Tag: graphic-novel

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Kickflip by LD Lapinski and Logan Hanning

We’re now into July, meaning that Pride Month is over. But I still have more amazing LGBTQIA+ books to talk about.

Soooooo, we’re going to start with the amazing comic that is Kickflip, by LD Lapinski.

Like Jamie – another of Lapinski’s books – this amazing graphic novel highlights the experiences of a non-binary young person as they learn to navigate an increasingly binary world.

Bullied for not conforming at their girls’ school, and presumed male on account of their hobbies, Elliot finds that neither label properly describes them. After some beautiful conversations with a very supportive mum, Elliot eventually finds the courage to talk about their identity to their closest friends.

Whilst the writing of this book is obviously superb (as is the case with all of Lapinski’s work), Hanning’s artwork in this one really takes it to the next level. The warmth, humour, and subtle storytelling in these comics really is a joy to engage with, and though I’ve only had the book for a few weeks, I’ve returned to it multiple times already, finding something new to love each time.

I’ve spoken before about how amazing the children’s comics scene is becoming, and Kickflip is definitely one to add to the canon.

Have you managed to get hold of this yet? What are your favourite children’s comics? As ever, I would love recommendations!

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I’ve set up a ‘bookshop’ of sorts, over on Bookshop.org, so that I can point you to somewhere to buy that isn’t Amazon. I get a small commission for any sales made there. This helps to support me running this blog. If you’d like to get your copy of Kickflip this way, please just click here. If you’d like to support me without buying a book, you can do so here. Thank you.

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Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau

Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau is an absolutely gorgeous book. It reminded me a little of Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, both in terms of character design and artwork, which – since I loved Heartstopper – was a very good thing.

The story follows Ari, who wants to move away from his family bakery to play in a band with his friends. When baking-enthusiast Hector gets hired to help out after Ari is gone, Ari finds himself with a new reason to stay.

This is such a sweet romance – pun intended – and I loved the soft palette of grey-blue used throughout. I thought it really added to the mood. There were some moments where I wished that certain toxic friendships had been dealt with more instructively, but I do get that this is a representation of real-life struggles amongst teens/young-adults rather than a manual for How To Life. And I wish that there had been some more conversation about what happened following a certain altercation towards the end – Hector deserved better damnit – but overall, I thought that all the conflict was wrapped up nicely by the end.

This is another book for older readers, much like Boy Like Me, where it’s super easy to read alongside your child – the graphic novel format makes it quick, and it’s a breezy delight compared to the real world. Goodness knows I appreciated the happy place it provided for a few hours. And now I get to chat about lovely books with my eldest kiddo, which should keep the world at bay for a little longer.

Do you have any favourite graphic novels? Have you read Bloom, or Global, or The Power of Welcome? I would love to hear your thoughts and recommendations!


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I’ve set up a ‘bookshop‘ of sorts, over on Bookshop.org, so that I can point you to somewhere to buy that isn’t Amazon. I get a small commission for any sales made there. This helps to support me running this blog. If you’d like to get your copy of Bloom this way, please just click here. If you’d like to support me without buying a book, you can do so here. Thank you.

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Global by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin and Giovanni Rigano

Comics have had a lot of bad rep over the years, but hopefully as a society, we’re coming to recognise how important they are as a reading medium. Comics require reading skills, of course,* but they also require a visual literacy that translates wonderfully to the critical reading of advertisements. As someone who has always loved the medium, I’m really thrilled to see graphic storytelling being treated with increasing respect, and being employed for increasingly important topics.

This incredible graphic novel, Global, follows the lives of two children – one impacted by melting ice, the other by flooding land. Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin and Giovanni Rigano have done an absolutely amazing job of communicating the climate crisis in a personal, sympathetic, and beautiful way.

I found the afterword particularly affecting; throughout the book I felt as though I was reading about a point in the near-future, a time that was coming if we continue to do nothing. But the afterword made it clear that these were events were taking place in the present. The sheets explaining climate change following this were also fantastic, and really made the information accessible.

