A GIRL AND HER UNICORN

What would you do with one magical wish?
When Phoebe unexpectedly frees a vain unicorn entrapped by the beauty of her own reflection, the bright-eyed four grader is granted a single wish. After addressing the irony of having her initial requests for “infinity more wishes”, “infinity dollars,” or “superpowers” rejected as being “unrealistic” by a magical unicorn, Phoebe ultimately makes an impetuous wish that secures the magical unicorn as her best friend
Despite her narcissistic tendencies, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils is clearly fond of her new obligatory human best friend. And Phoebe, though young, is nobody’s fool. Together the two share all the sort of adventures expected of a young girl and her imaginary friend (including sleepovers and magical hair braiding), with the added benefit of having other people acknowledge the magical friend’s existence.
Told through a series of witty comic strips, Phoebe and Her Unicorn is sure to appeal to fans of classic comic strips such as Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, and Garfield, as well as contemporary comic stories like Babymouse. With casual references to video blogging, popular cat video trends, texting, and smartphone use, Dana Simpson has created a charming modern day heroine for a new generation.
Grades 3+

WANTED: PET HUMAN

Living out on the streets is never easy for a stray cat, but the nameless feline narrator of My Pet Human considers himself lucky to live such a carefree life. With an insider’s knowledge of the best hiding spots and food joints as well as plenty of domesticated, neighborhood critter friends, there’s little incentive for the tuxedo cat to find a pet human of his own. This is particularly the case when he’s already sure the perfect pet human doesn’t exist!

But when a new family moves into town, this street-wise cat is forced to reconsider his roaming ways. Suddenly he’s found someone to feed him lots of treats, give him back rubs, have boxes for him to play in, treat him gently, let him sleep in her lap, and possibly be a faithful companion. Could this little human girl be his perfect pet human?

Author-illustrator Yasmine Surovec is the creator of the Cat versus Human cartoon blog, and her first chapter book for younger readers features appealing comic style illustrations on every page. A cozy new series for pet lovers.

Grades 3+

A NEW FAR OUT GRAPHIC SERIES...UMMM... NEW COMIC BOOKS

A new contender to enter the chaotic foray of graphic novels is a series of amazing fractured fairy tales by many different authors and illustrators.  

Red Riding Hood, Superhero:  a Graphic Novel by Otis Frampton

When Red Riding Hood (RRH) visited Area 54 some years ago, a very frightened alien threw his magical red cape at her giving the young girl extraordinary powers such as laser-ray vision and super strength. In this action-packed version, Grandma is no helpless elderly lady but the president of the United States, RRH is empowered, her mom is still clueless and our canine villain, Professor Grimm,built himself a giant wolf robot in order to kidnap the president while trying to also rid himself of the awesome superhero. This fractured tale is has a great layout and fantastic illustrations.  

Reviewed by Cecile 

In Ninja-rella by Joey Comeau and illustrated by Omar Lozano, the expected path for the trod-upon title orphan gets turned on its head. Her stepmother and stepsisters are still evil and self-serving, but instead of having starry-eyed aspirations of marrying the prince, Ninja-rella dreams of protecting him with her fierce ninja skills. And when her fairy godninja sends her to the royal ball with a special glass katana sword, she finally gets her chance. But when she must flee at midnight, she leaves the glass sword behind--the only clue by which the prince might find his new royal bodyguard. This twist on the classic fairy tale Cinderella, is a empowering and action-packed story, sure to make readers cheer for the katana-wielding heroine.

Reviewed by Meghan

Super Billy Goats Gruff: a Graphic Novel by Sean Tulien; illustrated by Fernando Cano

In a retelling of The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Sean Tulien, two squabbling billy goats and their mediating brother embark on an unexpected journey when they consume three mysterious mushrooms en route to their favorite grassy hillside. Unbeknownst to the hungry goats, these curiously pixelated, Minecraft-styled mushrooms endow super powers, transforming them into the Ninja-Goat, Wizard-Goat, and Warrior-Goat. Transported to a grim landscape where a dark castle awaits them, the new Super Billy Goats Gruff must battle their way through a trove of video gaming references, including giant directional arrows, diverging paths, mysterious doors, magical monsters, boss fights, and power ups. It’s a wacky, action-packed, fractured fairy tale, graphic novel, multiplayer video game kind of adventure, where the winner is crowned the fattest goat of all time.
Reviewed by Sherry

Also check out Snow White and the Seven Robots where everyone in Techworld is green skinned except for Snow White, who with her white skin, red lips, black hair and seven additional virtues is the smartest of of them all for which she has been exiled to another world far from the ruling queen.

Each entry in the Far Out Fairy Tales graphic novel series include some excellent backmatter to communicate information in a highly entertaining way, including an explanation of the origins of the tale, a quick rundown of the twists seen in this version, a glossary, and a set of “visual questions” meant to show story comprehension and analysis in the graphic format.

Any one of these tales will make lively and engaging reads for kids in 3rd grade and up.