My Sister, the Freak

by Dani Jones

From New York Times bestselling illustrator Dani Jones comes a heartfelt exploration of sisterhood, forgiveness, and outer space invasions.

Mary Seaver lives in her own world. It’s not her fault if sometimes her enthusiasm creates chaos. To Mary, that’s what being 10 years old and a huge science fiction fan is all about. Allison “Al” Seaver is Mary’s older sister—and she’s everything that Mary is cool, calm, collected, and super popular.

So it makes sense that when aliens invade their hometown of Pleasant Valley, Mary’s trying to warn everyone about the end of the world while Al’s just hoping it will all go away before the spring dance. But when a secret emerges from their family’s past, Mary and Al find themselves turning to their most unlikely each other.

Dive into Dani Jones's debut original graphic novel, a hilariously tender investigation of sibling dynamics, aliens, and what it is that makes us human.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Middle Grade

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2026

About the author

Dani Jones is an illustrator, artist, and writer based in New England. She began her career as a freelance illustrator in 2005. Since then, her work has been used in picture books, magazines, and educational publishing.

Dani also likes to create her own stories. She has produced and self-published several projects, including the ongoing webcomic My Sister the Freak (http://www.mysisterthefreak.com), the Halloween short story Frosty the Gourdman (http://www.frostythegourdman.com), and the children’s picture book Once Upon a Time (http://danidraws.com/onceuponatime).

Most of Dani’s illustration work is created on the computer in Adobe Photoshop. However, she also likes to play with watercolor, gouache, and oil paint, and she uses a lot of traditional painting skills to help influence her digital work.

At home, Dani is a triplet and has two identical sisters. They were born in Seoul, South Korea and were adopted as babies. Dani grew up all over the United States, living in 15 different houses in six states throughout her childhood. She currently resides in New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Mary and Al are sisters, but have wildly different interests. Mary is in middle school, and is bringing her own unique spin to her role of a monkey in the school production of The Wizard of Oz. Al is in high school, has just accepted an invitation to a school dance, and doesn't want to deal with Mary's noise and general weirdness. When their parents have to visit their grandmother who has had a fall, Al says she can hold down the fort in her absence. She goes out with her friends, and Mary tries to follow her. She is attacked by monsters, but wakes up in her own bed. Al is dealing with her unpleasant friend Camryn's plans for the dance, which involve unattractive dresses. There are more monster attacks, but only the school custodian believes Mary. When Camry is dumped, she asks new boy Patrick to the dance, and he agrees to go only if his sister Meg can go as well. Camryn thinks Meg is too drab to hang out with, but she and Al share several interests. There are secrets revealed about Al, as well as Mary's teacher Mr. Fine, and an epic showdown at the performance of The Wizard of Oz. In the end, the sisters make peace with each other and Meg and Al go together as a couple to the dance.

I recognized Jones' work from the FrankinSchool series, and she certainly draws very effective monsters. This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed other graphic novels like Graley's Glitch and Davault's Misfit Mansion.

[KATIE MEYERS · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Sister, the Freak is a delightful and heartfelt graphic novel that perfectly blends humor, sci-fi fun, and genuine emotional depth. Dani Jones creates a story that feels both playful and meaningful, making it an engaging read from start to finish.

The relationship between Mary and Al is at the heart of the story, and it’s portrayed with warmth and authenticity. Their differences Mary’s imaginative and chaotic nature versus Al’s calm and socially confident personality create both tension and charm, making their journey toward understanding each other especially rewarding.

The addition of an alien invasion brings an exciting and humorous twist, but what really stands out is how the story uses that backdrop to explore themes of family, identity, and acceptance. It’s a reminder that even in the most unexpected situations, connection and empathy matter most.

A fun, touching, and visually engaging read that will appeal to anyone who enjoys stories about family, growth, and a little bit of the extraordinary.

[Steff Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dani Jones' My Sister, the Freak was not the story that I expected it to be. But it was certainly better. Navigating the very real dynamic of an older and younger sister struggling to maintain their love and bond as one grows older and her interests shift to those of a teenager, leaving her younger sister confused and behind is hard enough, but pair it with some interdimensional aliens and an uncertain conflict that they know nothing about and you've got a recipe for a rather fun and fascinating story.

It's even more amusing given that the younger sister is probably one of the more aware characters of the story and yet her older sister wants so very little to do with her alien obsession to the point that it most certainly causes issues, creating a situation where the dangers sneak up on them before they fully realize what's happening.

