Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem

The Blue Stars #1

by Kekla Magoon

Two everyday superheroes set out to save the world—starting with their school—in an exciting new middle-grade graphic series from two award-winning authors and a debut illustrator.

When cousins Riley Halfmoon and Maya Dawn move to Urbanopolis to live with their activist grandma, they get off to a rocky start. Outgoing Riley misses her Muscogee cousins but is sure that she and Maya will be instant BFFs. Meanwhile, introvert Maya misses her parents, on active duty in Japan, and just wants some space to herself. At school, Maya joins Robotics Club and Riley bonds with fellow gymnasts. Just when they start to feel at home, their school culture is threatened by an influential foe in disguise. Joining student council feels like a way to help, so both cousins toss their hats in the ring for sixth-grade class president. But when they realize what they’re up against—money, power, and lies—they quickly shift from competition to cooperation, joining forces as superheroes. Riley is savvy with people; Maya is a whiz with gadgets. In no time, this dazzling duo is off to save the day! Relatable and rich in themes of family, community, and compromise, the Blue Stars series will entertain and empower, inspiring readers to be the stars they are.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Family, Juvenile

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2024

Reviews

[Eliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Vice Principal Problem
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ (2/5) or 4.57/10 overall

Characters - 4

Atmosphere - 5

Writing - 5

Plot - 4

Intrigue - 5

Logic - 5

Enjoyment - 4

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riley, happy living with her Muscogee relatives all around her, and Maya, accustomed to moving around with her military parents, are thrust together to live with their grandmother in Urbanopolis. With little in common but blood, the two girls begin a new six grade campus and find a domineering, detention-happy vice principal who unites them in their attempt to make changes at their school. Story by Keyla Magoon (The Season of Styx Malone) and Cynthia L Smith (Indian Shoes & Sisters of the Neversea) combine with terrific graphic panels by Molly Murakami to give 3rd-5th grade readers a story filled with relatable characters thriving in new circumstances and working out difficulties using their own unique skill sets. A strong grandmother encourages them and church, school and community all combine to give Riley and Maya support to make a difference. Students will appreciate Maya’s use of robotics and engineering skills and Riley’s gymnastics prowess to turn them into “super heroes” of a sort. Some of their solutions and actions are unrealistic (some rappelling up/down buildings, access to materials and techie knowledge) but most readers will not be bothered by this. Some unresolved situations mean more to come in the series. Representation: varied family configurations, interracial marriage, Muscogee tribal connections (but very little about the culture of that community), Black characters. Text is free of profanity, sexual content and violence. Solid choice for library graphic novel section.

Thanks for the print arc, Cynthia Leitich Smith.

[Shella · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 star for the story- added a star because the art was clean, colorful and easy to follow. I disliked the plot-it was beyond ridiculous. It was like two elementary students got together to plot a story.

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this. I loved the Indigenous and Black solitary here. This is a great vehicle to introduce kids to how local politics impacts their community.

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Riley and Maya, although cousins, haven't seen each other since they were three years old, but now they will be living in the same house. Riley, moving with her parents, assumes she and Maya will pick up where they left off, as friends. Maya, moving without her parents whose military post overseas doesn't allow her to be with them, is not so sure. Maya enjoys gadgets; Riley likes gymnastics. Riley enjoys people; Maya enjoys solitude. As they share a bedroom at their grandmother's house in Urbanopolis, it doesn't seem as though they can get along. Fortunately, school programs are threatened by budget cuts and they begin to work together to influence the administration. Who knew that the real foe would be the vice principal, who wants to use the money to buy more self standing units for detention? In this debut book, Riley and Maya successfully take on the Vice Principal and become the Blue Stars, superheroes who are ordinary people with extraordinary teamwork. Having been an educator for many years, I can appreciate the overdrawn, go-for-broke, villainous Vice Principal Balderdash and will enjoy discovering through subsequent installments, how Balderdash, who lives in a city with a Balderdash Tower, chose to enter the field of education and what other nefarious plans he has for the students he loathes.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. There are some powerful messages in the book, like:
- Never hide your light
- Be the stars that you are

It's always more efficient to work as a team than against each other, even if we are a common goal. This book expresses this in a beautiful way.

