Tag Archives: friendship

Butler Bookshelf

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Graphic novels are a great way to escape into a different world and go on an adventure. You can go on an adventure in outer space, revisit a classic Dr. Seuss story, or explore a cozy new world with flying horses like in this week’s feature, A Song for You & I by K. O’Neill. In this fantasy graphic novel, O’Neill explores themes of self-discovery and bravery. Rose is a ranger-in-training who is disappointed by their final assignment before the graduation-like Name Carving ceremony that will allow them to be a ranger to protect all people. They are tasked with protecting Lamb’s Ear Meadow, an idyllic, sleepy region that is nothing like the danger and excitement they were hoping for. Soon, they develop a friendship with the shepherd Leone, who helps Rose to discover who they really are and be brave enough to show it to the world. O’Neill’s writing, though sparse, is touching and offers readers a connection to the characters, but their illustrations are the star of the show. The digital sketch-style drawings, made in Procreate, are crafted with a pleasing, full-color palette that beautifully builds the world and expertly shows the emotions that Rose and Leone feel over the course of the story. The vibrancy allows readers to smell the sea-salty air, hear Leone’s fiddle playing, and see the inner turmoil Rose is going through, as well as the triumph when they comes out as Rowan in the Name Carving ceremony. A sweet, delightful book for readers of all ages, A Song for You & I is a wonderful addition to a library looking for stories with themes of identity and acceptance. 

Check out more graphic novel titles below! 

A Copycat Conundrum (The Misfits 2) 
Written by Lisa Yee 
Illustrated by Dan Santat
Published by Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

Great Space Iguana (Hilo 11) 
Written and illustrated by Judd Winick 
Published by RH Graphic
Available now!

Green Eggs and Ham Take a Hike 
Written and illustrated by James Kochalka
Published by RH Graphic
Available now!  

Steve L. McEvil and the Twisted Sister (Steve L. McEvil 3) 
Written and illustrated by Lucas Turnbloom 
Colors by Marc La Pierre and Lucas Turnbloom 
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers 
Available now! 

A Song for You & I 
Written and illustrated by K. O’Neill 
Published by RH Graphic 
Available now! 

Dare To Follow Your Joy: A Review of The Queen Bees of Tybee County 

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The Queen Bees of Tybee County 
Written by Kyle Casey Chu 
Published by Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins Publishers 
Ages 8-13 
Available April 15, 2025 

Talented middle school point guard Derrick Chan has the perfect summer plan: go to basketball camp and practice every day so he and his best friend, JJ, can make the varsity team next year. His plan is upended when his dad can’t afford the tuition, so instead, Derrick is sent to his grandma Claudia’s in boring Heritage, GA. There, Derrick befriends roller skater Ro and queer photographer Giles. When he has an opportunity to help out with the town pageant, Derrick volunteers out of curiosity and is soon faced with an opportunity to be daring and authentically express himself to the world.  

The Queen Bees of Tybee County is an emotional and heartwarming story of one middle school boy’s journey to self-discovery. Every reader will be able to understand Derrick’s confusion and anxiety, and they’ll find comfort in the safe space that his loved ones give him to be himself. Simultaneously, Chu expertly makes Derrick’s experience specific to his queer Chinese American identity. He demonstrates the diversity of expression in the LGBTQ+ community by showing the different ways Derrick and Giles express their queerness, as well as the ways that racism has affected Derrick’s family members chasing their own dreams. All told from Derrick’s perspective, his sweet and genuine personality makes the story compelling. Community is the heart of this novel, and Chu creates a comfortable safe space in Giles, Ro, and Claudia for Derrick to explore his feelings before feeling safe to come out to JJ and his dad. Although the resolution is fairytale-esque, Chu doesn’t shy away from the reality of being queer and Chinese American by showing resistance from some townspeople when Derrick competes in the pageant. This touching story of self-love and acceptance is sure to inspire upper-elementary and middle schoolers everywhere to be proud of who they are. 

