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Jeffrey Ebler’s I Like to Read Comics: Wait a Minotaur, I’m Ogre It, Kraken Me Up, & A Giant Mess

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Wait a Minotaur
Published December 17th, 2024 by Holiday House

I’m Ogre It
Published October 11th, 2022 by Holiday House

Kraken Me Up
Published September 7th, 2021 by Holiday House

A Giant Mess
Published April 6th, 2021 by Holiday House

Author & Illustrator: Jeffrey Ebbeler

Summary: Comics-lovers can now share the fun with their kids, students, siblings, and younger friends who are learning to read!

I Like to Read® Comics are perfect for kids who are challenged by or unengaged in reading, kids who love art, and the growing number of young comics fans. Filled with eye-catching art, humor, and terrific stories, these comics provide unique reading experiences for growing minds.

Like their award-winning I Like to Read® counterpart, I Like to Read® Comics are created by celebrated artists and support reading comprehension to transform children into lifelong readers.

Wait a Minotaur: When his new school hallways start to feel like a labyrinth, how will Gus the minotaur and his human pal Nick stay calm and find their way to the correct classroom? Find out in this action-packed early reader from comics artist Jeffrey Ebbeler.

It’s Nick’s first day at a new school! As he walks in, he meets an easily excitable and impatient minotaur named Gus. It’s Gus’ first day, too—so he grabs Nick’s hand and charges straight into the building. There’s so much to see and do! They dance along with band practice, bounce around the school gym, end up in the boiler room, and. . . okay. They’re lost.

They may not know where to go, but they know what to wait a minute, calm down, and retrace their steps so they can find their classroom. Young comics readers are sure to resonate with comics illustrator Jeffrey Ebbeler’s hilarious, slapstick take on a common coming-of-age experience—and parents will love the subtle lessons of patience and critical thinking.

I’m Ogre It: An ogre turns out to be the best neighbor ever in this punny easy reader comic.

A family gets a surprise when a fun-loving ogre moves in next door and helps a sister bond with her screen-obsessed brother.

Ollie is so absorbed in the video game Smash Tower that he doesn’t notice that his sister and an ogre named Tim have emptied his room and constructed an obstacle course that mirrors the levels of the game in the yard. But a tell-tale red string leads him to the challenges. This comic is perfect for reintroducing kids to the fun of in-person play.

Kraken Me Up: Izzie and her unusual pet make a big splash at the county fair in this punny easy reader comic from a beloved children’s book illustrator and comics artist.

Izzie can’t wait to debut her pet at the county fair. While the other children have brought pigs or chickens, Izzie brought a…Kraken!

Even though everyone thinks Kraken is big and frightening, he is not. He’s like Izzie, sweet and shy. Kraken and Izzie use creativity and humor to win over the crowd in this hilariously adorable comic. The variety of panel styles, speech bubbles, and fonts are all perfect for engaging developing readers.

A Giant Mess: A gigantic tyrannical toddler is out to play . . . with the whole town! A hilarious early reader from comics artist Jeffrey Ebbeler.

Molly doesn’t want to clean her room; she wants to play. Before Molly can argue with her mom, they hear BOOM! BOOM! A giant toddler is on the loose!

Molly watches dumbfounded as Jack picks up cows and plucks airplanes out of the sky all for fun. He even picks up Molly and pretends to fly her around. Vroooom! When his giantess mother calls him home, he gleefully dumps everything and turns to leave. Now it’s Molly’s turn to “Stop! This is a giant mess!”

About the Author: JEFFREY EBBELER is a New York Times best selling illustrator. He has illustrated and occasionally written over 60 books for young readers. His published work includes picture books, middle grade and chapter books, and graphic novels.

Review: These I Like to Read® Comics are must gets for so many reasons!

First, they are such a great introduction to mythological and fairy tale creatures. Although most of the stories don’t go into the backstory of them, there are definitely allusions to their origins, such as ogres living in caves, the minotaur understanding directions, etc.

Second, they are wonderful first comics! I love that this series, and especially these books, make graphic novels and comics so accessible!

Third, the titles are so punny! They just make me so happy!

Fourth, each of these stories are so unique and fun. Although they can be utilized as a set, they all definitely stand alone also.

Last, I am a huge fan of Ebbeler’s artwork. It is colorful, eye-catching, expressive, and just perfect for these books.