Many thanks to the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 4 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Riley Halfmoon has lived most of her life in Oklahoma near her mother's closeknit Muscogee family. When her mother, Jill, gets a job in Urbanopolis as the City Hall press secretary and her father wants to go to nursing school, the three leave to move in with her father's mother, Gayle, who is a Black artist. At the same time, her cousin Maya Dawn has to move in with Grandma Gayle as well because her parents are in the military. Her father, Dave's brother, and her mother, who is white, can't take her to their latest post. Riley is apprehensive about her new living arrangements, but is looking forward to rooming with Maya, and has arranged to continue her gymnastics at a local gym. Maya is not happy to be away from her parents and takes it out on her cousin. The two start middle school and find activities to do. Maya is the only person in robotics club, but both girls decide to run for student body president. They are leery of Vice Principal Balderdash, who drives a very fancy car and is fond of sending people to detention. When the mayor's office announces that it will be delegating budgetary decisions to the school administrators, Jill Halfmoon knows that this is a veiled way of announcing budget cuts. Balderdash tells each of the three candidates that he will support their favorite activities (clubs, the library, sports) while secretly plotting to take all the money he can and build more detention facilities. The girls work together to expose the vice principal's evil scheme, luring him out of his office so they can place a bug, combing through hours of tape, and when they find him detailing his evil plans, playing a clip on the school screens. Will this be enough to scuttle his plans and save the programs that students really want?
Strengths: I love Maya's interest in science and technology, especially because this gives her many skills that are very useful to the girls campaign against Balderdash! The extended family living together and having Maya live with them while her parents are in the military is something that doesn't come up frequently in middle grade literature, but perhaps should. The girls have different interests, but they are able to both campain for student body president without fighting with each other, which was refreshing. The team of Magoon, Smith, and Murakami adds lots of diversity to the cast of characters, and the story is generally upbeat. I liked the note from the authors at the end about kids getting involved in their schools.
Weaknesses: I'm not quite sure why the mayor would have anything to do with school funding; this isn't the way our districts are set up in Ohio, and cuts are made on a district level, involving the superintendent and school board, after a LOT Of discussion. It seemed odd that the vice principal would have any say at all, but perhaps this is the case in other cities.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want a graphic novel similar to Varian Johnson's The Great Greene Heist or books with evil principals or school elections. There isn't much Native representation in graphic novels (Cohen's Two Tribes is the only one I can think of), so this was good to see.

[Geordie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cousins Riley Halfmoon and Maya Dawn move in with their grandmother and enroll in Southside Middle School. Their personalities clash almost immediately, but more seriously, the school's vice principal is hell-bent on cutting afterschool activities in favor of funding new and "creative" ways to give children detention.

The book got off to a bit of a slow start, and unfortunately the main conflict of a detention loving vice principal didn't do much to improve things. When ONE person in the school board doesn't listen to the girls' complaints, they decide the best course of action is to break into the vice principal's office and plant some (absolutely illegal) surveillance devices. Okay... Funny coincidence, me and my daughter have recently read several kids' graphic novels (Bunnybirds the Shirley and Jamila books, etc) where characters break some rules because there is a greater moral good involved. I don't know if the vice-principal's pettiness justifies committing two (or more) felonies! Especially since it is so, SO contrived that this is even an issue. How is the VP funneling these funds without noticing? Why don't Riley and Maya try to get help from other authorities? Where are the angry parents? Where the heck is the principal??? It doesn't feel realistic, the protagonists' actions feel out of proportion, and the fact that they only bond together when they have a mutual enemy makes them feel immature even for middle schoolers.

And the story ends, bizarrely, with Maya wing-suiting from the top of the school down to a restaurant patio for NO REASON. The wing-suit is cool, but there is no reason for it beyond the cool. It actually feels like the author was trying to shove in a cool moment at the end because the actual climax was not only contrived but kind of lackluster.

