Title: The Cardboard Kingdom
Authors: Chad Sell, with Jay Fuller, David Demeo, Katie Schenkel, Manuel Betancourt, Molly Muldoon, Vid Alliger, Cloud Jacobs, Michael Cole, Barbara Perez Marquez, and Kris Moore (posthumously).
LGBTQ+ Representation: Several gender nonconforming characters and at least two characters who might be gay.
What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): All the children in the neighborhood spend the summer playing fantasy characters, including an evil sorceress and her minion, a huntress, a handsome prince and dashing rogue, a beast, a gargoyle, a robot, an animal queen, and more. The children make their own imaginative costumes and set pieces out of cardboard and furniture; they don't always get along perfectly, but solve their conflicts appropriately, often by "battling" each other in their cardboard kingdom.
What I think (in 250 words or fewer): Every time I read a graphic novel, I think "I should read more graphic novels." It just takes a bit of work at the beginning to force my ADHD brain to "read" the pictures as well as the text, but once I get into the story, I usually really enjoy it. The Cardboard Kingdom was no exception--I loved it, both the pictures and the story.
I was an imaginative kid who liked to make up stories and characters like the kids in this book. I especially enjoyed making "tents" from tables and couch cushions, and my swingset was a castle or a motor home that regularly made trips to McDonald's (thought that would be the coolest thing EVER--you could go to McDonald's and STILL BE HOME!).
Also, I enjoyed how the kids in the cardboard kingdom did NOT always get along--there was a stereotypical bully character, yes, but there were also socially awkward kids, who didn't want to share, play by other kids' rules, or play in a large group. The introverted ones. Yep, that is how I was and still am and it's nice to see these kids represented in an ensemble story.
The diversity of the children is also amazing. Different races and ethnicities, as well as sexualities, are represented. The parents do not play a large part in the story, and when they do, they are also not perfect, but they take the time to apologize when they realize they made mistakes. So important!
This book is on the 2019 Rainbow Book List.
My final takeaway (in 75 words or fewer): I can't help but wonder which character(s) I was as a child and which ones I'd want to be now.
As a child, I was a cross between the "magic potion seller" who was annoyed when kids wouldn't obey her, the "animal queen" (see swingset), and the poor robot boy who found making friends to be difficult.
Who would I WANT to be? The evil sorceress, of course. Or the huntress. Or any bad guy.
Memorable quotes/passages from the book:
Just like when I reviewed Drama, I am sharing four pictures from the story because you can't separate the pictures from words when reviewing a graphic novel:
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| Pg. 57 |
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| Pg. 158 |
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| Pg. 87 |
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| Pg. 179 |
Other reviews: Common Sense Media and Worlds of Words.
If you liked this book, you should read Drama and The Nate trilogy.
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| This book is available here: https://library.greensboro-nc.gov/ |
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| Learn more about the Rainbow Book List here: http://www.ala.org/rt/glbtrt |
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