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All age comic books for November 11

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This week in all age comic books is fun and diverse. It kicks off with two releases from Archie Comics. Archie & Friends Fall Festival is a comic book that retails for only $2.99, while Archie Milestones Jumbo Comics Digest is the square publication that you’ll see at the check-out lane at the supermarket. Both of these are new and on point for those readers in upper elementary and middle school.

Middle school readers who are looking for a fun graphic novel should check out 7 Good Reasons Not to Grow Up. Upper elementary school readers will love Super Side Kicks-No Adults Allowed by Gavin Aung Than on Random House. Those same ages who are looking for a left-of-center comic book need to look at The Magnificent Ms. Marvel. This is great for those tween readers who want superhero action, but need something that’s not typical and still very fun. Power Rangers also starts a new chapter. This new series brings a new team with all new dangers. Those upper elementary readers who are looking for a series that’s loaded with action should give this a look.

Hilda and the Time Worm is a novel that ties in to the Netflix show. This character and the world that creator Luke Pearson have created is timeless and words great for kids aged 8 and up. There’s a great number of all age comic books out this week, to see all of them just jump on past the graphic.

Humor

Archie & Friends Fall Festival #1, E Archie Milestones Jumbo Digest #11, E

7 Good Reasons Not to Grow Up, M, H

Super Side Kicks-No Adults Allowed, UE, M

Superhero

The Amazing Spider-Man #52, UE, M, H Magnificent Ms. Marvel #16, M, H Power Rangers #1, UE, M, H Teen Titans GO! Roll With It, UE, M, H

Science-fiction/Action

Goosebumps Secrets of the Swamp #2, of 5, UE, M,

Great Naval Battles of the Twentieth Century, M, H

Hilda and the Time Worm, UE, M

Star Wars The Jedi Mind, M, H Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #111, UE, M, H Sonic the Hedgehog #34, E, M, Transformers #24, UE, M, H

Lola Benko Treasure Hunter, grounded action for middle school

Lola Benko, Treasure Hunter will feel familiar, but it’s a character and story that is new to you. On the cover, we see a teen-aged-girl who is exploring a giant cavern-esque area with two friends. She’s carrying a headlight with a massive head, like the one that only construction engineers or professional spelunkers would use. The cover’s font could easily be mistaken for entry into the National Treasure film franchise. In addition to that, there are several things within the story that older readers will recognize as influences for the story. However, Lola Benko Treasure Hunter is aimed at readers aged nine through middle school and they might not know or even catch those references.

Lola Benko Treasure Hunter is a middle grade action book that has more of a relationship backbone than its readers might care for.

Middle grade readers will enjoy it, but it might feel familiar too

Cat Ninja has the prrrower to be your child’s favorite graphic novel

Someplace between Captain Underpants, Dog Man, Phineas & Ferb and Teen Titans GO! is Cat Ninja. It has the must-read & elementary school watercooler vibe of the first, the heart of the second, and the madcap humor and action of the third. Granted, it could be said that any of those initial titles have a degree of all of those characteristics. We’re merely putting them in the rank that our children have unofficially ranked them. It’s all of those characteristics and more. Cat Ninja is more, because it manages to be familiar, all the while being something that’s entirely original, relevant, and has fabulous colors, but more on that in a moment.

Cat Ninja sits alongside Dog Man, Investigators and Captain Underpants

Who is the Bucks Bandit? stumbles in this otherwise engaging series

As a family, we are knee-deep in the struggles of getting an elementary-aged student to learn to love reading. One series that he does enjoy is the Diary of a 5^th Grade Outlaw series by Gina Loveless with illustrations by Andrea Bell. The third book in the series is Who is the Bucks Bandit? and it feels very different than the first two. Elementary-aged students who are already enjoying the series will gamely follow along. However, those passive readers who were reading the book just to placate their parents will feel like they’ve been here before. The result will leave librarians and parents of those younger kids who are coming into the series hoping that the fourth book in the Diary of a 5^th Grade Outlaw series finds its mojo again.

The third book in this series feels too familiar

I’m Gonna Push Through!, inspirational and divisive

How can something be inspirational and divisive? Before we dive into that, I’m Gonna Push Through! is not meant as a threat. It’s meant as a way for kids to become empowered. This is something that they can think or say to themselves when things get challenging. You can do it! I’m gonna push through, who doesn’t want their child-or themselves to have that can-do attitude?

Great message, preachy book

Skulls!, not just for Halloween or Day of the Dead

We love to read non-fiction books to schools, our students and our children. When I’m the guest reader at our child’s elementary school, it’s some sort of non-fiction that I’ve got with me. Skulls! by Blair Thronburgh with illustrations by Scott Campbell is the sort of entertaining, illustrated book that kids will enjoy. Sure, our 7 year-old goofed around with the cover and said it was scary. After all, the book is called Skulls! and that’s not something that you see every day.

Skulls! is the kind of book that kids might be scared of, but they shouldn’t. It’s great fun, education and is one that they’ll laugh out loud at.

SKulls! this is a great children’s illustrated book, kidlit medical cranium 101 or vice versa

Welcome to Morningtown is exactly where kids 4-8 need to be

Welcome to Morningtown is exactly where our seven year old is now. By that I do not mean that prefers the morning. It’s just the opposite as he’s not exactly captain chipper in the AM. However, Welcome to Morningtown is exactly where our seven year old is in regards to his reading level. The book is aimed at ages 4-8 who; depending on their age, want a lovely illustrated book that they can read by themselves, a good-night book by an adult or somewhere in-between.

Welcome to Morningtown is gorgeously illustrated and offers a story and pacing that any child 4-8 will enjoy looking at.

At some point, every kid between 4 and 8 says, “Welcome to Morningtown”

First Names: Harry Houdini -nonfiction that young readers can believe in

Books that capture the attention of elementary or middle school readers need to be entertaining. It’s a bonus if said books can fun and leave those young readers with a smile on their face or a sense of wonder. Rare is the book that can be entertaining and fun, all the while doing it in a non-fiction book that upper elementary aged readers will enjoy. First Names is a line of books from Abrams Books for Young Readers and if this first book is any indication of their things to come it’ll be a go-to series for this age group. First Names: Harry Houdini by Kjartan Poskitt with illustrations by Geraint Ford is a book that has you smiling from couple pages into the book and weaves a breathlessly true tale that you don’t know.

First Names: Harry Houdini is a non-fiction, highly illustrated book for ages 9-16 that is fun to read, in addition to being entertaining and educational.

This book reads like an adventure-comedy and kids 8 and (way up…) will love it