I feel the dual messages of 'try to get along with your family' and 'don't give in to unjust authority' were both good, but boy were they told wrong. The whole story was a storm in a bottle that felt like it could have been resolved if just a handful of adults were paying attention.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Riley Halfmoon and her parents move from the Muscogee Nation, Oklahoma, to live with her grandmother in Urbanopolis, they are joined by her cousin Maya Dawn, coming from the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, her parents’ new orders making it impossible for her to stay with them.

The two cousins are very different—Riley is outgoing and into sports; Maya is an introvert and an inventor and reader. Reuniting after 9 years, they have to learn to live with each other but finally bond over missing their “homes” and past lives. They begin middle school where the Vice Principal constantly watches students, has cameras everywhere, is a bully, and assigns detentions for the slightest infractions.

When the mayor announces decreases in educational funding and delegates the budgets cuts to school administrators, Grandma Gayle tells the girls, “As students, you have a voice…be the stars you are.”(ARC, 61) The girls both run for sixth grade president—for different reasons: Riley to save the arts and Maya to save the library Robotics Club. They are joined by Stef Cruz who wants to save sports and every student club.

Presuming that the Vice Principal is lying about keeping extracurriculars, Riley and Maya become “…a team. A duo” (ARC 113) to uncover evidence of the Vice Principal’s real budget plan. They procure the support of their respective gymnastics and robotics club members—and even their opponent Steph to, like superheroes (”The Blue Stars”), save the school from the villain.

With a cast of multicultural characters and themes of family, collaboration, and voice, this graphic novel, first in a series, by co-authors Kekla Magoon and Cynthia Leitich Smith and illustrated Molly Murakami will engage even the most reluctant readers and provide role models for all Grade 4-8 readers.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm just short of tagging this "slice of life" because, if I'm being honest, the vice principal is a cardboard cutout villain. He's all but embezzling funds for the various student clubs in order to buy... detention cells.

I would swear this is commentary on current events, as ridiculous as this sounds; the goal isn't to funnel children into prisons! Why even HAVE schools if they're all going to be treated as future criminals?

That said, it's good that the girls (and other students) DO manage to stop him—not tagging that as a spoiler, because why would a YA book have a BAD ending where he DOES win? I feel like the point of these books is to encourage empowerment, not kowtowing to whoever has the biggest boot to stomp down everyone else. (If there are any books like that, I'm pretty sure I and most other readers would give them one, zero, or even NEGATIVE stars!)

It's also a story about family, and growing together despite different backgrounds. It IS a little awkward how Riley doesn't plan ahead for Maya's arrival by claiming parts of BOTH halves of the room, but then I've had enough roommates by now to understand how to best divide up a shared space (and, luckily, my permanent roommate is very good at sharing, haha!). Then again, what's a YA book about cohabiting without initial misunderstandings?

Recommended for EVERYONE (except embezzling racists)!

[KATHRYNE STEVENS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Literary Merit: 3/5 The plot felt like the weakest aspect of this graphic novel. The shift into Tony Spark superhero felt jarring and unrealistic after the majority of the novel being more realistic. The villain seemed more like a caricature than an actual threat. I was definitely more invested in the two cousins forming an understanding and building a relationship. The cousins felt realistic in their desires and their interactions, and I would have loved for that to have been the main focus of the book.

Originality: 3.5/5 Family, coming of age, and building relationships are all common themes throughout middle grade. That being said Blue Stars addressed them in a positive way with some wider representation that we tend to see.

Accuracy: 3/5 The end of the book felt like a shift in genres that was abrupt and in my opinion unnecessary.

Clarity: 5/5 The art here was impressive. The facial expressions did an amazing job of conveying nuanced emotion. The bold lines made each panel clear and easy to understand.
Total: 14.5/20

Age Range: KR 8-12 age, PW ages 8-12, SLJ grades 4+

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim series-opener introduces 2 cousins; Maya Dawn & Riley Halfmoon, who haven't seen each other in 9 years, now suddenly sharing a bedroom in their grandmother's house, in the town where their two dads grew up; Urbanopolis. They're starting 6th grade together, so they quickly have to figure out how to get along with one another and adjust to the new living situation and new school.

