A third volume in the terrific graphic novel series gives us another ode to friendship, imagination, and personal growth, with an additional theme about war, peace, and choosing sides.
Chad Sell has once again organized and illustrated a series of connected stories from numerous authors (Jay Fuller-Ng, David DeMeo, Katie Schenkel, Vid Alliger, Manuel Betancourt, Barbara Perez Marquez, and Jasmine Walls), 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, members of the original Cardboard Kingdom are playing together over winter break, until kids from the Parkside neighborhood want in on the fun. Members of each group rub each other the wrong way, however, and soon, the two communities are at odds, as acts of vandalism lead to accusations and calls for revenge. This is a particular strain on Roy, who has just changed neighborhoods—he had been living with his grandmother while his mother was in care for her mental health, but is now back with his mother.
The overarching theme about the origin, escalation, and reconciliation of group conflict feels timely. The book’s messages about not jumping to conclusions about people of another group, about the need for clear communication across differences, and about how working together holds greater power than being at war, may offer readers some useful insights for thinking about conflicts both in their communities and the world at large.
The book is just as good at exploring individual relationships. Sell and the other authors skillfully weave stories of each character into the larger narrative arc. Some are dealing with family issues; others find comfort and support from their families; others struggle with friendships. We again see the crush between Miguel and Nate, and the gender creativity of Jack—and a new character who is s similarly gender creative boy (leading first to conflict and then to partnership). We also meet the woman whom Sophie’s mom is now dating (and see the mom’s own mother struggle to accept the couple). The book expands on some threads begun in the earlier volumes, so readers are advised to check those out first.
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.
