The Cartoonists Club

by Raina Telgemeier, Scott McCloud, Ray Baehr (Inker)

#1 New York Times bestselling cartoonists Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud team up for a one-of-a-kind friendship story about creativity and self-expression that blends how-to and comics magic. Welcome to the club!

Makayla is bursting with ideas but doesn't know how to make them into a story. Howard loves to draw, but he struggles to come up with ideas and his dad thinks comics are a waste of time. Lynda constantly draws in her sketchbook but keeps focusing on what she feels are mistakes, and Art simply loves being creative and is excited to try something new. They come together to form The Cartoonists Club, where kids can learn about making comics and use their creativity and imagination for their own storytelling adventures!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Comics, Art, Fiction, Childrens, Realistic Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[Elizabeth P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt that this should have been a non-fiction how-to instead of a story. We didn't really get to know most of the characters (with the exception of Lynda). And the story felt very scattered to me with trying to add elements of how to make comics inside of a fictional story.
It would still be a good choice for kids interested in making comics but I can't personally rate it higher than 3 stars.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scott McCloud teams up with Raina Telgemeier to make the concepts of his landmark Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art more palatable for young readers by having a group of middle-schoolers form a school club to learn about and produce their own comic books.

A couple of the kids have some simplistic character arcs -- overcoming shyness and a disapproving parent -- but mostly it's a lot of chatting about comics, which I'm all for.

Side note: If, like me, your eye is caught by the shelf of graphic memoirs on page 139, I have made a Goodreads list.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific school-based graphic novel that is partly a story about a group of middle schoolers forming a cartoonist club and the other part, an instructive tool for teaching kids how to create zines, graphic novels, etc.

Makayla and Howard are friends who already exchange drawings and story ideas, much to the dismay of their algebra teacher who has become the main character in one of their budding stories. The duo heads to the library to flesh out their ideas where Ms. Fatima, the librarian, leads them to forming a club of like minded, story creators that includes Makayla, Howard, a shy and quiet Lynda and outgoing Art who just likes to create with a variety of media. As the four new friends begin to pool their thoughts and talents, mini-comics, one sheet brainstorming art and other illustrative works are generated, all guided into creation by Ms. Fatima with a few important tidbits added in by Art’s father. Ms Fatima’s instructions are simple, but detailed enough that readers who would like to hone their story-telling and illustrating skills will find them very helpful.

Text is free of profanity, sexual content and violence. Representation: Makayla is Black and seems to live in a traditional household with two parents and several siblings; Howard has dark skin and hair but ethnic background is indeterminate and he may live with a single dad; Lynda is also a darker skin tone and her father has passed away; Art is Caucasian, may live with a single dad and uses they/them pronouns.

Thanks for the print arc, Scholastic Graphix.

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains a sweet story of four creative kids coming together to support, inspire, and learn from each other and along side each other about comics. It's also a bit of a how-to guide answering tons of beginner questions about how comics work and how to make them, from brainstorming to paneling choices to print format to selling at a small zine fest. It's a wonderful combination of the talents and decades of experience of Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud and I hope every library and middle school classroom in the country will stock this as a resource for our next generation of cartoonists!

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know so many, SO MANY, kids who anxiously await Raina Telgemeier's upcoming book. I know I have. So when I got an ARC while attending ALSC Institute, I had to read it. While it didn't have full color panels (which is a thing I didn't know occurred in ARCs), I can already tell it's going to be enjoyed.

Because it is a love letter to comics. A group of kids meeting in their school library and forming a cartoonist club and the learn the art of comics, graphic novels, creation, etc. Raina working with Scott McCloud is a work of sheer genius (I read McCloud's books in graduate school and appreciate his mastercraft). I think and know kids will too!

[swiftie 💗💗🤭💅 jinu wife!!:) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to bring back some nostalgia from my childhood but reading the new book of the girl that wrote smile and sister but this book didn’t do it for me me I was just bored:/

[AquaMoon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been waiting since before the pandemic for Raina Telgemeier to crank out a new book, so I was positively geeked when this was announced a few months back and even more so when it was finally finally in my hands.

Sure, I'd been burned by hard, cold reality failing to meet my bookish anticipation. But this was Raina Telgmeier we were talking about. Author of Smile and Drama and, my personal fav, Ghosts. How could this one not be amazing?

Well...

First, I'll say the artwork was typical Telgemeier brand cute. And concept sounded adorable and fun. But that's where the good stuff ended for me. Unfortunately this book failed to capture the natural charm possessed by the author's other books. And, in fact, seemed like it was trying way too hard to do so (perhaps this was the problem). Characters seemed flat, dialogue forced, and the plot, for the most part, dragged. Even the moments that were supposed to be heartwarming and emotional failed to hit the feels. The book as a whole felt...uninspired. Unmemorable.

