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, The Land of Toysensweetz (a hysterical mash-up of The Nutcracker and various other holiday pageants), 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. Nell’s centaur friend Voila worries about an ingenue stealing her spotlight; her part-fairy friend Myra is overextended with activities; Nell’s younger brother, the villain of the play, doesn’t sound evil enough; and the chorus members are apathetic. The theater’s ghosts also have opinions about the show, which they wrote—and to make matters worse, Nell finds herself developing a crush on Sam.
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. We see the most character growth in Nell and Sam, but secondary characters also develop, as Myra learns the perils of overscheduling and Voila learns not to be threatened by the talents of others.
Nell’s dads appear in a few scenes, but are not the focus; the fact that they are a same-sex couple is seamlessly accepted. A significant secondary thread also involves the romantic relationship between Nell’s friends Myra and Leabelle. Nell notes that she was concerned that she’d be left out once Myra and Leabelle started dating, but after all of the fun stuff they did over the summer, realized her worries were unfounded. She even offers advice to Myra when she sees how Myra’s busy schedule is leaving no time for Leabelle, and finds herself in the awkward position of keeping both their secrets as they plan Feszht gifts for each other. (I won’t spoil how that turns out.)
As before, author/illustrator Emma 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.)
Nell, her Pa, and siblings are White; her Dad has light brown skin and black hair. Myra and Sam are Black, Leabelle is Asian, and Voila is White. Other characters reflect a range of racial/ethnic (and fairy-tale creature) identities.
