Good morning everyone!

I am here with some more graphic novels that I’ve read recently. My kids (and my partner and I) are still totally loving graphic novels, and I’m more than happy to get some more, read some more and share with them… because then we all win ha!

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Parachute Kids – Betty C. Tang

Feng-Li can’t wait to discover America with her family! But after an action-packed vacation, her parents deliver shocking news. They are returning to Taiwan and leaving Feng-Li and her older siblings in California on their own. Suddenly, the three kids must fend for themselves in a strange new world― and get along. Starting a new school, learning a new language, and trying to make new friends while managing a household is hard enough, but Bro and Sis’s constant bickering makes everything worse. Thankfully, there are some hilarious moments to balance the stress and loneliness. But as tensions escalate―and all three kids get tangled in a web of bad choices―can Feng-Li keep her family together?

This was my first book read back in April and I thought it was just brilliant. Didn’t realise “parachute kids” was a thing, so to learn that was insightful. I loved this story of siblings, the love they have for each other and trying to muddle through when they’re left without parents! Brilliant story and this could definitely prompt some depth conversations about family.

Leon the Extraordinary – Jamar Nicholas

In the city where Leon lives, superheroes — and supervillains — are commonplace. So how does an ordinary kid like Leon, who has no superpowers himself, become the superhero he wants to be? When all his classmates suddenly become obsessed with a new phone app that turns them into zombies, Leon gets his chance to prove that using his brain and following his heart can save the day.

That was fun! Leon wants to just do good… but when everyone’s against you, how can you? I really enjoyed the bold, bright spreads. This went down a storm with both me and my fiancee and I can’t wait to share it with my class! Looking forward to the story continuing in the next one!

Freestyle – Gale Galligan

Cory’s dance crew is getting ready for a major competition. It’s the last one before they graduate eighth grade and go their separate ways to high schools all over New York City, so they have to make it count! The group starts to have problems as their crew captain gets increasingly intense about nailing the routine, and things go from bad to worse when Cory’s parents ground him for not taking his grades seriously. With mounting pressure coming from all sides, how is Cory supposed to balance the expectations of his parents, school, dance, and his new friend?

This was loads of fun! Gotta love a good throwback to yo-yo’ing! Loads in this to unpick and talk about! I reckon Y6s will love this. Friendship, moving schools, doing well in school and all those challenges! Gorgeous spreads throughout too! Loads is wonderful characters in this!

Squished – Megan Wagner Lloyd

Eleven-year-old Avery Lee loves living in Hickory Valley, Maryland. She loves her neighborhood, school, and the end-of-summer fair she always goes to with her two best friends. But she’s tired of feeling squished by her six siblings. All Avery wants is her own room — her own space to be alone and make art. So she’s furious when Theo, her grumpy older brother, gets his own room instead, and her wild baby brother, Max, moves into the room she already shares with her clinging sister Pearl! Avery hatches a plan to finally get her own room. And when Avery finds out that her family might move across the country, things get even more complicated.

This is another that I really really enjoyed! As someone with only one sibling but a big family, there’s definitely some of this I relate to! There are some lovely messages in this about family, belonging and the importance of listening to each other. Gorgeous illustrations too. I think my kids are going to love this – I teach a few kids who have big families who can probably relate to Avery!

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And that’s it for today! I’ve had a productive graphic novel reading year so far, so I’m sure I’ll be back with some more graphic novel mini reviews in the next week or so! I have loads of reviews to catch up on! I would love some recommendations though…

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you have any recommendations for graphic novels for me to buy that would work for my Y6s, I’d love to hear them!

S x