Magic and the real world blend in creative ways in four of these excellent recent LGBTQ-inclusive middle grade books, while the fifth involves drag—and isn’t that a kind of magic in itself?
Click titles or images for full reviews in my Database of LGBTQ Family Books!
Realmsweep, by H.E. Edgmon (Feiwel & Friends): In an alternate-history, magic-laden United States (known here as the “Allied Lands”), the 12-year-old Prince of Texas, Rowdy Buckner, is an entitled brat. He’s also transgender, and while his parents, the king and queen, accept that, they think he’s too irresponsible to go through the highly restricted process of alchemical transformation that will change his body to fit how he feels.
To prove himself, Rowdy enrolls in Realmsweep, a dangerous scavenger hunt across the Allied Lands. The team that his personal bodyguard assembles for him, however, is a motley and (to Rowdy’s eyes) unimpressive group of other tweens who are in it for the monetary prize at the end.
Can Rowdy work with his team to succeed against the monsters and humans ranged against them? Will he grow into a responsible person and prince? And can he show his parents that he shouldn’t need to suffer just to prove he deserves a life worth living? Since this is a middle-grade novel, the answers should be obvious, but it is the how that makes the book an absolute delight. Edgmon blends magic, hilarious snarkiness, and adventure with a keen sense of social justice, not just around trans rights, but also around broader issues of privilege, socioeconomic status, and communal responsibility. There are clear analogies to happenings in the real U.S., including killings by ICE, but they are woven into a story that delivers its analogies through a gripping adventure with vividly realized characters. Rowdy’s personal growth anchors the story with both humor and heart.
Small Magics, by Emily Tetri (First Second): In this charming and hilarious graphic novel, tween Sara is trying to make the best of being apart from her school friends for the summer, the last summer before her family moves to a new home and she has to switch schools. Her parents are first traveling for work, however, so Sara is spending the summer at her (partnered) aunts’ island home rather than at day camp with her friends. She has a checklist of ideas for making new friends, but one senses that her plan feels a little forced.
Once through the fog that surrounds the island, however, strange things start happening—most notably, that her aunts’ dogs, Whatar and Sits, can talk. They soon become Sara’s companions and guides.
Other small, domestic magics reveal themselves as the book follows Sara through various daily adventures, weathering a storm, helping the chickens with a problem, planning a picnic from the garden harvest, and exploring the island’s secret places. There are enough moments of excitement and dilemma to create a page-turning read, but the overall vibe is gentle, enlivened by humorous commentary by the dogs and other animals.
Tetri deftly shows Sara’s self-growth over the course of the summer, not as a giant transformation, but rather a gradual building of self-confidence, particularly in her ability to make friends. The book also quietly reminds us to find magic in the everyday and harmony with the natural world. Sweet, whimsical, and absolutely delightful, it’s a highly recommended read.
Nell of Gumbling: My Holiday Diary, by Emma Steinkellner (Labyrinth Road): The third installment of this hilarious graphic novel/diary series brings us back to the land of Gumbling, a magical enclave of the modern world, where Nell, her two dads, and the whole town are preparing for the winter holiday of Feszht. Through Nell’s connection with Mrs. Birdneck, the town lorekeeper (see the first volume), she’s put in charge of directing the town’s holiday show, but must do so in partnership with Sam Birdneck, the archivist’s opinionated grandson.
Sam and Nell are like oil and water, and struggle to wrangle the cast members (Nell’s classmates and other children) into an ensemble. A significant secondary thread also involves the romantic relationship between Nell’s friends Myra and Leabelle.
Nell relates her experiences with her usual dry wit. Under the humor, however, are messages about listening to others, learning to work together, and being a leader. As before, Steinkellner perfectly blends amusing, relatable, contemporary characters, fairy-tale worldbuilding, and expressive illustrations to create a highly recommended story. It’s a lot of fun and sure to be a holiday delight. (And as I’ve said before, the series absolutely deserves to become an animated television series.)
The Sea Witch Prophecy (Witchlings #5), Claribel Ortega (Scholastic): Witchling Seven Salazar and friends Valley Pepperhorn and Thorn Laroux are back in the fifth and final volume of this fun series, set in what feels like a magical version of our own world. Here, the trio is trying to untangle an ancient prophecy that holds the clues to stopping the evil Ambert Lophiifor’s plan to take over the Twelve Towns. As they set off on their search, the dangers grow, and even those they trusted seem to turn against them.
Ortega has once again imagined an entertaining and fantastical setting that both evokes the world of She Who Must Not Be Named (young witches organized into houses) and goes beyond it in important and original ways, with a protagonist of color, a culture infused by Ortega’s Dominican heritage, a non-school setting, and a queer-normative world with several queer characters, including (in this volume) two sets of two-girl couples, two characters who use they/them pronouns, and one who has two moms. Ortega also weaves in a joyous scene celebrating found family.
The characters remain as vivid as ever, and this recommended book does a good job of wrapping up their journeys while filling the tale with all of the humor, heart, and imagination we’ve come to expect. Fans should feel satisfied even as they mourn the end of the series. (Readers who haven’t yet met Seven and her pals are advised to start with the first volume.)
Juana Fanta Needs a Hero, by Kyle Casey Chu (Quill Tree): Kyle Casey Chu, aka Panda Dulce, a founding queen of Drag Story Hour, continues the tale of 13-year-old Derrick Chan in this sequel to The Queen Bees of Tybee County. After a summer spent at his grandmother’s, where he learned to embrace his queer identity and the art of drag, Derrick is back home preparing for his final middle school basketball season.
When his team makes the state tournament, Derrick arranges for them to stay at the same hotel where his favorite drag performer, teen sensation Juana Fanta, is performing. He plans to sneak out and see her. But some of his basketball teammates are homophobic, and the one he thought he could rely on, his best friend (and crush), JJ, is growing distant. Then Juana Fanta goes missing. As Derrick tries to help her, keep his commitment to his team, and balance his two separate lives, he ends up on a personal journey towards greater self-awareness about what he really wants for his future.
I appreciate again that Derrick continues to love both drag and basketball; Chu avoids the stereotype of a queer boy preferring fashion and drag to sports. Similarly, Juana Fanta blurs traditional gender boundaries, not only with her love of drag but also as a femme with a love of STEM subjects, even incorporating technology into her costumes.
Both drag shows and basketball games are described with energy and excitement. Chu is most lyrical when talking about drag, though; for example, telling us that drag is “like finding all of those parts you were made to feel ashamed of and turning them into power. Blowing it up, throwing sequins on it.” That’s as good a description as I’ve ever heard.