Misfit Mansion and Buzzing

Davault, Kay. Misfit Mansion

July 25, 2023 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers 

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Iris lives in a mansion with other "misfits", in a Mr. Halloways' House of Horrors in Dead End Springs. Agnes, a cyclops, helps Mr. Halloway, who often travels to find and bring back other mistreated horrors and to give them a better life. He seems not to like Iris at all, but she doesn't know why. When the annual Fall Festival is advertised on television, Iris really wants to go see it, and chafes at being confined to the house, even if it is for her own safety. Since it is a Halloween festival, she feels that she, Agnes, and Kel can go out in costumes and not be noticed. They sneak out when Mr. Holloway is traveling, but there are some things that go wrong. Dahlia, who is a rather creepy doll, manages to escape and turn all of the dolls in a local shop into "horrors". Surprisingly, the townspeople like them, which makes Iris question why she and her friends have to be kept in the mansion. There is also a young horror hunter, Mathias, who lives with his aunt. She has a history with Halloway, and a real hatred of the horrors that Mathias has picked up. Will Iris be able to obtain a level of freedom for her friends once Dead End Springs accepts them?

Strengths: This was illustrated in an amusing way, and the colors were very pleasant. Dead End Springs at Halloween is a very enticing place, and the horrors are all fairly benign. There's a well developed backstory with Iris and Halloway that comes to a satisfactory conclusion, and by the end all of the various threads are tied up nicely. Even Dahlia, who is portrayed as very spooky at the beginning, is shown to be nice and helpful. I often have students asking for fantasy graphic novels, and there aren't as many of them as there are of graphic personal memoirs. 
Weaknesses: This felt heavily allegorical. It seemed odd that the townspeople took to the horrors so quickly. Iris even completely forgives Matias and befriends him because she knows it is unpleasant to be an outcast. I hold grudges, so it didn't make sense to me, although it's certainly a better message for young readers. 
What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who enjoyed Whitley and Indigo's The Dog Knight or Graley's Donut the Destroyer. 

Sattin, Samuel and Hickman, Rye (illus.) Buzzing

July 18, 2023 by Little, Brown Ink

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Isaac is struggling with his OCD, which this graphic novel depicts as buzzing bees with words describing Isaac's negative thoughts attached to them. He worries about things like the symmetry of his face, germs, and people thinking he's weird, as well as things like schoolwork. He is in therapy, and his mother is trying really hard to make his life workable. Isaac draws a lot, and finds that this helps quiet his thoughts sometimes. When he meets Micah at school, and they invite him to play a role playing game, Swamps and Sorcery, with some friends, Isaac doesn't quite know what to think about this. His mother, on the other hand, knows exactly what to think about it; reading fantasy books (like the one all the RPG players like) and playing games lead to more obsessive thoughts, so aren't good for Isaac. His counselor disagrees, and the two talk about why Isaac's brain makes him think in unhelpful ways, and how he can manage these thoughts. One of Isaac's chief worries is that Micah is very cool, and shouldn't want to be friends with him. During one particularly bad spiral, Isaac shares this with Michah, who says that everyone is a little "weird", and talks a little about their own struggles with feeling like neither a boy nor a girl. When Isaac gets a D on a test, his mother forbids him from playing the game or even seeing his new friends, but his sister (who often feels that her mother ignores her in favor of her brother's problems) offers to take him to the library, knowing that there is a store that has an RPG group meeting in the afternoon. Isaac does well with this group, and is even asked to be the game master. Eventually, his mother begins to understand that Isaac having friends, even ones that like fantasy books and RPGs, is better than Isaac not having friends, and allows him to play. 

Strengths: The bees representing intrusive thoughts is particularly well done, especially when Isaac is depicted in black and white and the bees are in yellow. It's good to see counseling represented, and th emother was nicely complex; she's clearly done some homework on Isaac's condition, just not quite enough of it. Micah is a good friend who gets Isaac interested in a new pursuit. Their mother makes a brief appearance, although there is one father who is a chef who is quite amusing! The fandom of a fantasy book series, complete with midnight launch, is well done and makes sense given the interests of the RPG players. The illustration style is appealing, and the message of the book is good. 
Weaknesses: This seemed almost more like a YA graphic novel, since it was a bit slow paced and introspective and seemed to be set in a high school, even though the descriptions say this is a middle grade novel. No reason it isn't; just seemed more young adult somehow. This might appeal to some readers. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like Ogle's Four Eyes or Krosoczka's Hey, Kiddo.