Flagged Spreads: 

I'm Ogre It by Jeffrey Ebbeler, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®

I'm Ogre It by Jeffrey Ebbeler, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®

Read This If You Love: Early graphic novels

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**Thank you to Sara at Holiday House for providing copies for review!!**

The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco

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The Secret of Honeycake
Author: Kimberly Newton Fusco
Published January 21st, 2025 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary: Hurricane is quiet while her Aunt Clare is a force of nature with very particular ideas–and a host of Latin sayings to back them up. When Hurricane gets stuck living with her, she retreats into herself…until a series of unexpected friends, including a mangy cat, help her find her voice in a whole new way.

With a name like Hurricane, you’d think this girl would take the world by storm. But instead, she’s almost invisible. And when her sister gets tuberculosis, Hurricane is sent to live in the city with her Aunt Claire, an intimidating and disapproving presence surrounded by stodgy furniture and stodgier ideas. Like no dirty stray cats in the house. And certainly not as pets!

But Aunt Claire doesn’t know quite what she’s up against–Hurricane may be quiet, but she’s about to discover that she’s also strong. Before long a shy cat, a gentle chauffeur and a friendly boy (who may smell a little of fish) teach Hurricane to find her voice. And just maybe, Aunt Claire knows a thing or two she can teach Hurricane as well.

It turns out that that you don’t always have to be loud to be heard.

About the Author: Kimberly Newton Fusco is the acclaimed author of four other books for young readers: Chasing Augustus, Beholding Bee, The Wonder of Charlie Anne, and Tending to Grace, all of which received starred reviews and many accolades, including the Schneider Family Book Award. As a child, Kim was shy and stuttered and wanted to be a writer more than anything, and now she is!  She was a national-award-winning education journalist before becoming a novelist.  The mother of four grown children, she lives with her family, a lolloping golden retriever, and a very old cat in a house in rural Rhode Island surrounded by woods and fields where her pet sheep, Huck and Finn, graze.

Review: This cast of characters are one of my favorites in any book that I have ever read:

  • Hurricane is such a fantastic narrator. She may be quiet, but she has so much to say. Through the book, she finds her spoken voice with the help of others who show her that they love her no matter what.
  • Aunt Claire needs Hurricane as much as Hurricane needs her. Aunt Claire has so much to say, but through the book, she learns to listen which truly makes for a forever better Claire.
  • Mr. Keats shows us the trauma of war and the power of a kind heart. Mr. Keats is the barrier between Aunt Claire and Hurricane when they need it, but also a catalyst of so much of the change in the book.
  • Theo. Sweet Theo. He is Hurricane’s first true friend and just a special kid.
  • And, of course, the pets. They were obviously part of the family and the story would not have been the same without them. They both give comfort to all that need them which is so special.

On top of the characters, the story is quiet but shows us the world during the Great Depression and as women’s place in society was changing. Oh, it also makes me even more fascinated in reading John Green’s upcoming book about TB.

Discussion Questions: 

  • How did Aunt Claire help Hurricane throughout the book? Mr. Keats? Theo? Which character do you think helped her be her true self the most?
  • How did Hurricane help Aunt Claire throughout the book? Mr. Keats? Theo? Which character do you think helped her be her true self the most?
  • How has women’s place in society different now than during The Secret of Honeycake?
  • How did Miss Witherspoon emotionally scar Hurricane? How could she have acted differently and changed how Hurricane felt about herself and school?
  • How does baking play a role in the book?
  • Mr. Keats suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. How does Aunt Claire support him and his mental health?
  • How does MoonPie affect the trajectory of the story?

Flagged Passages: This book had some amazing lines that I highlighted while reading:

  • “We’re like pieces of a puzzle that fit together because we’re different.” (Kindle Locations 170-171)
  • “Chin up, Mr. Keats,” my aunt says softly as the fire snaps. “We must keep stepping forward into the future meant for us…” (Kindle Location 1560)
  • “No one looks at a quiet person and says, ‘Wow, I want to be just like her.’ They always want to change you.” (Kindle Location 2122)
  • “I realize: I’m the one in charge of my attributes. I get to decide.” (Kindle Locations 2656-2657)
  • “When someone really understands you, it makes you feel less lonely, like light is passing through, and you’re more filled up than you were before.” (Kindle Locations 3053-3054)
  • “There’s a pain around my heart seeing it, which is what happens when you lose somebody. The heartache finds you again.” (Kindle Locations 3079-3080)
  • “Life is so beautiful, Mr. Keats,” my aunt says after a while. “More and more each day.” “We must keep marching forward.” “That’s a fact, ma’am. That’s a fact.” “Omnia vincit amor. Love conquers all.” “No truer words were ever said, ma’am.” (Kindle Locations 3270-3273)

You can also view an excerpt and listen to part of the audio on the Penguin Random House page for The Secret of Honeycake.

