Post-It Note Reviews: Quick reviews of five graphic novels

Wrapping up the year with a handful of the graphic novels that have been on my TBR!

All descriptions from the publisher.

Sea Legs: A Graphic Novel (Sea Legs #1) by Jules Bakes, Niki Smith (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781338835861 Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. Publication date: 02/04/2025, Ages 8-12)

Set sail for adventure! Dive in to this hilarious and moving middle grade graphic memoir about friendship, growing up, and life at sea.

Janey’s family is about to set sail for the adventure of a lifetime! The only problem? Janey must leave her school, her life, her best friend, the entire country behind for new adventures — coral reefs, colorful markets, and new cultures. Life at sea is exhilarating, but there’s a major downside: when you’re raising anchor every few days with sights on a new harbor, it’s almost impossible to make new friends.

Finally, Janey meets the cool and aloof Astrid — a fellow boat kid who’s equally starved for friendship. But Astrid can be a challenging friend to navigate, and beyond that, hurricane season has only just begun . . . .

At turns laugh-out-loud hilarious and heartbreakingly poignant, this stunning middle grade graphic memoir charts both the turbulence and joys of growing up.

(POST-IT SAYS: Kids will love this really long, complex story about a girl who lives on a boat. It’s not all fun—Janey is often lonely and angry about her situation and a mean new friend has her own struggles—but this unique, thoughtful story will stick with readers.)

The Weirn Books, Vol. 2: The Ghost and the Stolen Dragon by Svetlana Chmakova (ISBN-13: 9781975311278 Publisher: Yen Press Publication date: 10/15/2024 Series: Weirn Books Series #2, Ages 8-12)

After her terrible adventures in the Silent Woods, Na’ya’s world seems to have returned to normal…that is, except for the nightmares that keep haunting her. What she needs is the power to protect everyone in case the evil scientist returns, and she has the perfect solution—she’ll turn into a dragon, once and for all! With help from Ailis and Jasper, everything seems to be going according to plan. But what’s that dark shadow slithering around the spell-casting range…?

(POST-IT SAYS: So much action in this spooky graphic novel about ghosts, dragons, and defeating evil. This fast-paced story is book #2 in the series but can be read as a standalone with little confusion.)

Luminous Beings: A Graphic Novel by David Arnold, Jose Pimienta (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9780593620915 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 09/03/2024, Ages 14-17)

“A gorgeously rendered adventure that captures the ache and joy of adolescence in a mad world.”—Tillie Walden, award-winning author of On a Sunbeam

Ty and Burger have known each other’since before they could walk. But this shared history is nothing compared to their plans for the future: step one, make a killer documentary about humanity’s recent brush with extinction; step two, apply to film school together; step three, achieve legendary status as the next great filmmaking duo. But Ty has a secret that will ultimately shake the foundations of their friendship and force them both to wonder if growing up means letting go of the people they once were.

With heads full of bioluminescence and hearts full of fury, “squizzies” have one thing on their tiny rodent brains: global annihilation. Their reign of terror may be a thing of the past, but Ty and Burger are determined to chronicle the perseverance of the human race in the wake of the “squirrel-pocalypse.” With friends Miles and Fib, they embark on an overnight excursion through rowdy nightclubs, once-familiar neighborhoods, perilous castles, and off-grid RVs, all the while, recording quiet lives of love and loss in a strange new world.

Set over the course of a single day, Luminous Beings explores the many facets of friendship and love, the heavy burden of a well-kept secret, the boundless tenacity of the human spirit, and, yes, the furriest of all zombified mammals. But don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world. Just the end of the squirrel.

(POST-IT SAYS: Super weird—I say that with love and respect. It’s the apocalypse, but with glowing zombie squirrels (and it’s survivable). Four friends still have to live their lives, make decisions, and share secrets (all while wearing hazmat suits). Brilliantly strange.)

One Little Goat: A Passover Catastrophe by Dara Horn, Theo Ellsworth (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781324082132 Publisher: Norton Young Readers Publication date: 03/04/2025, Ages 8-12)

A lost Afikomen, a time-traveling talking goat, and a never-ending seder illuminate the meaning of Passover in Dara Horn’s dryly funny graphic novel.

A family sits at the table, ready to start their Passover seder. There’s Grandpa, who’s attempting to lead; anxious dad and pregnant mom; Cool Cousin and Uncool Cousin; 98-year-old great-grandma who survived the Warsaw Ghetto; our narrator, Wise Child, and his siblings—one of whom has lost the Afikomen. Without it, this seder can never end. Accompanied by a wisecracking, irreverent little goat who shows up at the front door, Wise Child takes a journey through time and all the Passovers past to retrieve the Afikomen, end the seder, and understand his family, his faith, and his history along the way.

Complemented by Theo Ellsworth’s fantastical artwork, Dara Horn’s first graphic novel is a delightfully bizarre exploration of the meaning of Passover, layered with joy, humor, and magic.

(POST-IT SAYS: Oh no! The Afikoman has been tossed through a dimensional tear in the universe and could be anywhere (… anywhen?). Good thing a talking goat takes our main character on a wild journey to find it and finally—after 6 months—end their seder. Delightful!)

Full Shift by Jennifer Dugan, Kit Seaton (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9780593529850 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 08/27/2024, Ages 12-17)

In this queer, supernatural YA graphic novel from the author of Some Girls Do and the illustrator of Wonder Woman: Warbringer, a reluctant teen werewolf would do anything to be human—if that’s what it takes to win her crush’s heart.

Tessa feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. Not at school, where she can’t figure out how to confess the feelings she has for her friend Maddie. And definitely not at home, where the other werewolves in her family make her feel like an outcast because she can’t even shift into her full wolf form yet. Sometimes she thinks her whole life would be easier if she wasn’t a werewolf at all.

When word gets out that a group of werewolf hunters has infiltrated her pack’s territory and that they’ve developed a cure that can make werewolves human, Tessa thinks she’s found the answer to her problems. But when she discovers there might be more to the hunters’ plans than anyone knows, it’s up to Tessa to put herself on the line to protect the lives of those she loves most. And the only way to save them is to embrace the wolf inside her that is howling to get out.

(POST-IT SAYS: Really complicated and moving look at a werewolf who is grieving and doesn’t feel comfortable with who she is. Awesome detailed art and a lot of text makes this a satisfyingly long read with room to really work it all out.)

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