Kindred Dragons: A Graphic Novel

Kindred Dragons #1

by Sarah Mensinga

Anne of Green Gables meets How to Train Your Dragon in Kindred Dragons, a middle-grade graphic novel about a brave young girl and the dragon whose life depends on her

Alice has been unhappy ever since her parents sent her to Prince Edward Island to live with her strict grandmother. Alice is fanciful, prone to telling tall tales, and absolutely obsessed with dragons! Fairies deliver dragon eggs to a select few, known as Kindreds, but no egg has ever arrived for Alice.

While wandering the woods alone she finds and secretly befriends a mysterious, old dragon named Brim. Alice is excited to finally have a dragon friend of her own, but there’s something strange about him—he doesn’t have a Kindred. When Brim suddenly falls ill, Alice sets out on a desperate quest to save him.

As Alice searches for a cure, she discovers that her connection to dragons is unlike that of any Kindred—but will her new power be enough to save her friend?This heartfelt story of friendship, family, and learning to love who you are is perfect for readers who loved Snapdragon, Witch Boy, and the City of Dragons series.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Dragons, Comics, Cozy, Childrens

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 14, 2025

About the author

Sarah Mensinga is currently working on the Kindred Dragons graphic novel series. She's also illustrated several picture books, including Heather Avis’s Different: A Great Thing to Be, a New York Times bestseller. In the past, she’s contributed stories to various comic anthologies, including Flight 4 and Flight 5, and worked on animated projects such as The Ant Bully, Escape from Planet Earth, and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron. Sarah grew up in Canada and now lives in Texas with her husband, three kids, and two cats.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You'll be punished for fibbing."
"Being here is already a punishment."

Alice (aka Anne) lives with her Grandmother while her parents tour the world, performing for joyous crowds. The one bright spot in Alice's life is that she's old enough to get her dragon egg...hopefully.

Dear Lord,
Please ask the fairies to bring me a dragon egg. I know I'm meant to be a kindred - I feel it in the deepest depths of my SOUL.

Kindreds are soul-bonded with dragons. One morning they wake up and have a little dragon egg to care for and spend the rest of their lives with their dragons. Alice so desperately wants to be one, even though it doesn't run in her family and everyone around her tells her to be more realistic.

And then Susanna (Diana) gets a dragon egg - Alice cheers for her, even though she feels her heart breaking.

One day, Alice, Susanna and a couple of other kindreds are walking through the forest when they hear a terrible noise.

"RUN! It's Brimstone!"
"Who's Brimstone?"
"He's the mean dragon who guards the forest."

And then, Brimstone is RIGHT THERE and Alice looks him in the eye, and sees him for how he truly is. She knows he needs help, and she will be the one to give it to him.

"Hope Alice wasn't too much trouble, Ma."
"Oh she was. But it turns out, I don't mind a little trouble."

You know me. I'm a complete sucker for anything tangentially related to Anne of Green Gables.

So, of course, I adored this kindred dragon version.

THOUGH, I will be a bit of a stickler here and say you can change a lot of things but not the red hair. It's too iconic.

The whole renaming thing was touch and go for me too. I get that this is a retelling and while Diana to Susanna felt okay in my soul, Anne to Alice didn't.

That being said, this version of Anne of Green Gables was beautifully done. The art was so lovely to look at - and truly brought life to the story. My favorite pages were the ones without words - the gestures, expressions...oh, they got to me.

The plot was pretty darn good as well. Anne desperately wanting to be a part of a world that she could not join...and the way she found her place regardless. It was charming and sweet and got me to tear up at least twice.

A wonderfully done version of Anne of Green Gables!

[Maeghan 🦋 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25✨

I cried my heart out

[Danika at The Lesbrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know I needed Anne of Green Gables meets How to Train Your Dragon, but it turns out I really did! I am crying over middle grade fantasy graphic novels again.

[Steff Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world of Kindred Dragons is a wildly fascinating one. All at once readers are thrown into a magical realm in which dragons exist, bonded to specific “kindred” people, eggs just appearing in a basket overnight for the chosen ones. But dragons in this world, living connected to their person, have created a litany of problems for the non-kindred living there. We’re introduced rather quickly to a young girl, Alice, who is desperately waiting to be chosen as a kindred and receive her dragon egg despite sharing no blood with a kindred relative. Her grandmother, who’d adopted her father—a non kindred—for the sole purpose of allowing the kindred line to end with her, has her own dragon which therefore makes this desire of Alice’s even stronger and the subsequent disappointment when she continually does not find an egg in her basket even stronger.