Just being honest.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comic book about comic books by @goraina @_scott_mccloud
💥
Makayla loves all the ideas she comes up with in class, but can’t get them all on paper for a story. Howard is a talented artist with no ideas. Together the two decide to team up and make their own comic book and while talking about it in the library, the librarian helps them for The Cartoonists Club. While recruiting members, they pull shy Lynda into the group because she’s always huddled over sketchbook. Art joins because he loves learning new skills and hobbies. Through the club they learn lots of different art styles and ways to make a comic book of their own and end up getting a booth at a comic festival to sell their creations.
💥
This is an inclusive book that will be a hit with budding artists and graphic novel enthusiasts. It blends a fictional story of middle school kids with nonfiction tips and tricks for creating visual artwork through the medium of comics. This @graphixbooks releases April 1!

CW: parental illness/death

3.5 ⭐️

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of a 3.5 for me. I didn’t realize that it didn’t have a lot in the way of plot. It’s more of a comic about making comics, which is interesting. If kids want to make comics or learn about art, this would be a good choice.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so wonderful! Not only is it a heartwarming story about friendship but it offers a how-to for making your own comics and graphic novels that is targeted at middle-grade readers.

Thanks to Scholastic who kindly sent me an ARC.

[Urmika V · Rating 1 out of 5]

The heavy handed DEI pandering was UNBEARABLE. Why are two middle aged white authors throwing in every race, religion and sexuality in one book? It was too much and not well done. These two can join Rick Riordan and Marvel when it comes to overdoing it 🙄

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an excellent idea for a book. I love that Scott McCloud, who I grew up reading, and loving, teamed up with Raina Telgemeier to create a book about making comics for the middle grade set.

While Scott McClouds books are about making comic books, this graphic novel is much more accessible, and goves over all the things one should know if you are going to be writing comic books, or doing zines, or whatever kind of story you want to tell.

The basic story is the kids form the club so they can talk about and make comic books, and each has their own experience they want to put into it.

It is such a joy to read, and I’m hoping there are a lot of kids who get their hands on this book and form their own cartoonist clubs. What a great story and gread resource for the budding artists and story tellers out there.

This book is out in the world, and you can get it at all booksellers.

[Cosette · Rating 4 out of 5]

HUGE shout out to my school's PTA for getting a couple copies of this book for each classroom! I just read it to see what grade level it's aimed at and loved it. It's a fun story and provides a lot to learn about cartooning. also love the inclusive art!! pronoun pins, lots of different people and abilities represented. it was great.

[Catherine veut lire trop de livres · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mes attentes étaient malheureusement beaucoup trop teintées des derniers titres de Raina Telgemeier. Où je pensais trouver une histoire a la fois drôle et touchante, j’ai participé à l’émancipation artistique de jeunes personnages découvrant les rouages de la bandes dessinées. Hybride entre fiction et récit informatif, Le Club des bédéistes n’est pas sans intérêt mais il manque un peu la magie des anciens titres de l’artiste!

[Kennedy Elder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the story. But this book gets a little weird when they go in and out of panels

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so appreciate this book as a younger version of McCloud’s groundbreaking Understanding Comics. This will be a book I hold up when parents ask why they should let their kids read graphic novels. I wasn’t sure if the kid appeal would be as strong as Telgemeier’s other books given the instructional nature of the story, but so far, it has flown off the shelf at my library.

[Tanya Gold · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy little story about a group of kids learning how to create comics together with lots of how-to snuck in.

I highly recommend this for kids interested in creating comics who aren't quite ready for Scott McCloud's other books, Understanding Comics and Making Comics.

(CW: One character is coping with the death of a parent.)

[Emma Kagan]

Recommended to me by a 2nd grade student. I can already tell it will be a popular book in our library this year!

[Grg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the comics that the kids made. My favorite was "Dinosaur Dance Party" !

[GlitterWater79 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew this book by two legends — Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud — would be great, but it was so much more than great, it was superb. I loved all the characters and the story, but I especially loved the surprise of this book being a unique ‘how to’ for readers looking to make comics, graphic novels, manga, etc. I can totally see a teacher assigning this in a class and then having students work together to make their own individual and collaborative work. Everything they would need to know is here and a whole lot of encouragement too. I especially liked the resources at the end that tell folx how to crate their own comics club. This was very inspiring as an educator and aspiring graphic memoirist/novelist.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Scholastic for giving me an ARC at the NCTE conference in Boston.

Not only is this a typical Telgemeier friendship story, it’s also another strong McCloud teaching tool. I loved the kids in the club, the amazing librarian who helps these kids find each other and their voices, and the various parents who appear throughout the story. It’s a seamless combination of story and textbook for making comics. My students are going to love this.