Meanwhile their new school has a maniacal Vice Principal (and no actual Principal?) who is slowly but surely replacing clubs, sports, arts, & other enrichments with his bizarre carceral practices.

The cousins start off on the wrong foot...but the school's adversity unites them, because they both have strong family values; Maya from her military parents who are in STEM fields, and Riley from her connection to Indigenous Muskogee parents.

The two authors clearly draw on their own life experiences and cultures to write realistically about the two branches of this family tree.

The illustrations are cartoonish - they appear more like a Saturday morning television cartoon rather than a realistic graphic novel, but this keeps the images lively and energetic, like the two main characters.

[Ms. Woc Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem. This is the start of a new series called Blue Stars. It follows cousins Maya and Riley. Both have newly moved to Urbanopolis and are living with their artist grandmother. Maya is dealing with being away from her parents who are both in the military while Riley's parents live with them but she misses her Muscogee Nation cousins and grandparents. It's a rocky journey for the girls at first as they learn to get along while sharing a room and getting accustomed to their new school. But both must team up when the new vice principal proves to be a problem and starts making budget cuts to put more money towards detention.

This is a very enjoyable graphic novel. I liked that it had a message of using your voice without being overly preachy. And even then the girls discover that just using your voice won't always get immediate results and they need to be a little more crafty. It's a great start to a new series and I'm interested in the next installment.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

For middle schoolers, who often feel as if they have no power, a new graphic novel series by Kekla Magoon and Cynthia Leitich Smith begins the stories of Riley Halfmoon and Maya Dawn, cousins who haven't seen each other in years but have moved to Urbanopolis to live with their activist grandma. They couldn't be more different, and besides being in a brand new environment, home, and school, they must share a room! They're just making some progress in their relationship when they begin to wonder about their school's vice-principal, who seems only interested in the many cameras spying on all the students and sending many students to detention. With the challenges at school and learning from their grandma that they do have star power, they begin to see their differences just might be a huge strength. It's a great story of persistence in doing what's right and figuring out differences add to the whole in a very good way. Molly Murakami's art shows all the story's action and emotions in this powerful and inspiring story.
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!

[LiteraryCryptid · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and engaging graphic novel that highlights the importance of standing up for what is right, and finding a way for your voice to be heard.

I loved this graphic novel through and through. Riley and Maya are both well developed characters with the story focusing on their journeys (as a team and as individuals) equally without feeling pulled in two directions or split attention. The cousins represent diverse family backgrounds - military, Muskogee, interracial - done beautifully, showing the differences in their upbringing, how it influences who they are, and also how those differences bring them together.

Great representation of a female character in STEM - with Maya being in the robotics club and having an interest outside of school in science/technology.

While there is a resolution at the end, there is also hinted possibility for further adventures for the cousins, and I'm excited to see where their next journey takes them.



Thank you to Candlewick Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#indigoemployee

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This middle grade graphic novel introduces us to cousins, Riley and Maya. Aside from both being in the sixth grade, they couldn’t be more different. Riley is outgoing and athletic, while Maya is quiet and contemplative. The girls must now share a room at their Grandmother’s house, where Riley and her parents have moved because of her Mom’s new job, and Maya’s is staying while her parents serve a tour of duty overseas. There is considerable friction as the girls struggle to get along. In school, they begin to settle in and find their niche; Riley hangs out with gymnastics friends, and Maya joins the robotics club. But they're truly brought together in opposition to a duplicitous vice principal, whose machinations threaten to close down all after-school activities. The girls combine their considerable super girl talents to successfully thwart Vice Principal Balderdash. Empowerment and exercising your voice are dominent themes, with a diverse cast of characters. Recommended, for ages 8 to 12, by SEPA Book Reviewers.