Read This If You Love: Middle grade historical fiction with strong female protagonists

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**Thank you to Blue Sky Media for providing a copy for review!**

As You Wish by Nashae Jones

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As You Wish
Author: Nashae Jones
Published January 7th, 2025 by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Summary: A girl learns the hard way to be careful what she wishes for in this sweet and funny middle grade rom-com featuring a chaos-loving West African trickster god.

Birdie has big plans for eighth grade. This is the year that she gets a boyfriend, and since she and her best friend, Deve, do everything together, it makes sense that Deve will get a girlfriend. This is the kind of math Birdie doesn’t find intimidating—it’s Eighth Grade 101. (Birdie + Boyfriend) + (Deve + Girlfriend) = Normal Eighth Grade Experience. And normal is something Birdie craves, especially with a mom as overprotective as hers.

She doesn’t expect Deve to be so against her plan, or for their fight to blow up in her face. So when the West African god Anansi appears to her, claiming to be able to make everything right again, Birdie pushes past her skepticism and makes a wish for the whole mess to go away. But with a trickster god, your wish is bound to come true in a way you never imagined.

Before long, Birdie regrets her rash words…especially when she realizes what’s really going on with her and Deve. With her reality upended, can Birdie figure out how to undo her wish?

Praise: 

“This fun, middle-grade offering reminds readers that what you wish for is sometimes already there.” – Booklist

“A delightful exploration of friendship, mental health, and first love with a touch of magic.” – Kirkus Reviews

About the Author: Nashae Jones is a kid lit writer because at an early age she learned what the magic of books could do for a developing mind. She always dreamed of creating worlds that would stay for a reader long after they put down their books. Nashae is also an educator and book reviewer (kid books, of course). She lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, son, escape artist Husky, and two black cats that Nashae is convinced are reincarnations of Pinky and the Brain. You can find her on X @Jones_Nashae.

Review: This middle school rom com takes a well known romance trope (granting wishes/alternate world) and throws it into 8th grade making for a funny yet heartfelt read where you can’t help but root for Birdie and Deve’s happiness.

As a middle school librarian, I am always so happy to find a romance novel about middle schoolers because my students are chomping at the bit for romance books and often reach for books for older readers, but I know not all of them are developmentally ready for those books–this is another book in my arsenal to recommend to my romance-loving, middle grade-reading students.

Educators’ Tools for Navigation: Inclusion of mythology is a big hit with reader, and I loved the inclusion of Anansi in this story. This is a great way to throw in some African folklore disguised within a romance book.

Also, the wishes definitely give time to talk about cause and effect, specifically looking at social consequences of kids’ behaviors on others.

Oh, and theme! This book has such a perfect ending to talk theme!

Discussion Questions: 

  • What would you wish for?
  • How did each of Birdie’s wishes mess with her world?
    • How could she have worded the wishes differently?
  • What were signs that Deve was giving Birdie right at the beginning of the book?
  • What is the worst thing that Birdie did throughout the book? What did this teach her?

Flagged Passages: I listened to the audiobook, which I highly recommend. Visit the book’s publisher page to hear a preview of the audiobook. 

Read This If You Love: Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn K. Springfield, Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang, Pippa Park series by Erin Yun, Kaya of the Ocean by Gloria L. Huang, Tristan Strong series by Kwame Mbalia

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for providing a copy for review!**

Kaya of the Ocean by Gloria L. Huang

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Kaya of the Ocean
Author: Gloria L. Huang
Published January 7th, 2025 by Holiday House

Summary: Anxious thirteen-year-old Kaya has always been afraid of everything—but when she learns she is the descendant of a Chinese water goddess, she’ll have to master herself to master her powers!

On the surface, thirteen-year-old Kaya leads a charmed life. She lives in beautiful, beachy Lihiwai. She has ride-or-die best friends. She’s ultrasmart and killing it at school. She even works with a super-cute boy at her parents’ restaurant.

But she also has anxiety—serious anxiety, the kind that makes you scratch and pick—and she’s always had bad luck around the ocean. It’s hard to enjoy Hawaiian beaches when you’ve almost drowned more than once.

But as stranger and stranger things happen to Kaya around the sea, she realizes that—wanted or not—she has a special connection to it. Waves rise when she’s angry. Surf smooths when she’s calm. Fish come when she calls them. And when she learns the truth about her family and her divine ancestor, Mazu, she knows that she will need to connect with her most difficult emotions ASAP—or her potent powers may become dangerous to the people she loves.

