Blog

Thinking Outside the Box

By on July 8, 2026   /   Book Lists, WNDMG   /   Leave a comment

Thinking Outside the Box:

WNDMG Summer 2026 Recommendations

WNDMG Logo

Summer is the perfect time to unwind and relax. This is true for parents, children, teachers, and students alike! So while we rest our minds, it’s best to try thinking outside the box and finding time to discover some unconventional and lighthearted reads. What am I referring to, you ask? Graphic novels!

This summertime post is dedicated to graphic novels, illustrated chapter books, anthologies, online magazines, and all things unexpected. The push for more illustrated middle grade reads and graphic novels is an excellent way to get our kids reading and falling in love with the stories they discover. Check out this list of upcoming (or recently released) stories! 

Descriptions are pulled directly from the books, so you’ll see why these stories will automatically draw you in.

 

InbetweensInbetween by Faith Erin Hicks

Faith Erin Hicks. First Second, Released Mar. 31

($22.99, ISBN 978-1-250-83875-9)

A new tween graphic novel by bestselling author Faith Erin Hicks. Perfect for fans of Sweet Valley Twins and Ride On!

Twin sisters Ash and Sloane are headed to animation camp―where their courage, drive, and sisterly bond will be put to the test!

Twin sisters Sloane and Ash are two peas in a pod, and they do everything together: watch movies, attend classes, and most importantly, draw! So when the summer animation classes of their dreams are about to start, they can barely contain their excitement!

Well…Ash is excited but Sloane is surprised to find she isn’t as jubilant about it, which makes no sense, since she loves art. Meanwhile, Ash discovers that just because you love something, doesn’t mean you’ll automatically be good at it, and she struggles under the weight of her own expectations and those of her teacher’s. Soon, the trials of challenging classwork and new friendships drive a wedge between the twins. Can their bond survive the summer? 

 

Kingdom Unraveled by Mariana DeMercurio

Kingdom Unraveled: A Closely Knit Graphic Adventure

Mariana DiMercurio. Andrews McMeel, Coming July 28

($22.99, ISBN 978-1-5248-9888-5)

One unlikely champion. One quest to save the kingdom. Two knitting needles.

For lovers of Amulet comes a new full-color graphic novel for kids with an unlikely hero. Jo’s life is changed forever when she is made the new Champion—the person tasked with saving the Kingdom from the insidious evil that’s mysteriously taking over. She’ll have to tap into her own bravery and wisdom and start on a quest through the kingdom unlike any other!

Jo is a 70-year-old woman who lives a quiet life in her village, with just her knitting needles and nature to keep her company. But when a mystical guardian knocks on her door one day, Jo is tasked as the new Champion. With help from her snarky friend Roy—whose goals seem to suspiciously align perfectly with hers—she’ll have to do what no other champion has been able to save the Kingdom (and her family) from certain demise.

Featuring the exclusive, never-before-published ending to the popular online story, Kingdom Unraveled is an original graphic novel packed with humor and heart! 

 

SuperpunkSuper punk by Mirtes Santana and Guilherme Petreca

Mirtes Santana and Guilherme Petreca. Oni, Released May 5

($14.99 trade paper, ISBN 979-8-89488-076-1)

Meet Violeta! Violeta is a thirteen-year-old skateboarder and podcaster. But most importantly? She’s a PUNK! Oh, and a superhero, too. Superhero + punk = SUPERPUNK. That’s Violeta!

After discovering her grandfather’s old cassette player, Violeta decides to play a cassette tape backward. (Why? It’s pure punk rebellion, duh!) What she didn’t know was this rebellious act would grant her magical powers! Aaaaand . . . unleash monsters. A LOT of them. Violeta will need to use all her new superpowers to protect her home of Hollow Hills from the strange creatures and send them back to wherever they came from. Luckily, she’s joined by Alan, Violeta’s faithful sidekick and fellow podcaster. Together, they’ll have to find a way to put these monsters back in their place. But between homework, podcasting, and skateboarding, Violeta has a tough time managing it all. When a horde of monsters descend on her school, will this superpunk be able to save the day?

Multi-award-winning comic book artist Guilherme Petreca and TV writer Mirtes Santana bring you Superpunk, a radical adventure story about the need to rebel and act out to protect the people and things you love!

 

Hand Me Down by Damian AlexanderHand-Me-Down

Damian Alexander, First Second, Coming July 28

($22.99, ISBN 978-1-250-86020-0)

From the author of the highly praised debut Other Boys comes a moving graphic memoir about the love we pass down across generations. Perfect for fans of Hey, Kiddo and Flamer.

