative doesn’t focus a lot on pronouns or identity. I found an interview with Trung le Nguyen where he talks about why he chose to both include a nonbinary character, and why he did not focus the story on identity. He mentioned that he has nonbinary and transgender people in his life who simply exist without announcement, and he wanted the novel to reflect that reality.

What does take center stage is the relationships between characters, especially the way they resolve conflicts. At one point, Angelica and her best friend, Christine, get into an argument. Christine tells Angelica that she needs her to listen without trying to solve her problems. This is such a relatable moment. At another point, Angelica’s dad, who is very comfortable sharing his feelings, notes that Angelica and her mom aren’t easily vulnerable in that way. There’s a funny moment where something happens and he asks if they’re going to talk about it, and both Angelica and her mom decline.

Grief is also a theme that runs throughout the book. Angelica and Gable both grieve over the loss of grandparents. Another character grieves when a romantic relationship unravels. The characters lean into one another and learn new ways to cope, which I loved.

One thing I will say is that this story is a lot sassier than The Magic Fish, which I think worked well as an upper middle grade read. Angelica and the Bear Prince has more swearing and a couple of sexual references that make it a solidly young adult read.

Conclusion

All in all, this is a perfectly cozy winter romance. Readers looking for a more mature book like We Could Be Magic by Marissa Meyer will definitely want to grab a copy.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently. One character makes brief racist comments to another.

Romance/Sexual Content
One panel shows a kiss. A couple of brief sexual references.

Spiritual Content
Alongside Angelica’s story is a fairytale in which a character transforms and is under a curse.

Violent Content
A person on ice skates knocks Angelica down by accident. A girl confronts her boyfriend, who is on a date with someone else.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I purchased a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Review: I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Connor

Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Historical, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

I Shall Never Fall in Love
Hari Conner
HarperAlley
Published November 19, 2024

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About I Shall Never Fall in Love

George has major problems: They’ve just inherited the failing family estate, and the feelings for their best friend, Eleanor, have become more complicated than ever. Not to mention, if anyone found out they were secretly dressing in men’s clothes, George is sure it would be ruination for the family name.

Eleanor has always wanted to do everything “right,” including falling in love—but she’s never met a boy she was interested in. She’d much rather spend time with her best friend, George, and beloved cousin Charlotte. However, when a new suitor comes to town, she finds her closest friendships threatened, forcing her to rethink what “right” means and confront feelings she never knew she had.

Inspired by Jane Austen and queer history, I Shall Never Fall in Love shines a light on what it means to be true to yourself and rewrites the rules for what makes a happily ever after.

My Review

Elisabeth at The Dirigible Plum recommended this book during a KidLit chat recently, and I immediately requested a hold on it through my library. After reading Renegade Girls: A Queer Tale of Romance and Rabble-rousing by Nora Neus, I craved more historical graphic novels, so this fit perfectly into that need for me.

I didn’t spot the connections to Pride & Prejudice and Emma by Jane Austen right away, but once I saw the parallels, I found them delightful. There are certain scenes that can’t help but call to mind moments from Austen’s novels. I love that.

I also loved the evolution of the characters, especially Ellie and George. At the start of the book, Ellie assumes that she simply doesn’t want to marry anyone. As the story progresses, she begins evaluating her feelings more closely and discovers that she has romantic feelings for someone unexpected.

George always seems to walk this tightrope line in which they know they’re unusual and make uncompromising choices regardless of societal norms. At the same time, they hide parts of themselves that they worry are “too much” or too far outside the expectations of others. As they find a supportive community, they grow more comfortable being their true self.

The romances develop in such a sweet way, too. I loved Charlotte’s romantic story, and especially the backstory about her family and their desires for her. Ellie’s romance really shows the giddiness that comes from finding your person, someone who truly sees you and being able to celebrate that wholeheartedly.

If you like regency-era fiction and graphic novels, don’t miss this fabulously fun story.

Content Notes for I Shall Never Fall in Love

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
I think there’s a brief reference to drinking alcohol, but nothing on-scene, if I’m remembering right.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed this book from my library. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Tea Dragon Festival by K. O’Neill

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The Tea Dragon Festival (The Tea Dragon Society #2)
K. O’Neill
Oni Press
Published September 17, 2019

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About The Tea Dragon Festival

Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago.

With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep, but Rinn’s real challenge is to help Aedhan come to terms with feeling that he cannot get back the time he has lost.

My Review

I absolutely love K. O’Neill’s beautiful fantasy communities. They create such unique characters with a wide variety of skin tones and fantasy-inspired features. This story is set in a different village (and at a different time) than the first book. Initially, I wasn’t sure of the connection between the two stories beyond the presence of tea dragons. But then, shortly after the story begins, two characters from the first book appear as visitors to Rinn’s village.

You could read this book without having read the first book in the series. The storytelling here is pretty gentle, so it’s accessible to very early middle grade readers. My daughter is seven and enjoyed this one.

