THE INKBERG ENIGMA

Bookworm Miro and new friend Zia unravel their seaside town’s greatest mystery.

The story begins when Miro is set upon by bullies upon leaving his favorite bookstore, to be rescued by Zia. Almost immediately, the two new friends stumble upon a mysterious, otherworldly happening that sets in motion a chain of events that will lead to the discovery of the titular enigma and so much more. There is something strange afoot in the town, and a book (and its readers) both imperils and saves the day. While the two kids get support from a community of helpful adults, the real stars of the story are the books that drive the action, as the protagonist expands his life both beyond and deeper into the world of books. The narrative itself swings back and forth from the present to the past, making full use of the flexibility of the graphic-novel format to help the reader navigate everything from historical documents to edge-of-your-seat action sequences. With an array of blended, multilingual, and multiracial families and diverse gender representation, this book is beautifully inclusive. However, women are often peripheral to male action despite their diversity and presence: It’s a little disappointing that Zia seems to exist mostly to serve Miro’s character development without any character development of her own. Miro has beige skin, and Zia presents White.

Villains, magical books, and creatures from the deep combine for a fast-paced, rollicking graphic mystery.