Damian’s mother died when he was a baby, and he has lived with his grandma ever since. Now, all he has left of his mother are old photos and the stories Nanny shares with him. Nanny has a lot of stories, some about his mom and some about her own childhood growing up in foster care.

When Damian feels lonely, he imagines what life was like when his mother and grandmother were middle schoolers like him. Through memories, stories, and daydreams, he feels closer to the mother he lost and begins to see the mother he found.

 

Journey to Tomioka Journey to Tomioka by Laurent Galandon

by Laurent Galandon and Michaël Crouzat, trans. by Anne and Owen Smith

First Second, Released June 9 ($19.99, ISBN 978-1-250-40671-2)

For fans of This Was Our Pact and Hayao Miyazaki films comes a breathtaking graphic novel about siblings who risk everything to return their grandmother’s ashes to her home inside the Fukushima Exclusion Zone.

Osamu hasn’t been the same since that day. When the tsunami hit Fukushima prefecture, it killed his parents, destroyed his home, and triggered one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters. Now, all Osamu has left is his grandmother, Bā-chan, and his big sister, Akiko. As he withdraws into his own world, he befriends friends yōkai―spirits only he can see.

Then, tragedy strikes again, and Bā-chan dies. Osamu and Akiko are determined to return her ashes to their family farm in Tomioka, a town within Fukushima’s forbidden zone. There, the siblings will face dangerous radiation and yōkai, both friendly and deadly―but they’re willing to risk it all to make it home.

 

A Fishboy Named ... Sashimi by Dan Santat A Fishboy Named Sashimi 

Dan Santat, Roaring Brook Press, Released Apr. 14

($14.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-250-35999-5)

“From the mega-talented Dan Santat comes a hilarious and beautifully illustrated tale of friendship, adventure and mystery. Sashimi is FRESH!!!” -Dav Pilkey, creator of Dog Man and Captain Underpants

He’s funny. He’s (too) friendly. He’s… a fishboy named SASHIMI!

A new, graphic novel series from bestseller and Caldecott Medal winner Dan Santat.

In the town of Barnacle Bay, a creature lurks. He’s come from the ocean, in search of others like him.

To fit in with humans, Sashimi sneaks into an elementary school and pretends to be a student. But he’s clearly a fish out of water!

When Sashimi finds out the whole town is on the hunt for the Beast of Barnacle Bay—a creature who sounds a lot like Sashimi—hijinks ensue! Fortunately, with the help of a new friend and the class goldfish, Sashimi figures out a way to stay afloat.

Perfect for fans of Bad Guys, Sharkdog, and The Investigator series!

 

Bonus Recommendation

Lit Kids Magazine

If reading stories isn’t your kid’s cup of tea this summer, maybe creating their own is more their speed! If so, have them try their hand at submitting work to Lit Kids Magazine – an online publication featuring creative works made by kids for kids! Lit Kids Magazine publishes four issues per year with rotating themes. The call is open for children ages 5 – 13 to submit their stories, poetry, artwork, and even photography. If you’ve got a creative youngster in your midst, nudge them to share their work and get published! Their next deadlines for submissions is August 7 and the search is on for your spooky stories!  

 

With so many unique finds, your summer reading list just grew a little bit longer. Which recommendation piques your interest the most? Share your graphic novel recs below or let us know which one you’ll be picking up today.

Back to Top

STEM Tuesday– Light Pollution– Book List

By on July 7, 2026   /   Light Pollution, STEM Tuesday   /   Leave a comment

What Happened to our Starry, Starry Night?

If you go outside on a moonless night, what do you see? A planet, maybe a handful of stars if you’re lucky. Unfortunately, for too many of us the city lights diminish the night sky. Streetlights and other artificial lights do more than illuminate our world. They create problems for plants and animals living in and around our cities, including seasonal migrators.

Book cover - bird and moth perched on three ornate lights lit at night.

Who Hid the Stars? How Light Pollution Changes Our World by Danio Miserocchi & Maciej Michno; illus. by Valentina Gottardi, and translated by Sylvia Notini

This well-documented book examines how city lights affect birds and bats, reptiles and insects – even trees and flowers. It also provides hope, sharing things cities and people can do to minimize light pollution. Back matter includes ideas for bringing back the stars (dark skies) and resources.

Book cover - person sitting on a slope watching te setting sun.

Saving the Night : How Light Pollution is Harming Life on Earth by Stephen Aitken

Full of fascinating photos and facts, this book examines many interactions creatures and plants have developed with light, the differing effects of various sources of light pollution on land and in our waterways, conservationists working to preserve the night, and successful projects. It includes suggestions for reducing our individual light pollution. 

