Chapter books often get short shrift, stuck between colorful picture books and weightier middle-grade titles for older tweens. But these two chapter book series, which each have new volumes out this month, are magical, queer inclusive, and worth a read!
In How to Win the Gruesome Games, by Ryan Hammond, (Simon & Schuster), Werewolf Bram is back for his third adventure at the Villains Academy, where he and his classmates are learning to be bad.
In this volume, Bram and friends Sheila the ghost, Bryan the Lion, Skeletony (“Tony”), and Mona the elf-witch—the self-proclaimed “Weirdoughs”—are preparing for the Gruesome Games, “basically a field day for villains.” But other teams of schoolmates are also competing to win and have their names written into the Book of Bad—and even worse, all of their parents are invited to attend. Bram is worried about proving himself to his two dads, especially since his papa Percevil’s team had won the Gruesome Games when they were students. The stakes are high for Tony, too; his dad will take Tony out of the school if his son’s team doesn’t win—and his dad is Grimm, the Master of Death, who never changes his mind.
With the school’s ghostly founders looking on, the Weirdoughs take on the other teams. But can Bram be bad enough to win in a game with no rules?
Don’t worry, the story isn’t as macabre as it might seem. It’s all very tongue-in-cheek and age appropriate. As with the first two volumes of this chapter book series, there’s a lot of silliness here. Bram is an engaging protagonist with a penchant for woolly sweaters (just like his dads, it turns out). Other characters are each a little over the top in the best of ways, and we also get a sweet glimpse at how Bram’s dads’ relationship started, back when they were both students.
Author/illustrator Ryan Hammond’s sketches of the action add fun to the volume, although it is not as fully illustrated as a picture book.
There’s a whiff of that other magic-school series in this one, but delightfully turned on its head, more queer-inclusive, and geared to a younger audience. Light lessons about friendship, finding one’s community, and following one’s own path are balanced with fart jokes to create a story that should please both newly independent readers and their adults.
Hocus and Pocus and the Dragon Next Door, by A. R. Capetta, illustrated by Charlene Chua (Candlewick), is the second charming and magical book in its series, with adorable protagonist pups and incidental nonbinary inclusion.
In this volume, sibling pups Hocus and Pocus help their human witch, Jinx, and her apprentices give out helpful potions around the neighborhood. Notably, the neighborhood includes both magical and nonmagical folks living in harmony, and the nonmagical neighbors offer Jinx pickled vegetables and knitted socks in return for her spells.
When they discover that Jade, the wizard next door, has a new pet dragon named Bye-Bye, Hocus is excited to make a new friend, but Pocus is scared of the fire-breathing beast. When Hocus visits Bye-Bye’s yard to make friends, however, Bye-Bye chases them off—and Hocus’s special magic helps her realize that the dragon is actually afraid of dogs.
Pocus then learns some words in dragon to try and communicate better (at the suggestion of nonbinary apprentice Tam). Hocus, meanwhile, uses a spell to turn temporarily into a dragon, thinking that will help her and the dragon become friends—but Pocus doesn’t realize that the second dragon now in the neighborhood is really his sister. Antics ensue when Jinx and Jade discover that both Hocus and Bye-Bye are missing—but (spoiler alert!) all ends well as pups and dragon eventually talk together and work things out.
Once again, the story is a breath of fresh air after too many chapter books with stiff dialog and/or weak plots. Author A. R. Capetta’s prose is delightful, while also gently offering insight about overcoming everyday fears and making new friends. There’s a clear dramatic arc, nice characterizations, and an engaging world of magical realism. Illustrator Charlene Chua makes Hocus and Pocus absolutely adorable (and their human characters are pretty fun, too).
Additionally, all of the human characters are introduced with their pronouns as if this was the most natural thing in the world (which it should be). And while there’s only one clearly queer character here (Tam), Jinx and Jade both give me queer vibes. There’s at least one more book planned in the series, however, so perhaps we’ll learn more about how they identify (or meet other queer characters) in the future. Regardless, this is a highly recommended title.