The Vice Principal Problem

Starred review from January 8, 2024
Estranged cousins—Riley Halfmoon, who is of Muscogee heritage, and bespectacled Maya Dawn, who is Black—reunite in Urbanopolis to live with their community-centered activist grandmother as they prepare to enter sixth grade. While adjusting, they both experience a few hiccups along the way. Extroverted Riley is eager to befriend her cousin, whom she hasn’t seen since early childhood. Reserved Maya, on the other hand, wants to maintain her privacy and focus on her inventions. When they learn that a lack of funding is jeopardizing beloved school activities, the cousins each run for class president. But nefarious vice principal Mr. Balderdash seems intent on stemming their efforts and landing them in detention. As it becomes clear that the cousins won’t accomplish anything on their own, Maya and Riley team up, Holmes and Watson style, to win the presidency, take down Mr. Balderdash, and save their school. Bustling slice-of-life plot beats by Magoon (Chester Keene Cracks the Code) and Smith (Harvest House), paired with animated art by debut illustrator Murakami, culminates in a realistically rendered and impeccably paced graphic novel series opener that accessibly highlights the importance of youth involvement in local politics. Ages 8–12.

March 1, 2024
In their first graphic novel collaboration, Magoon and Smith introduce readers to cousins Riley Halfmoon and Maya Dawn. Riley is used to being surrounded by her Muscogee cousins and aunties. Maya is an only child and lives in Japan with her parents, who are on active duty. The girls both move to Urbanopolis to live with their paternal grandmother when Riley's mom gets a new job and Maya's parents get a new assignment. At first they find sharing a room to be a difficult adjustment; when school starts, the two continue on their separate paths until they realize the vice principal plans to cut afterschool programs for more detention space. The girls work together to expose his plans and to "be the stars" their grandmother wants them to be. The story and illustrations are a wonderful representation of a multiracial (the cousins' paternal grandmother is Black; Riley's mom is Muscogee, and Maya's mother is white) and multigenerational family. The graphic novel format, with varied panel layouts in the digital illustrations, helps create a fast-paced adventure middle-grade and middle-school readers will appreciate. Nicholl Denice Montgomery

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 15, 2024
Grades 3-6 Both about to start sixth grade, cousins Maya and Riley clash when they have to share a room at their grandma's house. Maya, who's missing her big family in Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma, is athletic and quick to make lots of friends, while Riley is a genius inventor who keeps to herself and is sad about living away from her military parents for the first time. When they start school, though, they find something they can rally behind together, after the devious vice principal sets about gutting funding for school clubs. This first entry in a new graphic novel series from acclaimed authors Magoon and Smith is a great introduction to the main characters and focuses on kids having a voice. It dips slightly into community activism but focuses more on the girls' transition from a rough start to bonding over a mutual desire to make their school a better place for everyone. Presented in modern, stylized cartoon artwork, this thoughtful and timely story featuring a multigenerational, multicultural family will find wide appeal.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2024
In their first graphic novel collaboration, Magoon and Smith introduce readers to cousins Riley Halfmoon and Maya Dawn. Riley is used to being surrounded by her Muscogee cousins and aunties. Maya is an only child and lives in Japan with her parents, who are on active duty. The girls both move to Urbanopolis to live with their paternal grandmother when Riley's mom gets a new job and Maya's parents get a new assignment. At first they find sharing a room to be a difficult adjustment; when school starts, the two continue on their separate paths until they realize the vice principal plans to cut afterschool programs for more detention space. The girls work together to expose his plans and to "be the stars" their grandmother wants them to be. The story and illustrations are a wonderful representation of a multiracial (the cousins' paternal grandmother is Black; Riley's mom is Muscogee, and Maya's mother is white) and multigenerational family. The graphic novel format, with varied panel layouts in the digital illustrations, helps create a fast-paced adventure middle-grade and middle-school readers will appreciate.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)