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.

Pigs Might Fly
by Nick Abadzis, Jerel Dye (Illustrations)
4 out of 5 stars

Lily is the daughter of a famous inventor in the Pigdom Plains. She dreams of inventing her own flying machine, succeeding where her father could not. Although she has access to magic, Lily wants to use science to create an engine that will stay aloft on its own power. When a mysterious squadron of attack flyers begin to harass the countryside, Lily scrambles to finish the prototype of her airplane and she takes to the skies to protect her neighbors. But if her father finds out what she has done, Lily will be in big trouble.

I loved this graphic novel! Lily is such a spunky main character. She is so intelligent and brave. I was cheering for her through the entire book! I loved seeing how she interacts with her father, her aunt, and her young cousin. That family dynamic was very dramatic, as they sometimes fight or disagree, but always protect each other. Each of these characters have strong personalities and are very intelligent and independent, so that makes for some great character development.