I’ve always loved this series’ major crackhead energy!

This final book tries to tie up the loose ends, but it’s not a very tight knot. It's a little rushed but fun. The first one is still my absolute favorite.

There’s a lot of existentialism and more general philosophy here that will either make some kids' day or fly way over their heads. 

A mature, wholesome look at "being the strong one." Amy is deeply empathetic but learns that she needs to take in consideration of her own mental health as well.

This was a fun romp, and I say this as someone who largely ignores Thor stories. I absolutely love the artwork! The Double Trouble series has been really good so far

This series is still wonderfully dumb and charming, but it’s charming too. There seem to be some allusions to refugees, illegal immigration, and (US) school integration, but it’s done in a digestible way for kids. 

I’ll keep rocking with this series as long as new ones come out!

Wasn’t for me but not bad. 

The story paints the setting well with the vibes of a rundown trailer park, fleas, old southern town in the backwoods. It had the common beats of the teenager that’s acting out, the hardened mother with a past, and her smooth-talking manipulative, abuser ex coming back into town. But I never cared about any of these characters or their journeys here.

On the positive, the book had an effectively good portrayal of grooming, codependency, and abandonment issues. There’s probably a character study that could be done on Manny. You see how people get drawn into Manny’s web easily and why Kit is so starved for love and paranoid all the time. But I hated the dialogue and didn’t care too much for the story telling style. 

Samira's narrative voice was very believable. You see the trouble a mile away but understand through Samira's naivety and ignorance how she cannot. Each line of poetry is beautiful, and I loved the recurring theme of Persephone and the mother/daughter relationship.

Of all Chanani's graphic novels, this one is my favorite. A little magical realism, cute animals, and conflict.

Aria's been badly burned with a friend exposing her private pictures to social media (spoiler:

judging by aria's reaction I'm guessing the pictures were suggestive in nature at best or sexting at the worst

. and just wants to unwind with her paternal grandmother, Nainai in San Francisco to get her mind off of things. But Nainai's not at peace either. She's chained to her Boba shop and is forced to cook it daily. Something's not right, and it's going to take the boba of them to find out why!

No, you cannot arrest me for a pun. Moving on ...

Although the book was mostly lighthearted, there are still some minor stakes. Also, the animals friends are very cute here - prairie dogs and kittens.