A second volume in the terrific graphic novel series gives us another illustrated ode to friendship, imagination, and personal growth.
Chad Sell has once again organized and illustrated a series of connected stories from numerous authors (Jay Fuller, David DeMeo, Katie Schenkel, Molly Muldoon, Vid Alliger, Manuel Betancourt, Michael Cole, Cloud Jacobs, and Barbara Perez Marquez), about a group of diverse children who engage in imaginative building with cardboard—creating costumes, castles, robots, and more, transforming both themselves and their neighborhood.
In this volume, Halloween is nigh, and there’s trouble afoot. Neighborhood teens harass Vijay, who renounces his cardboard persona, the Beast. And Nate breaks his leg pursuing a mysterious monster that seems to be prowling the neighborhood. The kids work to determine who is behind the monster, but friendships are tested as each child also deals with their own fears and insecurities.
Miguel’s crush on Nate is given further space in this volume, and Jack comes more into owning a true gender identity via the persona of the Sorceress (and some purple hair dye and nail polish). There’s also a lovely moment when Jack offers a sympathetic ear to Miguel, saying “I understand. More than you might think.” It’s not explicit that they’re talking about their queer identities, but it reads to me like a nice moment of queer connection.
The queer content is obvious to anyone who is paying the slightest bit of attention, but the characters’ identities are never labeled, which feels appropriate for the age group, often still figuring out their identities. I offer a few tags only to help readers seeking certain types of representation.
Sell’s bold, colorful art lends verve to the tales, which capture both the imagination of childhood and the challenges of growing up. Highly recommended.
