A very interesting and creative read.
I thoroughly enjoyed.
The characters, settings and lore were inviting and descriptive, drawing you in and hooking you quickly. There were so many little traits of the writing that I loved: the pronoun swapping sidekick, the moral and educational encouragements, the mental health and wellbeing priorities, and the little realities such as clothing changes, hair fixes and toilet breaks that are often overlooked in fantasy. And the reading level was perfectly balanced for a KS2 classroom.

This would be an amazing class read. It has so much potential for projects surrounding the idea of inspirational people, as well as plenty of creative and imaginative opportunities.

I fought with myself on whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars, but it was just too well written and beautiful for 3; let me explain why.

I'll be brutally honest and say that this book just didn't grip me as much as my usual 4 star books do.
If the whole book had been more like the last third, it would be a different story, but it felt slow to build, and just generally a little too mundane for me.
It might be that I'm overly used to fantasy books which throw everything at you at all times, but the real world, everyday-ness of so much of the story just didn't grab my attention enough.

(Mild Spoilers from here on)

I loved every single section that focused on the Yoruba legends. I even enjoyed most of the daily life in Ajao - Iyanla's work as the village's healer and priestess, the politics of the larger city, even the friendship between Simi and Jay (which at first I thought I would hate).
But the story itself, all the way up until Bubu's illness, just felt too slow.
I would have much preferred if Simi entering the Lands of the Quicksand a second time had happened just after the halfway point, and I had been given more time to appreciate the world below, fight against the powers holding it, and the children within. But again, that's likely just a personal choice of pacing.

However!
As I said, I thought this book was beautiful. The writing style was easy to follow, I loved the integration of Yoruba language, and the inclusion of a glossary for possible unfamiliar words at the beginning of the book (which is always a good sign for me - maps, glossaries and pronunciation guides mean I'm in for a good time). I also appreciate that it means a lot to have the everyday of Nigeria - big city, small city, and village living - actually represented! So all of my little fusses about that side being mundane for me are over-ridden by the fact that for others, it will speak to them in ways I can hardly imagine. And as a teacher, that's something I can't ignore.
And even aside from the 'boring everyday' being a bit more difficult to read, I learnt a lot because of it! Using the glossary helped me to learn what these words meant and build up the image in my head of something that is not shown or represented anywhere near enough. Even my mental images are so Europe and America-centric that the Lagos big city in my brain still kept morphing into a New York style landscape, which took effort to keep readjusting each time I caught it. Its telling that imagining the 'dusty african village' was much easier for my brain to recreate...
I love this book for that specifically and for its beautiful descriptive language, which is the main reason it deserve 4 stars rather than 3 from me. No matter whether it was constantly to my personal taste, I enjoyed it, and I can see plenty of children enjoying and benefiting from it.

After a few re-reads I'm very excited to say I have absolutely fallen for this charming, exciting, empowering little book!
I'm a big fan of literature that shows real diversity in its characters or encourages children to explore big questions, and this ticks all of those boxes multiple times over for me.
It covers all the classic childhood topics such as roleplay and imagination, making friends (or finding it difficult to do so), bullying, summer holidays/going back to school, and dealing with or looking after younger siblings.
But what I love most about Carboard Kingdom's storytelling, is that is reaches further to intertwine these with more modern and maybe more complex issues using a format that is much more accessible to children. The mix of graphic, superhero comic-style presentation, some with and some without words/speech, makes for a perfect balance of access levels, whilst also representing how the children within the stories communicate also.
There is a character for every child to relate to in someway - which I often have trouble finding books to fill.

I tried to go through and add tabs to my favourite stories, but by the end I'd put a tab on almost every one, so here's just three: (mild spoilers ahead)
> The Sorceress / The Army of Evil - these stories focused on two siblings from the same household.
I doubt anyone is surprised that I adore these ones. Jack is a super sweet kid who plays as The Sorceress, the infamous villain of the block, along with her evil sidekick-henchmen (Jack's younger sister and co). I love the way gender, expression, and identity is discussed in an unapologetic, unpatronising way; it is clear enough that children will independently pick up the cues and ask questions if they wish, but it is also written in a way that says 'it is what it is'. It's not something that has to be overbearingly spelled out, it just is.
When Jack is asked 'Wait, are you a boy?' he replies 'I'm the Sorceress' to which there is no need for extended explanations besides a 'Cool' before the story continues.
Between the children, it is an accepted fact - Jack is the Sorceress, and the Sorceress is Jack, and pronouns are just no big deal, she/her mostly being used.
This innocence is maintained even when the more serious story carrying adults enter the fray. Jack's mother clearly hints that he is safe to tell her if The Sorceress is more than just a character: she asks 'Is it really just dress-up and make-believe? Who is the sorceress?' to which Jack replies 'She's who I want to be...Magical. And powerful. And amazing.'
My heart breaks every time okay!

> The Big Banshee
This one got me good. The link created between a hulk-esque character, and the trope of the 'angry black girl' who needs to just calm down to be taken seriously...
I loved how the story discussed generational differences, how family isn't always right, and can both be supportive and harmful, and how you shouldn't have to change yourself to make other people happy.
The story is quite a complex one, but it is shown in such a simple yet emotive way. The body language is beautifully depicted, and the character design will resonate with exactly the right children who most likely need to hear this story. (Also see The Mad Scientist for a similar feel which I adored!)

> Professor Everything
I've touched on gender, and I've touched or race, but what truly surprised me was to find characters who represented a story of neurodivergency.
Professor Everything is a child who struggles with the spontaneous imagination of the neighbourhood, especially when the spells they're creating just aren't physically impossible. Making friends is hard for a lot of children, but especially when the social cues and expectations don't make sense. I saw my own autistic childhood reflected in this story. Reading a 'how to make friends book', trying so hard to do what it says, still failing and even being taken advantage of by unknowing children in the process.

The other stories of this book cover subjects such as LGBT+ friendships and relationships (I definitely see a childhood crush or two - i'm looking at you The Prince), problems in the home (The Gargoyle), and show an incredibly diverse range family dynamics.

The only thing I would have appreciated additionally would have been to see some confirmed use of language that would give children words to match the experiences of the children with implied specifics, and maybe the inclusion of a physically disabled child (whose disability isn't magically fixed in their imaginary super-form please thank you).