Expected publication August 25, 2026
E ARC provided by Netgalley
In a vaguely Steampunk Victorian setting replete with talking birds in waistcoats, we meet a young girl who is excitedly working at a library. Unfortunately, it turns out that she has no memory of the library or her own life, so has to keep being told the various rules and procedures. One of the rules is that she shouldn't touch memories without gloves, or she will experience the memory and cause it to lose power. Because she is so desperate to regain her own memories, she tends to ignore this, which infuriates Lawrence, a bird who helps her out. The girl, who goes by the name Copenhagen, is looking for a lost girl but can't find it, and creates her own so that she can take notes. One of the reasons for the problems in the library is that raw memorat is leaking into places where it shouldn't be. It's hard to fix problems in the library when no one can identify what they even are, since the library is constantly changing. Eventually, Copenhagen happens upon a boiler room, where memories seem to be discarded, and finds that there are some memories, including ones that might be her own, that are using their own energy to stay active. Is the brusque and mysterious Bookkeeper the key to Copenhagen's own memories?
Strengths: Most readers, especially librarians, are all in when it comes to books set in magical libraries. I still recommend Shulman's 2010 The Grimm Legacy to students who want this sort of book! There aren't as many fantasy graphic novels, and Marlin's artwork is beautiful. Copenhagen has a good attitude about her memory loss, and is very energetic and motivated to solve all of the library's problems. There's a nice Steampunk vibe, and the talking birds will appeal to fans of Warriors books.
Weaknesses: I don't do as well with graphic novels, so I struggled a bit to understand the setting as well as Copenhagen's dilemma, but graphic novel fans won't have that problem. My major objection, however, is the treatment of grief. I don't want to spoil anything, but there is a loss portrayed, and a mother putting all of the things that remind her of the child in the attic. This is wrong. The mother more likely would have given everything AWAY, if she didn't want to be reminded. There's nothing wrong with trying to utterly forget people. One can often move on much better that way. That's a personal objection, however, with which most people will not agree.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like graphic novels like Aldridge's The Pale Queen or Nijcamp's Ink Girls or middle grade novels focusing on grief, like Haydu's Eventown. I probably won't purchase this, because my graphic novel readers are easily confused, and I think they will have trouble following the plot of this one. Other reviewers have made similar comments.
Weaknesses: I don't do as well with graphic novels, so I struggled a bit to understand the setting as well as Copenhagen's dilemma, but graphic novel fans won't have that problem. My major objection, however, is the treatment of grief. I don't want to spoil anything, but there is a loss portrayed, and a mother putting all of the things that remind her of the child in the attic. This is wrong. The mother more likely would have given everything AWAY, if she didn't want to be reminded. There's nothing wrong with trying to utterly forget people. One can often move on much better that way. That's a personal objection, however, with which most people will not agree.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like graphic novels like Aldridge's The Pale Queen or Nijcamp's Ink Girls or middle grade novels focusing on grief, like Haydu's Eventown. I probably won't purchase this, because my graphic novel readers are easily confused, and I think they will have trouble following the plot of this one. Other reviewers have made similar comments.
September 15, 2026 by Graphix
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
In this latest installment, Nat and Alex have a bit of a falling out after Nat spills fruit punch on her and there is a misunderstanding about a comic that Nat draws. Flo and Zoe are also fighting over a comment that Zoe has made about Argyle, Flo's sock puppet and constant companion. Parallel to these story lines, we see Ms. Lemur instructing the class about misinformation, false conclusions, and thought traps. Nat has the very evolved moment of recognizing that she is involved in spiraling thought traps based on incomplete information, and she eventually talks to Alex and they work out their differences, since information can help with the solution to problems.
The Nat Enough series has been a solid circulator in my library since its debut in 2020, and I particularly enjoyed Nat a Chance, where Nat takes on a triathlon. There are plenty of graphic novels (many of them memoirs) where the characters are anxious and whine about their lives, but I like the turn that these have taken, with Nat finding constructive ways to deal with her anxiety and negative thoughts. Definitely will purchase this one.
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