howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)

 This volume is a collection of holiday-themed one-offs, and a couple were really good and felt like the overall series did as far as vibes and all go, but a few of them just missed the mark in a big way for me. I typically don't enjoy graphic novel collections where there are guest writers, because I get very used to those characters being portrayed by a specific artist and written by a specific writer, so I'm not surprised this was my least favorite of the 3 volumes.

That said, I still love these little gay cuties a whole lot. 

 Awww, their first little tiff. 🥺 I really appreciate that the author didn't use it as an opportunity to have this big, awful dramatic miscommunication moment that would worry the reader, but instead let us keep moving along with these sweet little beans. ♥
 

 Well, I can add "apartment searching with a mushy real estate agent" to the list of book tropes that have made me happy-cry now...
 

 The first thing I'll say is that, if you've followed Lunarbaboon on social media a while (I have), there unfortunately won't be much "new" content here. I definitely recognized a lot of the comics in this book, but luckily, Lunarbaboon's sense of humor is enjoyable enough to read over again in those instances. I think it's one of those parenting-themed comic books that might not work well if you don't have kids (or help take care of other children, even), but it's definitely relatable as a fellow parent of a young child, and it's cute.
 

 The level of communication this couple has? Beautiful. I need so many more media depictions of couples to show two adults sitting down to actually talk about things and learn how to help one another through uncomfortable feelings (anxiety, etc.) like these cuties do. I'm realizing, the further into the series I get, I think that's what is making this manga stand out so much to me: how healthy and authentic this relationship feels.
 

 This was really cute, and I think any dog lover could enjoy this little comic book about Mochi the pug. It humanizes him a lot, which is something I wish more pet-themed comics would do, because it's fun to read the little thought bubbles and his motives behind some of his antics. It wasn't anything ground-breaking or hilarious, but I enjoyed it and could go for some puppy cuddles right about now. ♥
 

Ghost Girl was a fun, atmospheric little story about a very lovable trio of kids. I can definitely see recommending this to any kid who likes horror or dark fantasy stories! While there are some creepy elements, I don't think this is a story that's going to scare the average kid, and I would pitch it as paranormal fantasy just as soon as horror.

My favorite thing about Ghost Girl wasn't the spooky atmosphere or the writing or the plot, but was the characters, and how well we got to watch their friendships blossom with one another. Zee, Elijah, and Nellie are all incredibly lovable kids and you can't help but root for them - even Nellie, who gets a rough start but I quickly warmed up to.

There are some sad and heavy elements at play here, too: Zee's mother passed away in childbirth, and Zee blames herself; Elijah's father fat-shames him and Elijah's mother is doing poorly with her mental health; and Nellie depicts the sort of classic "mean girl with a miserable home life" trope. I enjoyed how Malinenko didn't shy away from any of these topics, but still allowed a gleam of hope to shine through.

Ghost Girl wasn't a perfect read for me, but I enjoyed it overall and absolutely recommend it to young readers, as well as any adult who loves middle grade stories and needs a good reminder of the power of friendship and love.

✨ Representation: Zee is questioning and implied queer; Elijah is Black and fat
 

 Another volume of me sitting here absolutely obsessing over how precious and well-communicated this relationship is and how much I adore these two weirdos. ♥
 

 I don't usually log the children's books I read anymore — especially since having a 5-year-old means I would be logging a lot of them, and I don't have much of a commentary to offer on the majority of them — but we picked this one from the library's ebook selection after I saw it in the Goodreads Choice Awards, and truly, it was so stunning and sweet. The art is BEAUTIFUL and we were both totally enthralled by this sweet family. I highly recommend this to anyone with a small child in your life, but even if it's just for you, as an adult: I still think you should read this lovely little story.
 

 This was a really fun, short little alien horror story set at Christmas time, and I enjoyed it a lot! This was my first experience with Sergio Gomez's writing, but definitely won't be my last. I enjoyed all of the characters and felt oddly attached to them, for it to have been such a short story. If there was ever a full novel to follow up this story, I'd definitely read it.
 
 ✨ Representation: one Latinx character and two Japanese characters