Come Find Me: A Review of Frankie and Friends: The Lost Tooth

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Frankie and Friends: The Lost Tooth
Christine Platt
Illustrated by Alea Marley
Walker Books/Candlewick
March 18, 2025
Age 5-8

If Frankie loses a tooth while she’s away from home, how will the tooth fairy ever find her? Excitement over the very first loose tooth, and anxiety over its timing, inspire imaginative problem-solving by thoughtful and determined Frankie and her friends—a group of sentient toys—to ensure a visit from the tooth fairy. The group brainstorms solutions as they prepare for a long-awaited trip to accompany Mama to a journalism conference. When Frankie loses her tooth at the conference, she is joined by other aspiring young journalists to find her tooth and guarantee it makes it to her pillow.

With gentle prose and the excitement of her young protagonist, Platt centers the joys and concerns of a young elementary schooler and the importance of friendship in this third installment of the Frankie and Friends series. Introducing potentially new vocabulary in all caps, calls out the opportunity to decode the word based on clear context clues in the text. Though there is a definition list included in the backmatter. Themes of teamwork and communicating worries are spot on for the social-emotional learning of the target age group. Digital illustrations in a hand-drawn, colored-pencil style are vibrantly hued and full of pattern. Full page, full bleed images sit alongside smaller inset drawing to break up the text into manageable chunks, and closely mirror the text to aid in decoding. Depicting sweetly expressive faces and a loving bond in the African American family, Marley’s illustrations help place the series as one to depict an ordinary, happy childhood versus struggle and strife.

The latest Frankie and Friends offers newly independent readers a spunky heroine growing into her own with the loving support of her family and friends.

The Big Score: A Review of Faker

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Faker
Gordon Korman
Scholastic
Age 8-12
July 2, 2024


Is Trey really defined by what his family does? Confidence man, liar, criminal… Faker? Living a high-end life funded by his father’s career as a con artist, Trey and his little sister are in on the game, to reel in families in a series of prep schools and wealthy communities. Settling into what could be their biggest score yet—the big kahuna—a fictional electric car start-up looking for investors, he begins to question it all. An influential middle school ethics teacher and his activist daughter open Trey’s eyes to the morality of the “family business” and a growing disillusionment with how it affects those around him.

In the authentically conflicted voice of an adolescent boy, Korman gives this realistic fiction tale a twist. What if this boy was a con trying to go straight? Then he adds all the middle school conflict that comes with friendships, family drama, and questioning parental authority. Is Dad right that no one is hurt when you take from the rich? Brisk plotting and snappy dialog mirror the pace of Trey’s quickly developing conscience. “I can’t believe I ever thought it was anything more than stealing” (p. 170). Trey matures throughout the narrative, getting involved to rehab a local park and discovering that a new friend is also part of a con artist family, efficiently driving the final action. In a conveniently tidy conclusion, he makes a dramatic decision—they all go straight, return the money, and build the stable home life Trey always wanted. A funny and fast-paced coming of age story for middle schooler readers that want a side of crime with their family drama.

Cracking the Code of Middle School: A Review of Talia’s Codebook for Mathletes

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Talia’s Codebook for Mathletes
Marissa Moss
Walker Books
June 13, 2023
Ages 8 to 12

Talia loves cracking codes and doing math, but can’t seem to solve the puzzle that is middle school. Joining the mathlete team was supposed to help with her transition, but as the only girl on the team, the boys make her the outcast. When her mathlete best friend, Dash, gets too embarrassed to be best friends with a girl, and wants to hide their friendship, there’s only one thing Talia can do—make her own all-girls mathlete team! With her new friends by her side, Talia becomes determined to bring their team to victory, get her friend back, and figure out the social rules of middle school.

