Diary of a Nature Nerd: A Graphic Novel

by Tiffany Everett

Lace up your boots and join Brooke on the trail for this irresistible story about best friends, blended families, and big goals. Perfect for fans of PAWS and Katie the Catsitter!

Brooke's always out on the trail, living a life full of adventure and documenting her wilderness findings in her nature diary. But Brooke is in for the biggest adventure of her her BFF, Jayla, is now her new stepsister! Brooke finally has someone to join her on the trail, and, together, they just might spot the one thing Brooke's been aching to see most -- a moose! Brooke and her blended family are settling into their new life nicely, but when Jayla announces that she and her dad spotted a moose on the trail while Brooke was back at camp, life in the family RV suddenly starts to feel crowded.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nature, Middle Grade, Animals, Juvenile, Comics, Realistic Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2025

Reviews

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic novel for kids about a blended family on a camping trip in the Cascade Mountains. I liked the animal facts. Disliked that Brooke, who is initially excited about having her best friend/new stepsister Jayla along, spends most of the book being mean to her. (She does eventually apologize.)

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute middle grade full color graphic novel! The illustrations were really interesting with some standard graphic novel style pages and some journal entry style pages. Excellent for any reader, especially reluctant ones and nature lovers!

Themes of friendship, jealousy, blended families, nature + conservation, consequences.

[Aria Crouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book, I love how it gives you real animal facts.

[Gabriel]

Thank you so much to Scholastic for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Diary of a Nature Nerd is both charming and informative for readers both young and old! Tiffany Everett takes readers on a beautifully illustrated adventure, allowing young readers to not only learn incredible facts about animals in the wild, but also learn about nature, and being the best sister you can be. This was such a delightful read with stunning illustrations that left me eager for more of Tiffany's art! This is the perfect book for the adventurous and nature-loving reader in your life, or even for anyone who wants a joyful, short and sweet, coming of age middle grade graphic novel!

[Liv]

absolutely adorable. i am so excited for this book to be in the world 🥹

[Lost in Book Land · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello!

As the year is in its final weeks, I am still reading so many books (most of these are going to be pushed to 2026 reviews). I was looking for my next new read after that last DNF when I decided maybe a good graphic novel could be the next thing I want to read. I looked over my Hoopla and my shelves before settling on this graphic novel ARC (thank you so much for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions). I grabbed my copy from the shelf, went to my cozy reading spot, and dove in!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Brooke lives an unconventional life, but she loves it! She and her mom live in an RV and go to many places for her mother’s work. Her mother needs to be at various nature sites or in the woods, and Brooke takes full advantage by going on hikes, keeping an animal/nature journal, and just enjoying the outdoors. But now her mom is married to one of her best friend’s dads, so now she has a sister. They are all going to live in the RV together as her new step-dad has a very similar job to her mom. While this is a big adjustment, Brooke is excited to get to live with her friend and go on tons of nature adventures.

I absolutely loved this graphic novel. The nature aspect, alongside the journal and the goal of getting to see Brooke’s favorite animal in real life, was not only a huge hook for me to the story but also brought a different element to the story. I loved all the illustrations and how the nature journal was represented in the graphic novel. I highly recommend checking this graphic novel out! It’s on shelves now!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

***Thank you so much to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 4 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Brooke is happy when her mother, Wendy, marries Terrance, because he is her best friend Jayla's father! Now, the four get to travel around in an RV, visiting national parks while the parents do conservation research. Brooke is very interested in nature, and keeps a very detailed journal of all of the animals she encounters. She has an extensive bucket list, but has yet to see a moose! For her birthday, she is given an infrared trail camera, and when she and Jayla set it up, they see some really interesting activity, including a fox and a baby owl. When Jayla sees a moose swimming in the river, Brooke is a little jealous of her new sister, but the two make up quickly. They also go off the trails to look for animals, which doesn't end well, and they learn a lesson about observing safety protocols.

This was a very fun graphic novel, and I loved the illustration style. There are a lot of pages that show the inside of the RV that made me a little nostalgic for the travel trailer my parents had when I was young. There's lots of information about plants and animals, and good tips about best practices in nature. This was a lot more upbeat than most graphic novels, so I will purchase a copy, and definitely would recommend this for an elementary library.

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love love this graphic novel about a girl living in an RV with her scientist mother, traveling around the country to National Parks (a scenario near and dear to my heart, as I did just this with my 10 year old in a camper van for 10 months!). Absolutely gorgeous illustrations, jam-packed with incredible facts about National Park wildlife and park safety, a sprinkle of the challenges of life in an RV, and a lot of relatable content about blended families and negotiating relationships with a new step-sibling...exponentially more stressful in the close confines of an RV!

Highly recommended for elementary library collections...will appeal to kids who love animals as well as kids who enjoy relatable family/friend drama.

This one is set in North Cascades National Park...I'm eagerly hoping that this will become a series, one National Park to another!

