Averee
by Stephanie Phillips, Dave Johnson (Co-Writer), Marika Cresta (Illustrator), Andrew Dalhouse (Colorist)
4 out of 5 stars

Averee has a fairly high level on Ranked, the app that determines your social standing. But her best friend, Zoe, has one of the lowest rankings in school, meaning that she can’t get into certain restaurants or ride on the nicer city buses. Everything about their lives are dictated by their rank, from where they can live and work to where they can travel. When Averee’s ranking suddenly drops, the two friends are on a quest to find out why and to restore Averee’s rank. But the Ranked app is controlled by an evil corporation with even more deadly plans in store.

I loved this graphic novel so much! The world-building is really cool, and I liked the history of how the Ranked app came to be so prevalent. The adventure is exciting and I liked the mystery surrounding the evil corporation behind the app.

Waluk: The Great Journey
by Ana Mirallès (Illustrator ), Emilio Ruiz (Contributor)
4 out of 5 stars

Waluk is a young polar bear who treks through the frozen tundra with an older bear, Eskimo. They run across humans from time to time, and have adventures hunting for seals. They meet a ferocious mama polar bear with her cubs. Waluk talks to a dog who pulls a dogsled for his master, and tries to inspire him to pursue a free life in the wilderness instead of living in human chains.

I loved this cool graphic novel! The art work is really beautiful with all the mystery and allure of the North Pole. The story is exciting and balances both serious and funny scenes. I really loved the sweet friendship between Waluk and Eskimo. They rely on one another and Waluk learns a lot of wisdom from Eskimo.