The Deep and Dark Blue by Niki Smith

The Deep and Dark Blue by Niki Smith (256 Pages)

Summary: After a terrible political coup usurps their noble house, Hawke and Grayson flee to stay alive and assume new identities, Hanna and Grayce. Desperation and chance lead them to the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women who spin the threads of reality to their will. As the twins learn more about the Communion, and themselves, they begin to hatch a plan to avenge their family and retake their royal home. While Hawke wants to return to his old life, Grayce struggles to keep the threads of her new life from unraveling, and realizes she wants to stay in the one place that will allow her to finally live as a girl.

Opinion: This is a fantasy/mystery juvenile graphic novel. The reader gets to watch as Grayce discover who she really is while also working with her brother to get justice for the deaths of their family members. Seeing the characters who love Grayce so readily accept her was very heartwarming and seeing Hawke be willing to set aside his need for justice for Grayce showed a lot of character development for him as well. Overall, a fast paced, but also comforting read for kids. 

The Golden Hour by Niki Smith

The Golden Hour by Niki Smith (256 Pages)

Summary: Struggling with anxiety after witnessing a harrowing instance of gun violence, Manuel Soto copes through photography, using his cell-phone camera to find anchors that keep him grounded. His days are a lonely, latchkey monotony until he's teamed with his classmates, Sebastian and Caysha, for a group project. Sebastian lives on a grass-fed cattle farm outside of town, and Manuel finds solace in the open fields and in the antics of the newborn calf Sebastian is hand-raising. As Manuel aides his new friends in their preparations for the local county fair, he learns to open up, confronts his deepest fears, and even finds first love.

Opinion: This is a juvenile graphic novel focusing on recovery, friendship, and love. Manuel is a great representation for anxiety and PTSD for kids. I was moved seeing how his new friends were so readily willing and able to support him with his trauma. But I also really liked how Manuel's panic attack scenes were drawn in the book to show the reader what they look like for him. It was also so cute getting to see Manuel and Sebastian start to crush for each other. 

Pirates of The Silver Coast (Three Thieves) by Scott Chandler

Pirates of The Silver Coast (Three Thieves) by Scott Chandler, 92 pages

Pirates of the Silver Coast was a fun and colorful juvenile graphic novel to read, but I was confused by the characters as this is the fifth book in the series.  I highly recommend reading the other books in the series if you can find them first.  However, the book was entertaining as it follows a young girl named Dessa as she searches for the island of Astaroth.  But, when she is overtaken by a pirate ship who is after her map, her plans may have to be changed.

Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid Adapted by Metaphrog

The Little Mermaid Adapted by Metaphrog, 77 pages

Metaphrog are John Chalmers and Sandra Marrs, award winning graphic novelists who beautifully adapted Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale, The Little Mermaid into a beautiful graphic novel.   Of course most people know Disney's version of this classic, but reading it again as the original fairytale is fun especially with the beautiful illustrations.  Nonetheless, I think it has a very sad ending in this version.