[Teragram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like if I’d read this book as a kid, I’d have tried a lot harder to become a cartoonist. I love Reina Telgemeier bringing Scott McCloud to a young audience. This book really is Understanding Comics for kids, and I think the right kids will really appreciate it. It does a great job encouraging readers to try out making comics on their own, through a framing story of four kids who start a comics club at their school under the advisement of the school librarian. They all have ideas of what they want to do, and the librarian teaches them, chapter by chapter, everything from how to make their own one-sheet zine to the building blocks of sequential art theory. It’s a brilliant book and I hope Telgemeier’s popularity helps it find its audience. It would also be a great book to use for a class unit or library program about comics, since the lessons are something kids can follow along with and try out on their own!

[Katie Reilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t wait for this book to be in readers’ hands! This book - a love letter to comics - is an inspiring celebration of cartooning, drawing, and the art of creation. It’s a heartwarming story about friendship that blends a narrative story with the how-to of comic creation. The “Magic of Comics” topics such as paneling, character body language, the power of words, and framing small moments are presented to readers with examples right from the narrative storyline.

Incredible back matter includes an interview with the authors, a glossary of comic terms, a description of the main characters, an explanation of comic jobs, and a blurb of how the book was made.

Favorite lines:
So making comics is like a partnership of imagination?
That’s right!
It takes imagination to make them…
And imagination to read them!

Pre-order now! Pubs 4/1/25.

[Cristina Di Matteo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un fumetto middle-grade che mescola storia e guida pratica: quattro ragazzi con passioni e difficoltà diverse si uniscono per formare un club dopo scuola dedicato al mondo dei fumetti. Oltre al racconto di amicizia, confronto con sé stessi e creatività, il libro offre consigli concreti su tecniche, layout, emozioni visive — un manuale narrato, non solo spiegato. Inclusivo e colorato, riuscito nel bilanciare istruzione e cuore.

[Valerie Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

"there's something new in the world because of you"

this was so very cute and charming with a lot of really great lessons and resources on how to make graphic novels of all types! The plot is very minimal and the characters are kinda flat since it focuses more on the teachings, but it was still got to my little creative heart

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a lesson (poorly) hidden in a story. Mostly it was a book-length explanation of the "author's note" found in the back of many graphic novels. Very meta.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is going to inspire so many kids to become cartoonists/graphic novel authors, and I love that.

Honestly, this makes me want to start a cartoonists club at my library!

[Melissa Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

G loves Raina Telgemeier's books and has read ALL of them (we also own allCat Kid Comic Club of them), plus she has read the Cat Kid Comic Club books dozens of times. So I pre-ordered this one but she didn't get around to reading it until this week. She asked me lots of questions while she was reading ("do people have symmetrical faces?") and shared Lynda's comic (oh, mommy, this is so sad!). When she finished it she sat it on my desk.

There's always a stack of her books left in my office everyday, but they're usually contained to the daybed where she sits after school (or theatre camp because SUMMER!) to have a snack, do her reading, and snuggle the pets. So to have her sit one on my desk is not normal, so I inquired.

"Mommy, I think you'll like this one, you should read it."

So I did.

Reader, I cried. It is bonkers how well my kid knows me. This book features a librarian and kids following their dreams, learning to make mistakes ,and people supporting them (even when they think they might not have the support of their adult). Art's room was full of SO MANY HOBBIES and his parents just let him fail over and over again and Art kept trying and learning. Plus I learned so much about creating comics — I could've used this primer when reading Kavalier & Clay decades ago (obviously I didn't know about Understanding Comics in the early 2000s, in fact, I just learned about it at the end of this book).

There's a list of memoirs ("do you think they really remember everything they put in their memoirs? do you think it's all true and it really happened?") that G was so excited to see, she called out all of the books that she's read and I'm sure she'll be looking for the one's she hasn't read (comic memoirs tend to be the books she reads over and over again like Four Eyes, The Tryout, Real Friends, and, of course, Smile). Another reader created this handy list of the titles included.

[D.T.]

This is more edutainment than a story, and there’s a hard shift into breaking the 4th wall about 3/4s in. While I still haven’t been able to create a zine to this day (idk what it is about the folding technique that I keep messing up), the comic-making tips and explanations are great for new cartoonists.

I learned something new too, grawlixes and plewds. I've seen and used these myself but never knew they had a formal name.

Reading the behind the scenes is essential. After reading the authors’ intent, how the story was portrayed made better sense, but I still thought it was better-suited for non-fiction. spoiler"it’s a children’s version of Understanding Comics, basically.

[isa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much to say about this super simple and yet fantastic book! In the afterword Raina Telgemeier describes wanting to create something like McCloud's Understanding Comics for kids and they absolutely nailed it. It's fun, readable, easy to understand without dumbing down any concepts. The characters are all interesting and their different relationships/approaches to art make them feel fully realized. The balance of story to exploration of technical elements is also super well done. All in all a great work - and exciting to see two masters of their crafts working together