The comic diary form gives a personal touch to the feelings, actions, and reactions Talia has to daily life as a middle school student. The book is broken down into observations, deductions, quizzes, and puzzles, which act as chapters. With this style, readers get a fast-paced book with no breaks in the plot. The illustrations are meant to look like doodles in a diary but are still expressive with the use of postures and facial expressions. The colors are bright with the use of watercolors and gouache with ink to give definitions to characters and objects. The overarching themes of friendship, discovering a sense of self, and finding the courage to do something outside the norm make this book perfect for readers entering middle school. Talia evolves in her social development, starting as self-centered and refusing to see her friend’s perspectives then becoming conscious of her actions and how they affect other people’s feelings. Talia’s friends and family don’t have major character developments during the book, but they do support and encourage her on her journey through middle school. Talia’s Codebook for Mathletes is a STEM-oriented book that teaches young readers, especially girls interested in math or science, to be courageous and forge their own unique path in middle school.

Spring Break Self-Discovery: A Review of Imogen, Obviously

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Imogen, Obviously cover art

Imogen, Obviously
Becky Albertalli
Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Available May 2, 2023
Age 14+

During a Spring Break visit with her slightly distant best friend, introspective Imogen’s emersion in college life is complete—first proper party, first drink, first made up queer relationship. But Imogen is the best ally, and doesn’t hesitate to support Lili in any way she needs, even as a faux backstory. As she gets to know and like Lili’s friend group, especially cute and flirty Tessa, the lie weighs on her conscience as an appropriation. But maybe she’s comfortable in the role of bisexual because she’s more than just an ally?

In a very personal exploration of the “ways” to be queer, Becky Albertalli makes space for readers sure of their identity and those still figuring themselves out. Her author’s note shares her own “queer awakening,” that like Imogen’s, moves from very-straight-woman-allyship, to a slow connect the dots of experiences that helped her make sense of her feelings and her identity. The narrative centers Imogen’s experience and emotions as she reconnects with Lili, makes new friends, and loses old ones in her self-discovery. At the same time, a well-developed cast of secondary characters creates an ensemble cast feeling, their clever and fast-paced dialog bringing the college campus and relationships to life. Themes of friendship, gatekeeping, and identity are woven throughout the thoughtful and often sharply funny text that is as much coming out story as growing up story.

An Everglades-inspired Fantasy Adventure: A Review of Into the Glades

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Into the Glades
Laura Sebastian
Delacorte Press
October 25th, 2022
Ages 8 to 12

The Glades—a peaceful but magical swamp-like area filled with magical creatures—has been the home to best friends, Cecilia and Larkin, since they were young. But with the unexpected death of Cecilia’s father, Oziris, the leader of the village, the Glades has turned maliciously towards the townspeople like never before. Wrapped in anger and grief but determined to resurrect Oziris and break the curse on the Glades, Cecilia and Larkin, along with their two younger brothers, embark upon a journey through the Glades to find a powerful witch. But the potential price of such dark magic may be too much for the children to handle, along with the grief and fury threatening to consume them.

As the girls and their brothers’ journey through the Glades, Sebastian weaves in how each handles their grief, from simmering anger to calm acceptance. Tested throughout their journey, Cecilia and Larkin are challenged by their emotions, magical ability, and fear of losing each other. In the end, they have to accept each other for their bonds of friendship to endure. Sebastian uses the journey though the Glade as a metaphor for moving through the stages of grief. Details of Oziris’s death introduce a darker tone, but Sebastian balances it with subtle humor and lightheartedness from the brothers. She firmly places them as emotional support for Cecilia and Larkin while away from the rest of their grieving family members. The characters and location of the story are inspired by the author’s childhood, making it a personal story that still allows readers to immerse themselves in her experience. Into the Glades is a fantasy adventure encouraging social-emotional learning by bringing to life real issues surrounding loss and grief along with accepting change and enjoying each moment, providing a silver lining to even the darkest events.