Kaya of the Ocean is an exciting, fresh, and beautiful middle-grade fantasy about embracing who you really are. This heartfelt adventure of sun, surf, and sand touches on mental health, the immigrant experience, and the complexities of growing up.

Praise: “This sweeping narrative will keep readers eager to learn what happens to Kaya, the child of Mandarin-speaking Chinese and Taiwanese immigrants, and her friends.” -Kirkus Reviews

“Huang explores one anxious tween’s relationship with the sea and her ancestry in this fantastical debut.” – Publishers Weekly

“Engaging…multi-layered…” – Bookworm for Kids

Indie Next Pick!
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
ALA’s Indies Introduce List spotlight debut

About the Author: Gloria L. Huang is a freelance writer. Her fiction has been accepted for publication in literary journals including Michigan Quarterly Review, The Threepenny Review, Chicago Quarterly Review, Witness Magazine, Massachusetts Review, Pleiades, Southern Humanities Review, Fiction Magazine, North American Review, Arts & Letters, Washington Square Review, The Chattahoochee Review, Gargoyle Magazine, Sycamore Review, and The Antigonish Review. She received her B.A. in English Literature from Stanford University.

Review: Kaya is a character that many readers will connect with: she struggles with meeting the expectations upon her, wants to be comfortable with who she is but also wants to fit in, and is trying to figure out herself while also just living her life. Her life is already a bit topsy-turvy when her cousin comes and visits and truly tips everything over and Kaya finds her mental health being negatively affected, and she feels like she has no one to go to. On top of that, she discovers she has some kind of magical powers which makes her feel even more disconnected from reality. Luckily for Kaya, the powers may be what can help her through this all.

In addition to the character development of Kaya and all that is affecting her, the author’s introduction to Chinese mythology will intrigue readers who are interested in world mythologies while also not ostracizing those who aren’t.

And oh, the setting is BEAUTIFUL and the author’s use of imagery takes the reader straight to Hawaii!

There is truly so much to talk about when it comes to this book: family, friendship, fears, anxiety, mythology, Hawaii, the ocean, and more!

Discussion Questions: 

  • How does Kaya’s parents’ choice to not tell her about their past cause her to feel disconnected?
  • Why do you think Kaya’s parents choose not to talk about their past?
  • How did Anne’s visit effect Kaya’s mental health?
  • Although Anne was quite a terror at the beginning, do you think that Kaya dealt with the situation correctly?
  • How did Kaya’s parents’ response to Kaya’s anxiety lead to her feeling like she had to hide everything?
  • Do you think it was okay for Naomi and Iolana to lie to Kaya?
  • Why do you think that the author chose to flashback a few times in the book to Kaya’s ancestors?

Flagged Passage: Chapter One

Maui, 2024

Though I’ve never been able to prove it, I’m certain the ocean is trying to drown me.

My first memory of feeling this way is more like a dream— my mom’s screaming face distorted through a wavery, watery lens; wisps of fear, of shock. I think I was about three. Whenever I asked Mom about this memory, she furrowed her brow and claimed not to remember. “You’re always making things up. So much imagination.”

When I was seven, I was playing on the shore when a sneaker wave overwhelmed me. In a split second, it washed me and my toys partially out to sea. I remember that vividly— the shock of digging in the sand one moment and tumbling through the water the next. Luckily, my dad ran over the wet sand to fish me out, but I clearly remember the sensation of the water towing on my legs as though trying to pull me under. My bucket and spade were a casualty of that warm summer day. “They swim with the fishes,” my dad said afterward with a grin. I didn’t think his joke was very funny.

Now I was thirteen, with several years of intense swim lessons behind me. And I tried not to think about my grim childhood conviction that the ocean was somehow… calling me home.

I really tried not to think about the little girl I sometimes saw under the water, the one my parents called my “imaginary friend” until I was too old to have imaginary friends anymore. It was my policy not to look directly into the ocean, because I knew I might see her if I did: a small five-year-old child, her hair in messy pigtails and her eyes haunted and sad, always reaching for her white blanket.

It was bad enough I suffered from anxiety so severe that my skin was raw and red from washing and scratching, that my mind was always filled with worries and my heart filled with dread. The last thing I needed was another problem, another fear.

So even though I lived on an island surrounded by millions of cubic miles of water, I built a box in my mind for my hydrophobia, put it inside, and tried not to think about the sea at all.