[Eve Costarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right off the bat, I loved the multicultural aspect of this graphic novel. The two cousins are the stars of this story: one heroine is of the Muscogee peoples, an Indigenous group from the Southern United States and the other is bi-racial, Muscogee and Black. This is a great start for very underrepresented communities and the fact that it is written for young readers makes it a prize winner in my eyes. There are so many great positive moments showing how cooperation, family and community come together to bring about change. It shows young people that they have a voice and should make it heard when they want to stand up for what they believe in because what is right is everything and always worth fighting for. This book is about problem solving, bravery, friendship, family and the importance of never letting anyone dim your light. This is a wonderful middle-grade graphic novel about family, activism, and raising one’s voice to make a difference. The Blue Stars series will motivate and empower readers to always be the stars that they are! I couldn’t put it down.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really sweet graphic novel about cousins who must live together with their grandmother and learn to get along. Riley has previously lived on an Indian reservation with her parents and a lot of extended family, but for undisclosed reasons they must move up north with her other side of the family grandma. They live there awhile when Maya joins them because her parents are both deployed. The girls haven't seen each other since they were 3 so there is definitely a learning curve to sharing a room etc. Riley is very into art and Maya is very into science and robotics. Riley really wants to be friend but Maya is much more introverted and feels out of place. They both run for 6th grade class president and they work together to expose their mean vice principal who is wanting to cut funding in order to make more detention. This was really cute and I loved watching them work out their differences to become friends. Can't wait for more in the series!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 1 of series
Riley and her parents leave their home with the Muscogee to move in with grandma in Urbanopolis. She is joined there by her cousin Maya whose parents are in the military and won't be able to take Maya with them on their next deployment. Riley and Maya will both be entering 6th grade and think that is all they have in common as one is very arts-y and one is very tech-y. However, a detention-happy vice principal gives the girls a common cause and helps them find a reason to unite and use their strengths to combat this terrible administrator.
Two beloved authors join forces to write the story of Maya and Riley in this new graphic novel series. They are joined by debut illustrator Murakami who has a style similar to Telgemeier, Miller, and Holms. Together they have created a book that upper elementary and middle school students will find thoroughly relatable and enjoyable.

[Deborah]

In this graphic novel, cousins Riley Halfmoon and Maya Dawn find themselves living with their grandma in Urbanopolis due to different circumstances in each of their families. The girls are quite different and at first face some challenges sharing a room as they settle in and unpack their items. At school, Riley joins the gymnastics team and Maya is the only member of the robotics club. The girls don't seem to have much in common and don't really connect until they learn thatVice Principal Balderdash plans to cut the budget for clubs and activities and increase the detention budget. Both Riley and Maya run for sixth grade president along with another student, Stef Cruz. Then the girls come up with a way to expose Balderdash's plan to the parents and the public. Riley and Maya learn the importance of standing up for what you believe in and working together to achieve a goal. (Ages 8-12)

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1 in a new graphic novel series by @keklamagoon @cynthialeitichsmith @mollymurakami
🔵
Riley Halfmoon sure is going to miss her Oklahoma Muscogee family as she travels with her mom to Urbanopolis. Introvert Maya Dawn is leaving her parents behind as they head off on active duty. Both girls end up under the same roof for the first time since they were three living with their grandma. At first they struggle to get along, but a common enemy in the form of the vice principal who is not looking out for students’ best interests has them joining forces to take him down.
⭐️
Okay this was adorable. From the story to the representation to artwork to the theme of using your voice—I was here for all of it! Make sure you have your students read the Author’s Note at the back and visit www.bluestarsseries.com to explore further. This MG book 1 releases March 5!

[Vanessa Kelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite this story taking place in middle school, this book seemed geared toward a younger audience. My fourth grade daughter liked it, but I can't see kids older than that enjoying it much. It felt like the story lacked substance. It was too quick, too short. Everything was oversimplified, exaggerated, and too easily rectified. Maya's skill set and abilities were definitely a bit over-the-top.

The message of using your voice and standing up for what you believe in is good. The illustrations were appealing. Family tension that is resolved is fine. But if the enemy was the vice principal, where was the principal in all this? Wouldn't the principal technically be the one to make decisions, not the vice principal?

