An illustrated ode to friendship, imagination, and personal growth in an engaging graphic novel.
Chad Sell has here organized and illustrated a series of connected stories from numerous authors (Jay Fuller, David DeMeo, Katie Schenkel, Kris Moore, 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.
Sophie, always told she is too loud, becomes a giant she-hulk; Jack finds inner power by becoming a sorceress (and having an affirming mother); another dresses up to protect himself and his mom from his abusive father. Other children are dealing with divorcing parents or school bullies, and similarly find escape and empowerment in their imaginative play and the friendships this engenders. In one story, a boy named Miguel is excited to get a part in a play opposite Nate, who is playing the prince; when he finds that neither a bit part nor playing the princess suits him, he eventually decides to write himself into the story as the Rogue who rescues the prince. His crush on Nate is clear.
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 some of the challenges of starting to grow up. Highly recommended.