At this same time, an old and sickly dragon grumpily wanders about the wood and its outskirts, his kindred having been somewhat ousted from public society as she now lives deep within the forest. As Alice faces disappointing morning after disappointing morning, watching her friends be chosen, she suddenly finds herself in the position of needing to help this old dragon as he desperately reaches out to her for help, causing problems with the people of the town.

Now Alice, unlike the kindreds, is unable to communicate with any dragons—but in her eager desperation to help the old dragon, Brim, she suddenly develops the ability to receive his thought images and soon learns that his kindred was ill and left to get help, but has not returned. Thus begins a rather beautiful journey of Alice helping Brim, eventually saying goodbye, and finally realizing her calling.

You see, the dragons whose kindred are elderly, sick, and dying have been considered dangerous and are put in chains by the people who do not know how to communicate with or handle them. It’s a sad depiction, one that leaves readers feeling intensely almost immediately for each of the dragons experiencing this. And while Alice may never find a dragon egg of her own in the basket she leaves by her bed, with her newfound abilities, there is something meaningful and dragon-related that she can do.

I loved this story. So. Much. Sarah Mensinga’s Kindred Dragons is such a beautiful tale with the most amazing characters, an exceptional plot, and a fantastic message. The artwork is excellent throughout and I’m so excited to read more as this seems to be only the first in a series. I truly cannot wait to see where it goes next.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Malli (Chapter Malliumpkin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC was given by NetGalley & Quill & ABRAMS Kids/Abrams Fanfare.


Content/Trigger Warnings: Bullying, on page death, abandonment


I won't lie, I have some serious mixed feelings on this graphic novel. Don't get me wrong, I love the dragons and they were probably my favorite part, but sadly I felt there were wasn't enough focus on them and they deserved a lot more. I also liked how we do see a bit of a redemption between the main character and her friends. I feel like that is the only relations in this comic that got redeemed. With these few good things being said, I had a lot of issues with this graphic novel. My biggest issue with this graphic novel is the fact that any form of hope or even whimsy felt completely removed from this story. For this being a graphic novel targeted toward a middle grade audience, this felt bleak in many ways and the ending itself didn't do enough to turn the overall vibe of the graphic novel. The other issue I had was how the relationship between the grandmother and the main character felt horrible and there was no real resolution to how terribly the grandmother treated the mc. Honestly, I despised the grandmother because her treatment to not only the mc, but to her own daughter and the way she would speak about her son, I was over it. There wasn't a single conversation or moment where the grandmother could be a redeemable character. Overall, I wanted to love this and I had a lot of high hopes with graphic novel. However, I felt there were more disappointments than there were things that I loved. If this is part of a series, I hope in the next volume we see a turn in the overall tone and vibe because this one felt more hopeless than it needed, should have been.


All thoughts, feelings, experiences, and opinions are honest and my own.


Instagram|Ko-fi|Throne

[Adam Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review changed. Being submitted by someone else, so here are my thoughts!

STARRED Review:
Ages 10 and Up - Dragons have always been a source of wonder and excitement. Majestic creatures who fly, breathe fire, and in many stories, make bonds with people. In this story, our heroine Alice has yet to receive a dragon egg from fairies, but is extremely knowledgeable about them and strongly desires to be bonded kindred. When a friend receives her egg, Alice becomes ostracized from her and in seeking the refuge of the forest, finds a lone dragon named Brimstone, who seems to be missing his bonded human. What happens when kindred become separated? Author Sarah Mensinga brings the first book in a new series that pulls ideas from classics like Anne of Green Gables and meshes them with modern stories like How to Train Your Dragon to create a world where dragons are the helpers we all wish they could be.
VERDICT Kindred Dragons will draw readers of all ages with its determined heroine and whimsical premise. Middle grade dragon lovers will appreciate this tale of drama and hope.

[MikaReadsFantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The middle-grade graphic novel “Kindred Dragons (Book 1)” by Sarah Mensinga follows Alice who is obsessed with dragons. While she is waiting to see if she will ever get a dragon's egg from the fairies, she finds an abandoned giant dragon in the woods and starts on a journey to help him find his Kindred.

The graphic novel describes itself as “Anne of Green Gables meets How to Train Your Dragon” and I think this description is spot on! The story is engaging and heartwarming. I really loved Brimstone the giant dragon as a character and really felt for him. Supported by the wonderful illustration style I had a good time reading.