Book cover - glowing frog on a black background.

Dark Matters: Nature’s Reaction to Light Pollution by Joan Marie Galat

A blend of science and memoir that focuses on the environmental consequences of increasingly artificially lit night skies. She describes its impact on sea turtles, fireflies, birds, and bats and provides basic steps to address light pollution.

Book cover - shapes spiral on and above the earth.

The World at Night: Discover the World That Wakes When You Sleep by Ben Lerwill

A browsable book broken into sections including the night sky, oceans, forests, and cities. From penguins to city rats, it explores how animals sleep, how they see at night, and the environmental and health effects of artificial light on animals, including humans.

Book cvoer - parent and child sit staring at the night sky.

In the Dark: The Science of What Happens at Night by Lisa Deresti Betik, illustrated by Josh Holinaty

Combining lightly comic illustrations with amazing graphics and charts, it explores the biological functions of sleep and darkness on people, animals, and plants. Did you know plants do math at night? It also examines issues caused by artificial lights on migrations, animal and plant behaviors, and the science of the night.

Book cover - newly hatched sea turtles heading for the ocean.

Follow the moon home : a tale of one idea, twenty kids, and a hundred sea turtles by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson

Informational fiction inspired by the student-initiated Lights Out for Loggerheads program in South Carolina. The story presents a model for community engagement, and back matter outlines actions appropriate for preteen environmentalists.

Some Hands-On Appreciation Of The Dark:

Book cover - a magnifying glass and birds, racoon, amphibians, and insects and some of their tracts.

The Animal Adventurer’s Guide : How to Prowl For an Owl, Make Snail Slime, and Catch a Frog Bare-Handed, by Susie Spikol  

While not dedicated to night prowling, these animal-focused activities will get kids outside at any time of the year whether light or dark.

Book cover - shadowy figures of adult and child looking at stars in the sky.

Sky Gazing : A Guide to the Moon, Sun, Planets, Stars, Eclipses, Constellations by Meg Thacher.

This was actually a featured book a couple years ago (link) but we wanted to mention it again as a resource for sky-watchers. Each section includes activities that focus on the sky, the moon, the sun, planets, and stars and constellations.

This month’s STEM Tuesday book list was prepared by:

Photo of Sue Heavenrich

Sue Heavenrich is an award-winning author, blogger, and bug-watcher. A long line of ants marching across the kitchen counter inspired her first article for kids. When not writing, she’s either in the garden or tromping through the woods. Her books for middle-grade readers include Funky Fungi: 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens, and More and Diet for a Changing Climate. Visit her at www.sueheavenrich.com

Photo of Maria Marshall

Maria is a children’s author, blogger, and poet who is passionate about making nature and reading fun for children. She’s been a judge for the Cybils Awards since 2017, and a judge for the #50PreciousWords competition since its inception. Two of her poems are published in The Best of Today’s Little Ditty 2016 and 2014-2015 anthologies. When not writing, critiquing, or reading, she bird watches, travels the world, bakes, and hikes. Visit her at www.mariacmarshall.com.

Back to Top

Christina Diaz Gonzalez Discusses Her New Book: OFFSIDE

By on July 2, 2026   /   Articles, Author Interviews   /   Leave a comment
Book Cover: OFFSIDE, by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

What a treat it is to welcome author Christina Diaz Gonzalez to the MUF blog! You may recognize Christina as the creator of gripping historical fiction novels and an Edgar Award-winning mystery. 

Author Christina Diaz Gonzalez, official headshot

Christina Diaz Gonzalez

 

In more recent years, you may have been introduced to Christina’s English-Spanish graphic novel Invisible. This groundbreaking bilingual book debuted in 2022 to high acclaim, including three starred reviews and spots on a couple of bestseller lists. 

 

Well, Christina Diaz Gonzales is back with Offside (Graphix; July 7, 2026; Ages 8–12), a new English-Spanish bilingual graphic novel that is sure to delight middle grade readers. 

Book Cover: OFFSIDE, by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

 

Jackson Middle School soccer team is going co-ed, but not everyone is happy about this change. When tensions threaten to destroy their season, the kids must discover the only true way to win is to work together as a team. With text in English and Spanish, Offside creates a unique reading experience and puts a spotlight on Latine characters throughout. We’re excited about this new work and grateful that Christina Diaz Gonzalez carved out some time to share with us.

 

SK: You’ve established yourself as a prolific and successful middle grade author. Looking back to the days when you were the age of your current readers, is this what you imagined your adult life would be like? Are there dreams that have come true, dreams that you’ve abandoned, or dreams that you’re still working to achieve?

