Table Titans Club by Scott Kurtz (Holiday House, 224 pages, grades 3-7). Valeria “Val” Winters is new at school, and her mom’s reminder of a fresh start tips readers off that she may have struggled before. Val’s first day is rough, but she catches the attention of the Table Titans Club, a group of Dungeons and Dragons players. After much debate among the members, one of them invites Val to join their school club. Val’s thrilled, although she’s never played D&D.
Turns out she’s a natural, and all seems to be going well until their teacher sponsor announces that his wife is having a baby, and he has to cut back on his hours. When he tells them that Coach Bitner will be replacing him, the Titans are sure their club is doomed. But Val manages to win Coach Bitner over and secure a spot on the wrestling team. After a number of bumps in the road, Val and the Titans (including another new girl Titan) manage to save the club and secure a wrestling team victory. Val’s announcement about a role-playing fantasy summer camp she’s discovered just about assures a sequel.
Duck and Moose: Duck Moves In! by Kirk Reedstrom (Disney Hyperion, 64 pages, grades 1-3). Moose loves peace and quiet, so when Duck settles in on his antlers, Moose is furious. He tries to convince/trick Duck to find a home in a pond, on a mountaintop, and inside a cave, but Duck is convinced they should be neighbors. Finally, Moose gives up. When Duck realizes how upset Moose is, he sets up a home a short distance away, then invites Moose over for a movie night. They unexpectedly bond over a favorite movie and snacks, and a surprising friendship is born.
These two graphic novels are sure to be big hits, with some funny characters, situations, and artwork as well as heartwarming conclusions. However, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of deja vu: a loveable troublemaker starting middle school is a familiar graphic novel theme and we’ve seen the introvert/extrovert friendship in other early reader series like Narwhal and Jelly, Beak and Ally, and Frank and Bean. Guess I can’t blame publishers for wanting to go with a sure thing, but a few creative risks would be nice to see as well.