In my opinion it sadly was a great deal more “Anne of Green Gables” than “How to Train Your Dragon”. The familial conflicts had too much room for my taste and I would have liked to have a greater focus on the dragons. If you are a fan of the classic however this will be perfect for you!

Overall this was a solid read with great illustrations and heart.

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher ABRAMS Kids | Abrams Fanfare for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kailyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did! An absolute must-read for fans of Anne of Green Gables, dragons, and cozy fantasy. Full of heart and really beautiful art.

[Sarah]

My heart! Like they say, Anne of Green Gables but with dragons + a beautiful dose of chosen family love

[Hannah Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was soooo cute and I loved it more than I thought I would! Anne of Green Gables inspired-dragon graphic novel. I thought the world-building here was so cool. Such a sweet little story! Need to be a kindred.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely more "Anne of Green Gables" than "How to Train Your Dragon," but I really liked the art style and the growth in characters from beginning to end.

[Ani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the premise, and the mix of real world and fantasy!

I felt like I related to Alice a lot... especially in her passion for dragons and being left out, once her best friend got a dragon!

I really wanted Alice to get her own dragon, or become kindred with Brim once Edith died, but I do really love that she became a foster parent for the abandoned dragons!

I did not like her grandma, however. I felt like she was too stubborn in holding a grudge against Edith for something she did when she was a teenager, and had basically no ability to see Edith's point of view until after Edith died and Alice helped her.

I do think that Alice was too easy in forgiving her Grandma for how she treated her, and I would have liked to see Alice get her own dragon, but I really enjoyed this and I'm excited to read the full color version when it comes out!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set on Prince Edward Island in the early 1900s, this story was inspired by Anne of Green Gables but is not a retelling.

In this world, fairies bring adolescent girls dragon eggs to raise into dragons who will be their life long companions. Their lives are literally tied to the dragons' lives and if one dies, the other does as well. Alice is obsessed with dragons! She can't wait for the fairies to bring HER egg. She KNOWS she was meant to be a "Kindred" "right down to the deepest depths of her SOUL" I the meantime, she reads all she can about dragons. When the fairies don't bring an egg to Alice but to her friend, Susanna, and something nearly "tragical" happens, Alice is shunned by the other girls at school. When Alice meets an elderly dragon, Brim, who is missing his Kindred, she befriends him and when Brim becomes ill and shows up at Alice's school, the adults go on a witch hunt. Brim's Kindred is an elderly, opinionated lady everyone avoids because she's believed to be a witch. In order to help Brim, Alice has to be brave, ask for help and follow her heart.

The story kept me engaged. It's a little simplistic especially in the world building but it's enough for young readers. In this world, adolescent girls hope the fairies bring them a dragon egg to raise. When their dragon hatches and the girl finishes at the one room school house, she goes on to the dragon glider academy to learn to train her dragon to fly. Kindreds run strong in families yet there are strict rules. No dragons in cities, fines for getting married, fines for having children (clearly though enough women are willing to pay the fines! Only Grandma was not.) and a Kindred's life is tied to the dragon's and if the dragon dies, the Kindred dies too. The outcome was predictable but not. The end is pretty emotional and I really felt Alice's emotions. An epilogue is nice and introduces kids to a concept they may not be familiar with or they might be but DRAGONS?! I'm sure my niece and nephew would say "Woah! That would be so cool!" I would have liked a little more of an obvious connection to Anne and PEI though.

Like Anne, Alice is a lonely, imaginative child who lives with her stern grandmother on a farm on PEI. Her speech patterns and thoughts and feelings are very much Anne's. There's a bit of a disconnect there though because she doesn't have red hair. She has freckles and green eyes and seems to dye her hair blue but that also appears to be common in her world. Anne is a very sweet character. I relate a lot to her. I love dogs nearly as much as she loves dragons! She doesn't really mind her friends shunning her or getting into trouble at school for borrowing books from the Kindred library because she's made a new friend and is determined to help him no matter what. Yes! Alice's parents are alive and well, unlike Anne's, but they're traveling actors and can't keep her with them. Alice hopes if she becomes a Kindred, her parents will come and live with her on the farm and stay there. She misses them a lot and longs for a permanent home that includes her parents. Grandma is AWFUL! She's not Marilla, she's Maud's stern, unloving grandparents who raised a shy, imaginative child who longed for her Papa to return home to her. This grandma belittles her own adopted son who is a dreamer. Alice's parents are actors and Grandma disapproves of their profession, referring to it as "lying for a living." She even threatens to kick Alice out when she believes Alice is lying, which she's not (the amethyst broach scene). There's also an aunt who seems to live there too. She's nice enough and tries to support Alice's dreams even though she's not a Kindred herself. (Grandma adopted all her children so there are no Kindreds in the family.) Grandma was even a horrible friend to another Kindred girl when they were young adults and hasn't spoken to her friend sense. She makes the thing all about HER and HER family which is very selfish. Not "How could you cheat it was against the rules/how could you cheat? It's dishonest!" Not even a why did you do this. She's worse than Marilla with Gilbert's father. Alice is far more sympathetic when she hears the story. SHE understands why her grandmother's former friend did what she did.

