The Greenies (The Greenies #1)
Emma Mills
Henry Holt & Co. Books for Young Readers
Published March 3, 2026
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
About The Greenies
The Baby-Sitters Club meets The Breakfast Club in this fun and fresh graphic novel about a girl who reluctantly joins the Environmental Club at her new school–and finds friendship and community where she least expects it.
After her parents’ divorce, seventh grader Violet is forced to start all over.
Now the new kid, at a new school, in a new town, she must navigate unfamiliar territory. Luckily, Violet falls in with a new group of (maybe?) friends. But when they wind up in detention, they’re forced to join the under-attended Environmental Club—and mischief ensues. What will become of this rag-tag group?
Fans of Raina Telgemeier will love this hilarious and heartfelt story about making friends, making mistakes, and making it up as you go along—until you end up just where you were meant to be.
My Review
I’ve been a fan of Emma Mills for years. Her young adult novels always have really engaging characters and memorable friendships. When I saw that she was writing this middle grade graphic novel, I immediately jumped at the chance to review it.
Just like her other stories, this one boasts realistic, memorable relationships. When Violet starts going to a new school, she only knows her quirky cousin (ask her to tell you about Jupiter). Pretty quickly, though, she makes some new friends. Her new friends have history with each other that Violet doesn’t know about, which creates some interesting tension in the group.
The description comparing this book to The Breakfast Club is spot-on, though there’s far less angst here. Overall this is a fun collision of characters who reluctantly pull together as part of an after-school environmental club. Perfect for readers interested in an upbeat friendship tale.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
None.
Spiritual Content
Violet’s cousin tells her a rumor about a zombie eighth grader roaming the closed-off fourth floor.
Violent Content
None.
Drug Content
None.
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