As someone who’s just coming out of a degree and so is used to citing everything, I also appreciated that this book had employed a research consultant (Vivien Francis). This is – sadly – not as common as you might think in non-fiction books, so to see it in a fictional work was particularly nice.

And for those, like my youngest, who might be concerned about the fate of the dog in this book, I’m happy to report that the dog is still alive at the end.

Overall, this is a fabulous book for humanising the climate crisis, and for engaging empathetically with the world around us. The two very different plots really help to bring home how multifaceted an issue this is, while still working within such a visual medium; comics don’t give you a lot of space for footnotes, or whole paragraphs dedicated to exposition, so this was such a clever way of exploring the interconnectedness of environments across the earth.

Of the various children’s books I’ve read which touch on climate change/the environment, this is by far the one I’ve liked best so far. If you’d like to investigate others, check out:
– Terra Electrica (Middle Grade)
– Feast of Ashes (Young Adult)
– This Book is Not Rubbish (Non-fiction)
– Plant the Tiny Seed (Picture Book)
– We Travel So Far (Picture Book)
– A Swift Return (Picture Book)

What are your favourite books about the environment and climate change for children? I would absolutely love some more recommendations!

Fran xxx

I’ve set up a ‘bookshop‘ of sorts, over on Bookshop.org, so that I can point you to somewhere to buy that isn’t Amazon. I get a small commission for any sales made there. This helps to support me running this blog. If you’d like to get your copy of Global this way, please just click here. Thank you for your support.

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* If you’re not familiar with reading comics, I’d recommend conceptualising them as reading a play with images instead of stage-directions. And if you’re unfamiliar with plays, do yourself a huge favour and go and read The Importance of Being Earnest – it’s free on Project Gutenburg! It’s Oscar Wilde’s greatest gift to theatre kids the world over.

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Miss Cat and The Case of the Curious Canary by Jean-Luc Fromental & Joëlle Jolivet – Blog Tour

This book though! What an absolute joy to read! Thanks to Random Things Tours for sending this my way.

Miss Cat and The Case of the Curious Canary by Jean-Luc Fromental & Joëlle Jolivet is a graphic novel that feels like a cross between the artwork of Disney’s 1960s ‘101 Dalmatians’ and the prose of a French detective noir.

When an old man’s canary is kidnapped, he hires Miss Cat to investigate. Following a series of clues from a cast of fun characters, Miss Cat manages to get to the bottom of things – and nothing is as straightforward as it would first appear!

First off, I’d like to talk about the gorgeous artwork! I mean, look at this!!!

An image from Miss Cat.

But also… look at this!

A piece of concept art for a 101 Dalmatians street that I found on Pinterest (don’t judge me – this isn’t academia!)

There’s just something really scrummy and retro about the art. And there’s an amazing amount of humour in it too, especially if you’re an adult:

This panel obviously draws heavily from Nighthawks by Edward Hopper and I love it!

I love the ending of the story – the self-acceptance and the pathway left open for a sequel. I also really liked the character of Miss Cat, who seemed to be neither part of the animal kingdom, nor the human world. As someone who considered themselves something of an oddball growing up, this really resonated with me, and I imagine it would for many people with a similar history.

I also think that this spans a huge potential audience in terms of age – I loved it as an adult because of the quirky humour and artistic references, but my teenage self would have loved it for the randomness – i.e. a cat-girl at an octopus bar – and my youngest child seemed to absorb the story at face value. There is something for everyone in here.

In short, this is a really great graphic novel. The brief prose sections at the beginnings of each chapter might even be a good compromise for any nay-saying teachers who think ‘comics aren’t real books’ (those people are wrong, by the way – comics are wonderful books).

What are your favourite graphic novels? Have you read Miss Cat? If so, what did you think? I’d love to hear your views ❤

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I’ve set up a ‘bookshop‘ of sorts, over on Bookshop.org, so that I can point you to somewhere to buy that isn’t Amazon. I get a small commission for any sales made there. This helps to support me running this blog. If you’d like to get your copy of Miss Cat this way, please just click here. Thank you for your support.