Alice's friends are kind of awful too. One unnamed girl in particular is the ring leader. I liked Susanna, she's apparently a little slow or unmotivated to prepare for her egg from Grandma's perspective. Susanna is not as confident as Alice. She looks younger, too and follows the ringleader who might be a little older. The older girls shun Alice because she's not a Kindred but Susanna is kind and understanding. She comes from a long line of Kindreds even if marriage and family is against the rules. Another character, Brim's Kindred, is an elderly, opinionated lady everyone avoids because she's believed to be a witch. OF COURSE! She sounds like she was an interesting woman in her day and now she is elderly and experiencing memory loss and dying.

The illustrations are nice but I'm not getting PEI. I'm just getting farm, woods, seaside and general old timey farming community. Where's the red roads, the cliffs overlooking the ocean? The lighthouses? The author/artist traveled to PEI to do research!

My nephew turned his nose up at reading this. My niece would have loved it but she, too, turned her nose up and decided no she would not read it and would not have read it... but the kid she babysits for probably would like it! I'm going to recommend it to a friend for their granddaughter but warn her there is some peril Alice's friend falls chasing after Alice and her egg cracks. Alice feels anguish and guilt. The girl ends up just fine. The doctor is able to seal the crack in the egg so the girl survives and death of an old Kindred and her dragon.

I would recommend this to fantasy loving girls 9-12. Maybe 8-10 if they're mature enough to handle some of the darker aspects of the story.

[Katie Bernet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel made me feel like a kid again—staying up late to finish in one sitting. The images are gorgeous and immersive, and the story was clever and compelling. It's a journey you don't want to miss at any age.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindred Dragons is very accurately described as Anne of Green Gables meets How to Train Your Dragon. Mensinga does a great job taking some of the best qualities of both books and synthesizing them into an original, cohesive work that kids will really enjoy. I wouldn't say that Kindred Dragons is better than either of those things, but it's still very good in its own right.

Perhaps I am overly excited about a popular book name-dropping Fredericton and Halifax (I KNOW THOSE PLACES, OMG!) but I swear that it's impossible to hate this heartwarming middle grade fantasy adventure (that also has great incidental representation). If you like cozy dragon fantasy and you're from the Maritimes, this one is an absolute slam dunk. There is even a cute bonus comic at the end that sketches a day in the life of a baby dragon.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5✨. So sweet, and it made me cry!

[Havelah McLat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review is coming

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this isn't Anne of Green Gables....but it also is Anne of Green Gables??? And there are dragons!! Proof that cozy fantasy works better in a visual medium for me. Super cute and lovely!

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hated Anne of Green Gables, so I definitely would not have read this if I had known of that comparison beforehand.

The characters were not great. Alice was a lot like Anne, whom I do not like, so I didn't really enjoy her. The girl with the dragon was going out of her way to get Alice in trouble and was forgiven immediately. Susanna didn't seem to care that her friends purposefully excluded and chased off Alice. The grandma would definitely be a self-proclaimed "good Christian" and use that as an excuse to be a bitch (which she is). She's constantly belittling her son and Alice (and not even in a "something bad happened to me in the past so now I'm projecting on to you" kinda way) and had absolutely zero empathy for a friend who was in a bad position and did something to better the life of her family.

Alice's connection with the dragons is kind of intriguing, and I'm assuming that'll be explored more in the next book. This one wraps up completely and I do not intend to carry on.

[Sophy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sweet and magical story about a young girl who dreams of having a dragon of her own. In her world, only Kindred witches—women born with a special bond—can be chosen by dragons. When her best friend becomes a Kindred, she starts to feel left out and unsure of her place. One day, while picking blackberries, she meets the town’s famous dragon and shares her berries with him. The next day, the dragon returns the favor, and an unexpected friendship begins to bloom.

Through her bond with the dragon, the girl discovers that even though she isn’t a Kindred, she has her own unique gift—one that allows her to help dragons who can no longer be cared for by their partners.

