June 2, 2026 by Graphix
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
In this graphic novel, Kenzie's father, Adrian, married Quinn's mother, Bethany, after the death of Kenzie's mother when both girls were fairly young. Quinn's father sometimes visits with her, but the two are definitely sisters in every way that counts. Lately, their parents have been fighting nonstop, which is very stressful. When Gramma (Adrian's mother) offers to take the girls to her home in the Outer Banks for the summer, it's mainly a relief, although Quinn is a little upset to be missing her friend Willow. She's supposed to have a visit with her father, but Gramma offers to host him at her home. The girls have a lot of freedom to kayak and roam the beach while Gramma does her work for the Wild Horse Foundation, and it's peaceful to not have to listen to fighting all the time. The girls find a shark's tooth, help clean up the beach, and even get to name a new foal who is born. When Bethany decides to take a job in another town, Quinn is devastated. She feels that Kenzie doesn't quite understand her grief, and the two fight a bit. They eventually talk through their feelings, and Kenzie realizes that Quinn and Willow want to date each other, adding to Quinn's grief. While the parents are not very helpful during this transition, Gramma is a steady support, and the girls plan to spend their summers with her even after the divorce.
Strengths: Definitely Gramma for the win in this book; I very much appreciated that she is still working and active, and steps in to take care of the girls when their parents are clearly not doing so. The Outer Banks setting is intriguing, and the information about the horses will appeal to a wide variety of readers. The illustrations are attractive, and the way the parents are fighting is expressed in an intriguing way, with background text bubbles and even spiky voice bubbles just filled with fire like color! The way the girls interact is also realistic; when someone is going through hard things, it's difficult to empathize with others.
Weaknesses: While the over-the-top emotions the girls exhibit are certainly true to life, it strikes me that it would be more helpful to young readers who might have trouble regulating their own emotions to see examples of tweens developing more effective coping strategies. I realize that I have this point of view because I am an old person and this is no longer in favor, but the current methods just seem to be making my students more and more anxious. Midsummer Sisters certainly feels right at home with other current graphic novels.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who found this author's Sea Legs intriguing, or who want sadder books about divorce like Levy's All the Things We Found or Lucido's and Corcutt's Words Apart.
Weaknesses: While the over-the-top emotions the girls exhibit are certainly true to life, it strikes me that it would be more helpful to young readers who might have trouble regulating their own emotions to see examples of tweens developing more effective coping strategies. I realize that I have this point of view because I am an old person and this is no longer in favor, but the current methods just seem to be making my students more and more anxious. Midsummer Sisters certainly feels right at home with other current graphic novels.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who found this author's Sea Legs intriguing, or who want sadder books about divorce like Levy's All the Things We Found or Lucido's and Corcutt's Words Apart.
June 2, 2026 by Aladdin
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Rubie Fox lives with her mother, Paula, after her parents' divorce. Her best friend is Riley. The two are very different, but get along well and are planning to go to summer camp the summer before 6th grade starts. When Riley breaks her leg while trying on her mother's heels, Rubie has to go to camp by herself. She promises that she won't do any of the items on the bucket list that she and Riley created. Rubie shares a cabin with two girls from France, as well as Riley's cousin Kat who is taking her friend's place. She doesn't get along super well with any one them, since they are also obsessed with clothing and makeup, but does make friends with Eliza. Riley has a big crush on Owen, who is at the boys' camp, so Rubie sneaks across the lake to leave him a message. It turns out that Owen has a crush on Rubie, and things get complicated. Riley shows up at camp for the dance, and sees Rubie and Owen kissing. Will this end their relationship, or will they be able to put it back together. This seems like it might be the first book in a series.
The format of the book is what will draw readers to it. Frost's background is in picture books, so there are plentiful illustrations throughout the story, arranged in a Wimpy Kid or Sitck Dog fashion. Camp stories are usually popular, but this felt like a bit of a throwback. Few of my students are interested in fashion or makeup these days, and having a dance at camp felt outdated. I imagine that this will be a paper-over-board hardback, so if you order it for your school library, make sure to invest in a prebind. This will see a lot of wear from fans of Russell's Dork Diaries or Greenwald's TBH series, and could fall apart quickly!
I'd love to know if naming Rubie's mother Paula Fox is a tribute to the author of the 1973 The Slave Dancer!
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