Overall this book was ok for a quick, easy read, but I felt like it had potential and came up short.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: gaslighting, bullying

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cousins Maya and Riley, who are polar opposites from each other, have to work together to save their school clubs and library in the wake of school budget cuts.

This is a fun and engaging middle graphic novel with a diverse and relatable cast of characters. One of the things that makes this book stand out is the blend of STEM and activism themes that the authors utilize throughout the plot. It could almost be described as a superhero-type of graphic novel, but Maya and Riley rely on Maya's inventions and the advice of their grandmother to advocate for real change in their school.

I'm interested in seeing how the series develops further, especially as Maya and Riley learn to stick together in order to stand up for what they believe in.

[DocEdu · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book teaches students how to destroy school property, become a thief and defy authority. The main characters do not like their vice principal. So they cover the school security cameras with sticker stars and break into his office and hide a listening device on his desk. This is illegal. If this happened in a real school, the students would be suspended. Also, all the children (the characters in the book) are diverse. There are no White main characters. The only villain in the book is the vice principal- who is White with blue eyes. If the main characters and plot were reversed (white students disliking a Black vice principal), the book would not have been published. This book is a disgrace. It’s racist and teaches kids to NOT respect authority and that it’s fun and cool and ok to cover school security cameras and plant listening devices in authority’s offices.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle grade graphic novel. The character work is by far the best part. Both Riley and Maya are endearing and relatable characters, and their relationship believably grows from strangers to annoyed with each other to tight friends. But the plot is signifcantly weaker. The biggest issue is the mustache twirling villain, the patently unbelievable vice principal of the school. The actual principal doesn't seem to be at all involved in the school, as they never show up or are mentioned in any way. The VP's evil plan, to cut all extracurriculars to fund expanded dention, just doesn't make much sense, especially because it relies on absolutely no adults noticing what he's up to. Will the actual target audience care? Maybe not.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two cousins are moved from their homes to grandma's where they have to learn to live together and even share a room. Riley and Maya are very different. Riley talks a lot, is outgoing and into gymnastics where Maya is quite, likes to work alone and invent things. When their school programs are threatened by budget cuts they come together to find a way to keep the programs they love. They uncover strange happening by the vice principal but how to get people to believe them? They must break into his office of course. Bonding over their shared nemesis the two cousins go out of their comfort zone and break school rules....for the betterment of all students they tell themselves.

[Rachel Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable. Just absolutely adorable. I love the story focusing on the two cousins, Riley and Maya, who are reuniting after a long time spent apart—so long that they've developed their own personalities and interests that sometimes bristle against each other.

The art is so charming, and I just love how sweet and earnest the school and overall environment of the graphic novel is. I like how different the two cousins are, and how you can understand each side of what they're going through. And I especially love how cartoony evil the vice principal is. Like, it's just so fun! Loved every second of reading it.

[Ricki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't have been more excited by this author collaboration. Kekla Magoon and Cynthia Leitich Smith are two of the best authors writing today, and I was very eager to start the Blue Stars series. It lived up to my (very high) expectations! This is a series that will be very popular among kids. After I finished it, I gave it to my own three children, and they sat in the corner (or on the couch) and didn't get up until they'd read it cover to cover! I recommend getting your hands on this book, Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic Novel
Two sixth grade cousins have left their homes to move in with their grandmother. One left their reservation for mom's new job; one is there as her parents are now stationed in Japan. Both have swirls of emotions to work through. They figure out how to work together and connect as both cousins and friends.
I love the characters but the plot has several major holes. Could this happen? Sadly, yes. Are there safeguards in place to prevent this? Also, hopefully, yes. I do look forward to more in this series.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming story about family, friends and finding your voice to stand up for what you believe in.

Cousins Riley and Maya are on a mission to save their school's library, after school programs, clubs & sports from the evil vice principal who is bent on using the school budget to create more detention classrooms.

Loved the art style used for the graphics, very colorful and vibrant.

If the series continues in the vein of this 1st installment, I think it will be one that middle grade students will enjoy and want to keep reading.

#TLA2024 #CandlewickPress