Read This If You Love: Coyote Queen by Jessica Vitalis; Lola Reyes is So Not Worried by Cindy L. Rodriguez; The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla; The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

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**Thank you to Holiday House for providing a copy for review!**

The Firelight Apprentice by Bree Paulsen

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The Firelight Apprentice
Author: Bree Paulsen
Published October 29th, 2024 by Quill Tree Books

Summary: The bestselling author-illustrator of Garlic and the Vampire, Bree Paulsen, brings her fantastical storytelling and warm, sparkling artwork to this story that celebrates the bond between sisters.

In a city powered by magic and still recovering from a bloody war, Ada is concerned about her younger sister Safi’s developing powers. She understands that Safi could learn how to control her magic under the apprenticeship of a king’s magician. But with the memories of war still fresh, Ada is conflicted by this prospect—despite her knowing that she can’t keep Safi safely at home with the threat of deadly, power-thieving liches prowling the kingdom.

When a traveling group of magicians comes to the city to perform, they immediately recognize Safi’s talents and offer to take her on as an apprentice. Safi is thrilled about her new adventure—even if that means leaving behind Ada and their sickly father. And Ada is right to worry about her sister, for there may be monsters hiding behind friendly faces…

About the Author: Bree Paulsenis a SoCal writer and illustrator who loves spooky monsters, fashion history, and all things autumnal. After graduating from the Laguna College of Art and Design with a BFA in animation, she freelanced on a few independent animation and illustration projects before tuning her focus toward comics. She started her webcomic, Patrik the Vampire, in 2013 and self-publishes its printed volumes. Her first middle grade graphic novel, Garlic and the Vampire, received a starred review from The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, which called it “folkloric…a down comforter of a graphic novel.” Garlic’s adventures continue in Garlic and the Witch.

Review: This graphic novel, on the surface, is about magic, but if you dig deeper, it is about the impact of war, hidden evils, balancing passion & family, and figuring out how to fit within the world.

The author does a wonderful job of spreading the narrative out between the two sisters so that the reader is aware of all aspects of what is going on. And since the sisters are so very different, it is interesting to experience the switch between the two. Also, though I predicted the twist at the end of the book, I think readers are going to be surprised! I also was impressed with how the author dealt with some tough themes, especially loss and anxiety, in such a developmentally relevant way.

I am hoping this story is a beginning of stories within this world because I want to know more about so much that happened in the past and how our characters move on into the future.

Educators’ Tools for Navigation: This graphic novel will be a huge hit with middle grade readers–it will be an asset to any school, classroom, or home library.

Discussion Questions: 

  • How does the author use color within the graphic novel?
  • Why did Ada and her father choose to send Safi away?
  • Who was destroying Ada’s letters?
  • Was there any signs of who the antagonist was before it was revealed?
  • If you were a magician, what magic would you like to learn how to do?
  • Would you rather there be a sequel or a prequel of this book?
  • How does Safi’s notice of Elba change his life?

Flagged Spreads: 

 

Read This If You Love: Cat’s Cradle series by Jo Rioux, Anzu and the Realm of Darkness by Mai K. Nguyen, Meesh and the Bad Demon series by Michelle Lam, Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol, The Moth Keeper by Kay O’Neill

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Harper Collins Children’s Books for providing a copy for review!**

Kellee’s 2024 Reading Recap & Stats

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And just for fun: here is Trent’s 2024 Year in Books!

Here are my five star reads from 2024 (in order of date read)!

Picture Books

Middle Grade

Young Adult

Happy reading in 2025, friends!!!
To see all the books I’m reading, visit my READ Goodreads shelf and feel free to follow 📖💙

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Educators’ Guide for The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo, Illustrated by Júlia Sardà

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The Hotel Balzaar
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrator: Júlia Sardà
Published: October 1st, 2024 by Candlewick Press

Summary: In a wise and magical follow-up to The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales—and every moment is a story in the making.

At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform, and instructs Marta to roam as she will but quietly, invisibly—like a little mouse. While her mother cleans rooms, Marta slips down the back staircase to the grand lobby to chat with the bellman, study the painting of an angel’s wing over the fireplace, and watch a cat chase a mouse around the face of the grandfather clock, all the while dreaming of the return of her soldier father, who has gone missing. One day, a mysterious countess with a parrot checks in, promising a story—in fact, seven stories in all, each to be told in its proper order. As the stories unfold, Marta begins to wonder: could the secret to her father’s disappearance lie in the countess’s tales? Book two in a trio of novellas bound by place and mood—with elegant line art by Júlia Sardà—The Hotel Balzaar masterfully juggles yearning and belief, shining light into every dark corner.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions: 

Please view and enjoy the educators’ guide I created for Candlewick:

You can also access the educators’ guide here.

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