It’s a touching story about kindness, self-discovery, and finding your place in the world. The art is soft, colorful, and perfectly captures the warmth of the story.

For parents and educators:
This story is ideal for elementary to middle school readers. It gently explores themes of friendship, identity, and emotional growth, while encouraging empathy and self-worth. A wonderful pick for children who love fantasy, dragons, and stories about belonging.

[Rhiley Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for the E-ARC! This E-ARC was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

I will start off by saying I've never read Anne of Green Gables so I can't compare the two!
I had a lot of issues with the characters and how they treated the main character, Alice. Especially the grandmother. I think the author could have done better to make the grandma stern but not harsh. She belittled Alice and completely tore down her character at the same time that all of Alice's old friends and companions were doing the same thing to her.
It felt like there was very little hope in a book targeted for children. The bleakness of it dimmed the story. It wasn't sweet and whimsical, it was dark and misty because there were so many devastating moments and scenes.
I didn't really enjoy this and I had a tough time making my way through it.

[Ember Moto · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good introduction to this world where some lucky girls are gifted dragon eggs. Once these egg hatch they become a dragon that the girl is bonded with for life, when one dies the other does as well. While this seems like it would be a dream come true this first volume does a great job of showing why this might not be the "gift" it first appears. I am loving this world and can't wait to learn more about it in future volumes. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy.

[Elly Valdes · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC!! If this book was around in 2008, little Elly would have been OBSESSED!! This was so niche and I loved it. (However, what was the gma’s problem? Marilla would NEVER).

I will be purchasing this for my classroom library when it comes out because there will be somebody that will enjoy this.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and sad and full of joy all at once. Can’t wait to reread it when it’s published in full color.
Thank you for the ARC.

[Grace D Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely story. Can't wait to reread once I get a published copy in full color!!

[Michi · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a cute story! Indeed inspired by Anne of Green Gables and How To Train Your Dragons, this book has a combo of whimsies and magic in both writing and arts.

I am glad it ends the way it did, to have Alice find her own path amongst the dragons and kindreds, not as a kindred herself; I mean, someone has to help the old dragons too! What I wanted to see more was some strong bonds between family members and friends, or bonds that grow over time, seeing that a major themes from this book is kindred spirits. The kindred bond between Alice and Brim was the only relationship that grew and changed the characters overtime; I was rather disappoined with how the grandma's character developed, as she was more like a lore-dropper and a consistently mean person to everyone around her.

Still, the arts is very cute with soft line arts and pastel colors, aptly portraying the landscapes and the vibes of the story. I look forward to the next book in the series!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book knowing nothing about it, and fell in love with it. A solid five stars, really. The earlier reviews said it was sort of Anne of Green Gables, but with Dragons, and I like that description, but think it is a bit more than that.

In this version of 19th century Canada and Prince Edward Island, dragons are common, and have a bunch of rules about them. People who bond with dragons are called kindred, and only a few are born that way. If your human dies, the dragon dies, and vice versa.

Alice wants to be kindred to the dragons. She wishes a member of the fae will leave a dragon egg for her to raise, but alas, even though her best friend gets one, and her grandmother has one, none come to her.

Until she meets Brim. Brim doesn’t know where his kindred is. She went off to the city, where he is not allowed, and has not come home. Those who are kindred can see in the minds of dragons, and Alice can see inside Brim’s mind, though she has not bonded with him. She knows what she can do to help him. Now she just has to convince her grandmother that she really can hear dragon thoughts.

Lovely middle grade graphic novel. Great pictures, and fun story. I love when the girls get to be the heroes, and there are dragons.

[Tirzah]

This caught my eye when cataloging it for school. One can't really go wrong where dragons are concerned. It wasn't until I picked it up to start the book that I spied Kazu Kibuishi's praise on the front cover - I had confidence then that this would be a good book.

And it was. One aspect that jumped out to me was the ending. It wasn't your typical happy ever after; in fact, it was mingled with sadness. Yet it still ended happily in a different way than the characters and readers expected, which is very much real life. The characters were thankful all the same and the story rang hopeful. I am looking forward to future books.

Recommend for approx. 8+.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read of the year!

This had lots of things I like: Dragons, cozy atmospheres, precocious children, and chosen family/friendship. Alice and Brimstone's friendship made me so happy, because they were good friends to each other when they were alone. I'm excited to see where the story goes from here.

[Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A “Anne of Green Gables” like story with dragons. A simple and relatively cozy fantasy. I liked the illustrations and the soft color palette. I’m curious to see what the second volume brings.