Rinn and Aedhan’s friendship is such a sweet part of the book. I loved how that developed. I also loved the way that the sleep mystery resolved. I’m looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have magical abilities. Bounty hunters look for a nature spirit that can cause people to fall asleep for long periods of time.

Violent Content
A mythical creature attacks a group. A dragon fights off the creature but is injured.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from my local public library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Silenced Voices by Pablo Leon

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Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan Genocide
Pablo Leon
HarperAlley
Published September 2, 2025

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About Silenced Voices

In this moving intergenerational tale perfect for fans of Messy Roots and Illegal, Eisner-nominated creator Pablo Leon combines historical research of the Dos Erres Massacre with his own experiences as a Guatemalan immigrant to depict a powerful story of family, sacrifice, survival, and hope.

Langley Park, Maryland, 2013.

Brothers Jose and Charlie know very little about the life their mother lived before she came to Maryland. In fact, Clara avoids even telling people she’s from Guatemala. So when Jose grows curious about the ongoing genocide trial of former military leader Efrain Rios Montt, at first the questions he asks Clara are shut down—he and Charlie were born here, after all, and there’s no reason to worry about places they haven’t been. But as the trial progresses, Clara begins to slowly open up to her sons about a time in her life that she’s left buried for years.

Dos Erres, Guatemala, 1982.

Sisters Clara and Elena hear about the civil war every day, but the violence somehow seems far away from their small village of Dos Erres, a Q’eqchi Maya community tucked away in the mountains of Guatemala. They spend their days thinking of other things—Clara, of gifts to bring her neighbors and how to perfect her mother’s recipes, and Elena, of rock music and her friend Ana, whose family had to flee to the US the year before. But the day the Kaibiles come to Dos Erres and destroy everything in their path, the sisters are separated as they flee through the mountains, leaving them to wonder…Have their paths diverged forever?

My Review

Kudos to authors like Pablo Leon who draw attention to important parts of recent history. The story begins in 2013 and shows the two brothers and their mother living in Maryland. As Jose becomes curious about his mother’s life in Guatemala and the Montt’s trial for genocide, we begin to see scenes from Clara and Elena’s lives as young women fleeing the violence.

The graphic panels keep the story moving, showing the characters’ emotional reactions and allowing readers to fill in some of what’s left unsaid about the terror and injustice they face. The story shifts between the past and present timeline smoothly. I didn’t find it confusing.

The author includes facts about Montt’s trial and the frustrating outcome. It also helps to add context to reasons people immigrate from places like Guatemala and how the U.S. involvement sometimes exacerbates instability in the region. Both the discussion about the real history and the context of these events when considering current issues like immigration are important. I love that this book offers this story inspired by real events as a graphic novel, making it very accessible to teen readers.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to genocide and warfare. Racist statements against indigenous people.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All opinions are my own.

MMGM Review: North for the Winter by Bobby Podesta

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North for the Winter
Bobby Podesta
First Second
Published September 2, 2025

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About North for the Winter

From Pixar star animator Bobby Podesta comes a middle-grade classic holiday story about Virginia, a girl who must help one of Santa’s reindeer back to the North Pole before Christmas.

What would you think if you saw a reindeer fly? When this happens to Virginia, she isn’t sure what to do – she’s just lost her mom, she’s in a new city, and everything seems so hard. But when she reluctantly confesses what she saw to her neighbor, Benny, he’s convinced that flying reindeer can only mean one thing: this is Santa business.

In this stunning graphic novel debut from Pixar director Bobby Podesta, two kids and a lost reindeer go up against obsessive hunters, suspiciously convincing department store elves, and radar operators for the Continental Air Defense Command Center. No matter the odds, Virginia’s going to get Christmas back on track!

My Review

This sweet Christmas story begins with a girl and her father on a move from Arizona to Colorado. They’re moving in with Virginia’s aunt, her dad’s sister, to give them both some time to recover from her mom’s death in a car accident. On the way, they encounter a lost reindeer, who seems to form a special bond with Virginia.

Though the reindeer doesn’t ever speak, it licks Virginia’s nose and nods at her in answer to questions. She rides Donner into the sky to escape a trapper, something she finds terrifying at first, and then exhilarating.

Virginia’s relationship with Donner allows her to blossom. She invests in his return to Santa’s team and learns to depend on others and form a new community, too.

The inclusion of the military characters adds a funny note. They’re mystified by the presence of eight flight paths that appear to come from Canada every Christmas Eve.

If you’re looking for a snowy, feel-good Christmas story, put this one on your list!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Vague references to an adult swearing. One time this is represented by symbols in a speech bubble. A second time it’s just dashes and exclamation points.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Contains flying reindeer, elves, and Santa Claus delivering presents on Christmas.

Violent Content
A trapper pursues Donner, trying to catch him with a net. He fires the net from a launcher that looks a little bit like a gun. One perspective follows military personnel who track unidentified aircraft and send planes to investigate/potentially shoot down anything deemed dangerous.

Drug Content
An elf gives Virginia a powder that puts someone to sleep instantly. She uses this to incapacitate someone during a rescue mission.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.