Diversity in MG Lit #52 March & April 2025

I will start this month’s diverse books round up with two graphic novels who have some things in common. Both are great examples of the diverse friend group story. They used to be rare but now diverse friend groups are the norm in MG fiction. It also belongs to a growing category of diverse books in which the diversity of the characters is not the central plot of the story. And finally, both of these books highlight anxiety which is a dramatically growing problem for children of all ages. The graphic novels are The Cartoonist Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud and Speechless by Aron Nels Steinke, both from Scholastic Graphix.

The Cartoonist Club is about a group of middle school kids who form a cartoon making club. Along the way they learn a lot about the craft of making comics from the fairly simple, how to cut and fold and 8 page zine, to the more challenging, how to make an infinite number of facial expressions by combining 6 core emotions.

Speechless is also a school based story about a girl who is so affected by her anxiety that she cannot speak aloud at school. Mira, the hero of Steinke’s graphic novel uses stop motion animation to express herself creatively and that medium of speaking through animation forms the spark of learning how to use her own voice.

Though it is not a graphic novel, Whale Eyes by James Robinson is a visually interesting and intimate look at what it is like to have a visual disability as a child. It’s fascinating and thoughtful, based on the Emmy Award winning film created by the author. Books on visual impairment are few and far between. Glad to have such a high quality option for young readers.

Opal Watson Private Eye by Brittany J Thurman is based on the Opal Watson podcast. Twelve year old Opal solves mysteries in her Chicago apartment building. Her voice is infectious and the mysteries reveal some aspects of her family history.

I love seeing more illustrated books in MG fiction. Afia in the Land of Wonders by Mia Araujo is a fresh spin on Alice in Wonderland. Afia meets a shapeshifter who takes her to a magical world which at first seems too good to be true, but in the end forces her to be true to herself and face her deepest fears. This is a debut from an author/illustrator I hope to see much more from.

The books I’ve reviewed here are strongly influenced by the ARCs that come to me at the bookstore. They are far from the only diverse books published in the last two months so if you have a favorite I missed, please mention it in the comments.