How to make new friends but keep the old? Marko proves that the real and imaginary can both be gold.
Mabel must weather social discomfort in a new setting.
Following the events of the first book, which Mabel’s imaginary friend, Mr. Elephant, helpfully summarizes via an introductory puppet show, Mabel is about to join the Scouts-like Lightning Bugs. “You can make me go, but you can’t make me like it,” she tells her parents; she’s a creative and playful sport but definitely not a joiner. Mabel and Elephant spot other kids’ imaginary friends, including Gertie and her “eager beaver,” Slappy, an encouraging sign that Mabel might get along just fine with her fellow Lightning Bugs. Meanwhile, Mabel anticipates seeing the movie version of her favorite video game, Crash Kittens Racing, with besties Flora and Bea. Marko makes canny observations about the nature of preferences and change: Ms. Fanny, the Lightning Bugs troop leader, fixes Mabel’s uniform so the tag stops itching her; Mr. Elephant reminds Mabel she can change her mind about a dreaded social experience after enjoying it. These themes land naturally in Marko’s world of fully loaded family minivans and cheerful coed youth groups. Symmetrical page layouts of large squares and rectangles, with occasional circular inset panels for quick asides between characters, allow readers to clearly navigate panels and speech bubbles. Most of the cast is light-skinned, though Flora is brown-skinned and there’s some diversity among the Lightning Bugs.
How to make new friends but keep the old? Marko proves that the real and imaginary can both be gold. (Graphic fiction. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2026
ISBN: 9780593752906
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Will draw more eyes than ever to the antics of this tuberous twosome.
Can Rot Poe Tater scare the snot out of Snot, his irritating big brother? Maybe with help from friends!
Tired of being the victim of his sib’s mischievous pranks, Rot, an anthropomorphic potato, is determined to turn the tables. Unfortunately, Snot seems to have eyes in the back of his head (no surprise, considering that he’s a potato), and even with a new pair of sneakers, Rot just can’t get the drop on him. Where can Rot learn to be even sneakier? Spy school, of course! Though Rot makes a hash out of lessons in keeping secrets and other spy skills, he finds classmates with complementary talents willing to help dish up a plan clever enough to startle the smirking older spud into a spectacularly gooey sneeze. And rather than mashing down his booger-blasted little bro, Snot gives him grudging props. Rot and pals rush to celebrate over a plate of only slightly slimed cupcakes (yum!), and the tale closes with a roguish final twist. The art, peeled down to the essentials and made with a mix of earth-toned paints, digital effects, and potato prints, adds to the episode’s air of mildly decayed charm.
Will draw more eyes than ever to the antics of this tuberous twosome. (nature facts, pranking guidelines, drawing lesson) (Graphic fiction. 6-8)Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781665964302
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
Ghostly fun for the gentlest of readers.
Newly arrived with his parents in seemingly quiet Kersville, an anxious young Latine boy discovers that his new house isn’t quite as normal and boring as he’d hoped.
This graphic reboot of the opener to a proliferating series of early chapter books dispenses with most of the explication but sticks closely to the original’s plotline and dialogue. Hardly has Andres Miedoso—who shares a name with the tale’s author—had time to unpack before a flurry of weird noises and events sends him hurrying over to consult with his grinning, brown-skinned new neighbor, who earlier handed him a business card provocatively labeled “Desmond Cole, Ghost Patrol.” Yes, there’s a ghost in Andres’ house—a jagged, seething cloud of ectoplasm that makes a terrifying first impression…but then gleefully chows down on some unfortunate lasagna and, after paying the gastric price, admits to being a sad, lonely specter searching for a permanent home. By the end, all three have bonded, Andres has a card of his own, and the stage is set for further supernatural exploits. The illustrations are closely based on those in the book’s antecedent, with the addition of bright colors that nicely show off Desmond’s big personality—and the massive green sliming Andres gets when the ghost upchucks all over him. The chills are, if anything, even lighter than the original’s, and the fresh format may draw some new fans.
Ghostly fun for the gentlest of readers. (Graphic ghost fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9798347100811
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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