Author: Gene Ambaum

No Rules Tonight by Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada. Penguin Workshop, 20204. 97805935211298. 208pp. This is a sequel of sorts to Banned Book Club, also by Kim and Estrada (though BBC was illustrated by Ko Hyung-Ju). Both graphic novels […]
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The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar. Tordotcom, 2025. 9781250341082. 134p. (The main novella ends on page 99, and the rest of the book contains the short story “John Hollowback and the Witch” (a preview of an upcoming collection) plus […]
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The Racc Pack by Stephanie Cooke, Art by Whitney Gardner. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024. 9781665914932. 184pp. I’ve been a fan of Gardner’s work since reading her YA vampire graphic novel, Fake Blood. And I had just […]
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Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandin. Orchard Books, 2024. 9781339023274. Millie Fleur Le Fae and her mom move to a spooky old house in Garden Glen. She plants a garden to make it feel like home. Her plants are […]
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The Slightly Spooky Tale of Fox and Mole by Cecilia Heikkila. Translated by Polly Lawson. Floris Books, 2025. 9781782509530. Fox and Mole are alone in the autumn. Fox made cookies and jam to get him through the winter. Mole spent […]
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Optometry by Xiang Yata. Translated by Jerrica Meng, Fish Wang, & Xiang Yata. Driftwood Press, 2023. 97819490065244. A young woman walks into an optometrist’s office to get a pair of glasses, and he tests her eyes by showing her a […]
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Petit (The Ogre Gods Book One) by Hubert, design and artwork by Bertrand Gatignol. Translation by Jeremy Melloul. Lion Forge, 2018. 9781942367772. 176pp. I loved Hubert’s fantasy graphic novel Darkly She Goes (with art by Vincent Mallie), so when I […]
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The Jellyfish by Boum. Translated by Helge Dascher and Robin Lang. Pow Pow, 2024. 9782925114307. 228pp. Odette Biset-Yu has a jellyfish in their left eye. Between their bookstore job, hanging with their rabbit, and meeting friends, it’s easy to ignore. […]
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Roy Is Not A Dog by Esmé Shapiro and Daniel Newell Kaufman. Tundra, 2024. 9780735265967. Weasel believes he knows all the people on his paper route except Roy, who is a bit mysterious. After observing Roy a bit, Weasel concludes […]
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Goodbye, Eri by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Translation by Amanda Haley. Viz, 2023. 9781974738939. 200pp. Publisher’s Rating T+ / Older Teen. Yuta, a middle school student with a new cell phone, starts shooting video footage of his mom at her request. When […]
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