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brooke is so excited about the change in her life. Now that her mother has married Terrence, her best friend Jayla is now her sister! She has a build in nature buddy to go with her on hikes and animal spotting expeditions. Brooke has a wish list of animals she would like to spot--and number one on that list is a moose. When she decides to stay behind and Terrence and Jayla go out hiking--and spot a moose--Brooke's jealousy gets the better of her. Will she make a stupid mistake that she can't come back from out of jealousy? Will she ruin her friendship with Jayla? I really liked this one. Great art and great information.

[Wina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for this contemporary graphic novel for ages 8-12. The art was really great, I loved the nature journal, the camper, describing things/labeling things/mapping things (or diagrams). I don't like camping, but I really wanted to be there--because everything was planned, packed, someone else cooked the meals, and it was so cool. The problem with not noticing the wonderful things around you while you're obsessing over one thing was beautifully communicated without saying so in words, and the protagonist's problem with jealousy was upsetting--but rightly so. She comes around and feels really bad. Great characters, some humor, and lots to learn. So cozy and enjoyable!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diary of a Nature Nerd is a chapter-book-level graphic novel with a focus on family and nature. The art style is clear and cute. The plot is likely to feel rather predictable to older readers, but elementary-age kids who are interested in camping will enjoy it. Many of Brooke's notebook pages are shown, mixed with the comic-style pages--this could work as an introduction to mixed-format storytelling for readers who aren't quite ready for the length/complexity of the Ellie McDoodle or Jedi Academy books.

[Mrs.MakesReadingFun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVE it!!!!
My nature loving daughter absolutely devoured this one.

We love:
All the awesome nature facts!
The cool illustrations of what’s inside her backpack & her natural journal.
The kid-friendly story about her, her best friend turned sister, and their nature exploring!
The life lessons about nature safety, jealousy, friendship, and more.
Absolutely love! Will be getting an extra copy for our library

[Grace Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brooke is an enthusiastic nature explorer, who travels with her mom (a researcher). She is so excited that her mom married her best friend's dad and her best friend gets to come with them. She really wants to see a moose. Throughout the book are "handmade" illustrations that Brooke makes in her journal.
I can imagine many of my students being very engaged in the story and wanting to learn more about the animals talked about. This book is a lot of fun!

[Liz Drummond · Rating 4 out of 5]

BEST nominee: The art was stunning and I loved the nature diary aspect of it. My kid self would have loved this (it reminds me of Amelia’s Journal for the 90s kids). However, I felt like the story was a little basic and it was more about the nature facts. I think kids will enjoy it and get something emotional out of it too; it just lacked some of the emotional depth of some of the other books on the list.

[Ellon · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars (I loved it)

This was so cute! It will appear to students who are all into the "Diary of a ____" type books. It incorporates nature facts seamlessly. It has age-appropriate conflicts. And the "bad behavior" of the main character (going off on their own, ignoring safety lessons) is addressed in a way that keep readers from wanting to copy her actions. Highly recommend!

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brooke's always out on the trail, living a life full of adventure and documenting her wilderness findings in her nature diary. But Brooke is in for the biggest adventure of her life: her BFF, Jayla, is now her new stepsister!

[aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the most recent read with Fiona and it was cute. It follows a couple of girls who are nature fans and there are some big feelings that come out during the adventure. Cute read, would be great for most young readers.

[Angela Messaglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SO cute! Perfect for kids that are just getting into graphic novels/chapter books. (The MC is 9-years old.) I loved all the nature facts.

Will definitely be recommending during our Summer Reading program this year, since our theme is "Plant a Seed, Read."

[Katie L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is on my school district’s reading list for elementary schools. It is recommended for Grades 4-5 but I could TOTALLY see a Kinder or 1st grade class reading this together and then making their own nature diary 🥰 Super fast read for me, great illustrations, good messages!!

[Karine Hamel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a charming little story! I really loved the way it brought us into nature, searching for animals, while also giving us a glimpse of life in a camping trailer. The illustrations are absolutely adorable too! It was such a lovely read.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE the artwork. Such a fun & educational book with good lessons about jealousy, attitudes, apologies & friendship. Read it to my 5 year old and she says there are too many "verys" to describe how good this book is that it would take her whole life to say it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adorable, enthusiastic book.

[Christy Missad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute fun new graphic novel! My 9 year old loves it. It’s unique and fun.

[L!brary G!rl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the journaling piece to this. It was so sweet, my students will love it.

[Elaine Fultz, kinda retired librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing earth shattering but good green focus.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for budding nature enthusiasts, especially those who are into animals.

[D.T. Henderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an edutainment that's heavy on the education and thin on the story, but kids will like the cute illustrations and animal facts.

[Morgan Joyner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, simple story. Very Hilda-esque.

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this one, and so did my three year old son. I liked the nature aspects of it as well as the storyline.