More Than “Goode” Enough: A Review of The Glass Witch

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The Glass Witch cover art

The Glass Witch
Lindsay Puckett
Scholastic Press
October 18, 2022
Age 8-12

Adelaide Goode is the youngest in a family of cursed and complicated witches, doomed to feel she is not magic enough, thin enough, or “Goode enough.” About to be left with her grandma for the summer, Addie clings to her mother in a snap decision that unleashes the curse, turns her bones to glass, and makes her the target of a witch-hunting spirit. Only by accepting herself and connecting with her family’s magic, or kindred, can she save herself, her family, and her town from shattering.

Challenged by low self-esteem and fear of abandonment, Addie uses tween snark and extraordinary baking skills as a shield against her fears. Puckett weaves heavy themes of body image, bullying, and family tension with more whimsical notes of a Halloween Pageant, delicious food imagery, and brave rescue rabbits to keep the tone light and the pace lively. And the addition of a fearless and monster-obsessed new friend, Fatima, makes for the perfect foil for Addie and her ideal companion in a magical crisis. Secondary adult characters begin in a less-defined manner but shine in a conclusion that sees Addie find her self-worth while learning about her family and her place in it.

Friendship, family, and magic combine in this lighthearted story of self-discovery and acceptance.

Should Revenge Be Served at All?: A Review of Sweet and Sour

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Sweet and Sour cover art

Sweet and Sour
Debbi Michiko Florence
Scholastic
July 26, 2022
Age: 8-12

Mai, budding birder and BTS stan, and her parents have always spent idyllic summers with family friends in small-town Mystic, Connecticut. Until two summers ago, when their son and Mai’s BFF, Zach, betrayed her and the friends suddenly moved to Japan. Now the trip is back on and Mai is unhappily headed from west coast to east with a new BFF, Lila, and years of built up anger. When Zach, so changed from two years away, wants to pick up their friendship right where he thinks they left it, Mai must decide how to handle her hurt feelings (not well), whether to hang onto a grudge she may have outgrown (not fun), and how to be a better friend to new friends and old.

Told from Mai’s point of view, Debbi Michiko Florence perfectly captures the 13-year-old voice with swings from light to moody, petulant to kind. The text is sprinkled with good and bad memory flashbacks, labeled sweet or sour, providing the backstory of Mai and Zach’s childhood and the racist incident that fractured their bond. Mai’s journey from sadness to anger to letting go is choppy and full of tween uncertainty. But her moments of introspection and insistence on standing up for yourself and your friends, whether it be from anti-Asian hate, bullying, or on matters of consent, keep her character from verging into the self-centered and vengeful. With wise words from friends, she learns to process her feelings rather than bury them and how to both forgive and ask for forgiveness. The relationships between Mai and Lila, Zach, and a new friend Celeste provide powerful examples of different types of friendships and illustrate the value of each. A secondary storyline, featuring Mai’s parents and their perceived inability to handle her big emotions, could have been better developed, but lends import to the central theme of communicating one’s feelings. Mai’s complicated emotions add both sweet and sour notes to the narrative of this summer adventure exploring the complexities of friendship, memory, growing up.

Butler Bookshelf

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This week’s Butler Bookshelf features recently released and coming soon titles! These include It Starts With a Bee by Aimee Gallagher. A poetic look into the world of bees. The colorful illustrations by Jennie Webber show the journey bees take to help the flowers you love, and the fruits and vegetables you eat, grow.  Check it out along with the other titles below!

Blue Badger
Written by Huw Lewis Jones and Illustrated by Ben Sanders
Published by Happy Yak
Available Now!

Don’t Call me a Hurricane
Written by Ellen Hagan
Published by Bloomsbury
Available July 19th, 2022

It Starts With a Bee
Written by Aimee Gallagher and Illustrated by Jennie Webber
Published by QED Publishing
Available April 5th, 2022

The Loophole
Written by Naz Kutub
Published by Bloomsbury
Available June 21st, 2022

A Taste of Magic
Written by J. Elle
Published by Bloomsbury Children’s books
Available August 30th, 2022

You Are Not Alone
Written by The Alphabet Rockers and Illustrated by Ashley Evans
Published by Sourcebook eXplore
Available now!