 

CDG: Growing up I had a “secret” dream of being an author, but I had never met a writer and didn’t think people like me or my friends could have their stories published in a book. It was for this reason that I didn’t immediately pursue a writing career… Instead I chose to study accounting and then became a lawyer (which required a very different type of writing). Eventually it was my sons who reminded me how much I loved middle grade novels and I began pursuing the dream of sharing stories from my own imagination.

 

SK: As a kid with a secret dream of being an author, I’d guess you were probably a reader. If so, what were some of the books you enjoyed?

 

CDG: I was a HUGE reader as a kid (even won a Read-a-Thon) and the book that opened my eyes to the vast array of impactful stories was Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.

 

SK: You established a track record of narrative prose in several genres before branching out into graphic novels. What have been the biggest challenges and greatest delights in moving to the graphic novel form? 

 

CDG: I love the graphic novel format (as a kid I was a big fan of the Archie Digest comic books) and it is a wonderful way to highlight different languages side-by-side (like Spanish and English) because the art can be a third “language” which adds so much to the understanding of the story. I am always delighted to see the illustrator’s interpretation of a story that solely existed in my imagination… although it can be a challenge to “let go” of my own preconceived notions of what the page might have looked like. Lucky for me my illustrators have far exceeded anything I could have imagined!

 

SK: Tell us about your process of collaborating with illustrator Mari Costa. How was your narrative development influenced by her visual story-telling, and what are the benefits and challenges of working with an illustrator in this format?

 

CDG: One of the surprising aspects of working with an illustrator on a graphic novel is that there isn’t as much collaboration as you might expect. We each bring our own imagination and creativity to the project at separate times. I create the story and write the manuscript breaking it up into suggested panels and, once that is complete, I hand it all over to the illustrator to bring it to life as they see fit. Mari Costa took my manuscript and crafted incredible characters that blew me away when I saw how she had imagined them.

 

SK: Offside is about a middle school soccer team going co-ed. You obviously know a lot about soccer and team dynamics. What experiences do you have as a soccer player and/or fan?

 

CDG: I didn’t grow up playing soccer or even being a fan of the sport, but my sons played highly competitive soccer, and I became the team mom/team manager. I saw how soccer brings people together, but I also witnessed some of the disparities within youth sports.  

 

SK:  This new book uses the same bilingual (English/Spanish) format as Invisible. How do you balance these two languages while developing your narrative, and why is this format important to you? 

 

CDG: I love how the graphic novel format allows for more bilingual narration which would be more limited in traditional prose novels. This is important because we live in a multi-cultural/multi-lingual world, and kids deserve to see themselves and their classmates featured as main characters. I try to balance the languages by being true to the characters (and their language fluency) while making sure that the English-dominant reader can understand everything that is happening in the book.

 

SK: Do you have a favorite character from Offside? If so, what makes this character special to you?

 

CDG: My favorite character is Palmer as he is named after someone I know who is also a fantastic soccer player… and an even better kid!

 

SK: You refer to Carl Hiaasen’s Hoot in part of this story. Can you tell us about other middle grade authors or books that you particularly enjoy right now?

 

CDG: There are so many books that I am loving such as James Ponti’s Sherlock Society series, Alyson Gerber’s The Liar Society series, Jen Calonita’s The Isle of Ever series, and Donna Barba Higuera’s The Last Cuentista series. Hmm… I’m now seeing a pattern of reading series and yet I primarily write stand-alone books! 

 

SK: Do you have another idea in the pipeline right now? Any hints to what your next book might involve?

 

CDG: I have a new mystery/spy novel book coming in March 2027 called UNIDENTIFIED. It follows Alex, a middle schooler desperate to save his family’s struggling UFO-themed mini golf park located in Gulf Breeze, Florida. When Alex overhears a retired military colonel talking about spies in the area, he and his best friend, Nora, jump into action hoping a reward will save the park. But each clue pulls them deeper into a mystery that hits far too close to home… one that suggests Alex’s parents may be involved in a plot to wipe out all of Earth’s technology.

 

SK: That sounds fantastic! Christina, we so appreciate your time, and we love knowing that you are hard at work creating more books that middle grade readers will love. We’ll be sure to watch for Offside, available July 7, and we look forward to learning more about UNIDENTIFIED next year. 

 

If readers would like to learn more about Christina Diaz Gonzalez, her books, and her author visits, a great place to start is her website: christinagonzalez.com.  You can find her on various social media platforms as well, including Instagram and Threads: @christinadiazgonzalez; Facebook: Christina Diaz Gonzalez; and Bluesky: @christinadg.bsky.social.  

Back to Top