I truly had so much fun reading this and I think any child who has sibling struggles will, too. There are a lot of very real world feelings and situations to the dynamics between the two sisters that are easy to relate to and even though they might not always be positive, there is always still a lot of love and care there. The supernatural elements were fun, too, with the various aliens and the interesting plot twist toward the end. I definitely see a sequel in the future and can't wait to read more about these two!

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

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

All siblings think their siblings are freaks. But in this case, Mary has a reason to believe her sister is more than she seems, when she discovers that there are aliens that have come to earth, and that her sister is also an alien.

But in the meantime, she has to get her sister to stop treating her like the little sister that she is, and realize that she can help her become a superhero and save the town from the aliens.

But her sister, Al, just wants to have a normal life, and to be left alone by her annoying little sister.

This grew on me, as we saw more and more strange things happening, and realized that maybe there was something in what Mary was seeing.

Fun little graphic novel, for kids that love the absurd.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out on the 14th of April 2026.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic Novel
I received an electronic ARC from HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperAlley through NetGalley.
Are there any siblings who haven't felt this way? Jones introduces two sisters who love each other but don't always want to be with each other. Al is trying for a normal high school experience; Mary happily uses her imagination to create her own worlds in comics which can lead to dramatic effects in real life. The two clash and still show up for each other as the story unfolds. Al is hiding her true self from everyone around her in several ways so she can blend in. Mary wants her to be the superhero she can be and pushes her into several situations that backfire. In the end, they both realize how much they need each other. Hope this is only the first book about this family.
The artwork is fun to study and creatively designed to pull readers in to be part of the action.

[That One Witchy Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAlley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Al and Mary are sisters with totally different interest. Mary is a monkey in her middle school play and loves bring her own spin to the character--often dressing up as anything other than a monkey. While freshman high schooler, Allison (Al for short) is trying to seem like she's one with the popular crowd abandoning her sister and her craziness. However, Mary discovers aliens on her planet and she tries to warn her town about the end of the world. Secrets are uncovered and chaos ensues.

This is such a fun story about sibling dynamics. It is a great especially for kids who are siblings. It's a reminder of what it means to be a sibling: the fight, the bonding, and the forgiving. There are some plot twists that will leave your readers interested and hoping for a book 2!

[Stephanie Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great graphic novel about family, sisterhood and how to defeat aliens. Al is just trying to be a normal teenage and not think about how she is different and her little sister Mary is all about being different and is trying to warn the town about alien invaders. Mary discovers that Al has super powers and tries to convince her about the alien threat but she is ignored cuz Al just wants to be normal girl. Together they figure out how to defeat the alien threat and Al learns to accept herself and her powers that make her who she is. Super cute illustrations and the story was really fast paced and easy to follow.
Thanks to Harper Alley and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

[Jessica Tarnowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Sister, the Freak by Dani Jones is a fun middle grade graphic novel about two very different sisters—Mary, who’s quirky and loves sci-fi, and her older sister Al, who just wants to fit in. When aliens invade their town, everything gets chaotic, and the sisters have to figure out how to work together while also dealing with their rocky relationship.

It’s a mix of humor, action, and sibling drama, with some heartfelt moments about understanding each other better. The graphic novel format keeps it fast and engaging.

I’d recommend this for 4th grade and up, especially readers who like light sci-fi, sibling stories, and lots of fun chaos.

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you HarperAlly and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This is a fun, middle grade adventure story about two sisters and their typical younger/older sibling struggle, even when one of the sisters is more than she seems. It is interesting that it is the younger sister who is more aware of things getting stranger and more dangerous before trouble strikes and the sisters have to work together to deal with it, strengthening their sisterly bond in the process. Colorful, detailed artwork adds to the reading experience.

[Sophy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an emotional and cute story about two sisters, with the younger one just wanting to spend time with her older sister. However, strange things begin to happen, and the younger sister starts seeing aliens. Little does she know, her older sister is one too.

Things take some unexpected turns, but the sisters end up working together and discovering more about each other. It’s such a cute story, and I really loved the art.

[Relena_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely exploration of sisterhood, but it did try to jampack too much into too little space, which left the pacing feeling off too much of the time for a five-star review. Also, as an adopted person, the very quick resolution of being belatedly informed about that portion of one character's identity did not sit well with me. That's a big revelation on top of an already pretty big plot point and it needed more time, but time was not a commodity in great supply, as mentioned earlier. There are some secondary characters whose arcs could have been carved down to make more space for the main storyline, but I do understand why they existed.

The art here is very fun and evocative, the siblings feel mostly realistic, and I would read more in this universe even though this seems like a one-and-done.

Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC.