Goth middle schooler Jinx, who describes herself as “weird” and “slightly pudgy,” is having a rough time in this fun and touching graphic novel. Her parents are getting divorced, she and her mom are moving to a smaller apartment in New York, her unreliable but loving dad is moving to Chicago, and her former best friend has a new bestie, who bullies Jinx.
An encounter with a new neighbor, Greg, and a mysterious crystal, however, unleashes a group of adorable but chaotic magical creatures in Jinx’s life. There’s the flying, fire-breathing Avey; teleporting, chomping Squirrley; the flower-pooping Pom-Poms; and Bun, who can grow from teddy-bear size to enormous and back again. They’re not malicious, but they are messy and distracting, and even follow Jinx to school. She just wants to be left alone—not only by the Adorables, but also, it seems, by everyone else in her life.
Jinx hopes that Greg can shed light on how to get rid of the Adorables, but he’s gone off on a fishing trip, leaving his sibling’s kids Robyn and TJ to cat sit. As Jinx tries to deal with the Adorables, the creatures gently but chaotically help her engage with her emotions and with the people around her, keeping her from simply wallowing in her problems.
A growing friendship between Jinx and Robyn also deepens into a mutual crush. I appreciate, too, that author/illustrator Laura Terry includes a scene in which the two discuss coming out. While the book doesn’t center on coming out, this is nevertheless a lovely and authentic-feeling shared moment between two queer characters. Robyn, who has a more masculine gender expression and is never gendered, observes, “I’m not sure exactly what I came out as. Like I don’t have the words yet.” Jinx, who had a bad experience coming out to one person in the past, responds that it’s annoying when people expect everyone to have a label. She’s impressed by Robyn simply being Robyn, “Whatever way that is.”
Jinx’s self-growth feels genuine and non-pedantic, while the magical realism adds fun and originality. A few hints by Greg about the Adorables’ origins indicate there might be more stories to tell about them (and the humans they engage with) in the future. I sure hope so. (And if the publisher doesn’t figure out a way to sell Adorables stuffies alongside the book, they’re missing a huge opportunity.) Highly recommended.
Jinx and her family are White; Robyn, TJ, and Greg are Black. Greg is also gay. Although Robyn is never gendered, I’m tagging the book as having a nonbinary character, not to dictate, but because I think Robyn could be read that way and I want readers seeking such representation to find this story. If future volumes clarify, I’ll update as needed.
