The New Adventures of Moana 2: Born to Voyage

by Sloane Leong

The New Adventures of Moana 2 : Volume 1 contains 80 pages of stories that are perfect for readers aged from 8 to 12.

Friendship is an adventure! Following in the footsteps of her wayfinding ancestors, Moana now sails the ocean with her crew, Pua and Heihei, in search of new islands. Every voyage is an exciting adventure, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Sometimes, it’s hard for Moana to leave her family behind—especially her little sister, Simea. But with the help of her friends and family, Moana finds the strength to do her best each and every day!

Genres: Childrens

80 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2025

About the author

Sloane Leong is a mixed indigenous cartoonist, artist, and writer. She explores themes of survival, displacement, relationships, spirituality, identity, and mental illness through genres like science fiction, horror, adventure, and slice-of-life. She is currently working on the second arc of her sci-fi adventure comic Prism Stalker and has a new book coming up in 2020 from First Second called A Map to the Sun.

Current projects: A MAP TO THE SUN (First Second, 2020), PRISM STALKER VOL 2 (Image Comics, 2021)

Reviews

[Rian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge Moana fan, so I got very excited to read this. All my hype was worth it, because it was great.

I loved the illustrations, the style was very fun and cute. I think they did a good job of keeping the fun "Moana vibes" with this art style, and that is (in my opinion) very important.

The adventures themselves were also very fun and entertaining. I liked seeing more of the island and its characters than you do in the movies. And (this is a great thing), I think it's enjoyable for lots of different age groups. I really enjoyed it now at 25, but I also think I would have really liked it when I was younger (or older).

I definitely recommend this!


Disclaimer: I got this book as an ARC (thank you to the author, publisher, and all other parties involved!), and I'm leaving this review 100% voluntarily.

If you'd like to read about more books I liked, check out my Goodreads profile. I also sometimes post reviews on Instagram and talk about bookish stuff on Threads.

[Jessica Mather · Rating 4 out of 5]

The New Adventures of Moana 2: Volume 1 is a fun adventure with Moana and her friends as they go through life, challenges, and exploration after the events of Moana 2.
It was really funny to start with Hei Hei In Love, following the chicken and Pua the pig. And seeing the problem solving in the inventor story was really good. There was a difference in art style between story in the inventor story which threw me out of the story a wee bit. But overall this was a great read.
I highly recommend this for kids of age 8+ but really anyone can read it and enjoy it. It teaches patience and loyalty, and has some fun along the way.
Thank you to Netgalley and Papercutz for an ARC copy of this book. I appreciate it.

[Inga Hein Andree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Papercutz Publishing, and Sloane Leong for a chance to preview this title ahead of its publication.

Going into this, I did not realize that this was a comic book/graphic novel style book. I can honestly say that I would not have chosen this if I had known. As such, this book was difficult to read with my 7 yr old. We each took a part, but we had to describe what was going on (or at least try to). It was difficult and she was bored.

The stories were fine. Honestly, there were nothing great and very forgettable. I don't know if I just wasn't a good demographic but I did not care for this in the least.

[Lindsay McDella · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐️

I really enjoyed The New Adventures of Moana 2! I liked how the book had a variety of stories all put into one, giving a fresh take on Moana’s adventures. One of my favorite parts was the story featuring Loto – it was so cool to see her character age and follow her journey across different stages of her life. The illustrations were absolutely fantastic, and I loved reading it in a graphic novel format – it really brought the stories to life in a fun and engaging way.

Highly recommend for fans of Moana and anyone who loves stories that blend adventure, beautiful art, and character growth!

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌊 The New Adventures of Moana 2 Vol. 1: Born to Voyage by Sloane Leong is pure sunshine + saltwater! Moana, Pua, and Heihei are back, sailing to new islands, but Moana’s heart is pulled in two directions: adventure vs. her family ( 💔 ). Short stories packed with laughs, sweetness, and big feelings. Perfect for ages 3-12 and any kid who dreams of ocean breezes and brave voyages. My toddler absolutely enjoyed reading this with me⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Annie Brechbuhler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fun new graphic novel would be a great addition to a classroom or school library for children in 2nd-4th grade. Young readers will enjoy the pictures, and the stories are quick enough to encourage those who may struggle.

Thank you to Papercutz and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

[Elizabeth Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for Moana lovers! This graphic novel has some past and present stories. It includes
Characters that don't take center stage in the movies.
There are cute and creative stories from moana's past. The graphics are good and not always you standard "Disney " look.
Great read for young readers. Reading levels about 4th grade.

[Engel Dreizehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly Suggestable for Disney fans and fans of Moana in general. Even though I haven't seen the second Moana movie, I didn't feel lost at all and it was a fun short read. Hehe aww even Heihei finds "love" somewhere in here too!

[Bénédicte - Les Mots d'Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely little book for fans of Moana.
It has stories who are after the second movie and they are really cute ! It's nice to see again the characters, to follow others adventures.

It can be read by anyone at any age, it's really fitting for a child but an adult can also read it.

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Contains multiple stories featuring Moana and her island community following the events of the 2nd film.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.