Under Kingdom

In an absurd and inventive graphic novel by debut author Bogacs and Enger (Where Black Stars Rise), high schooler Shay Willard thinks his biggest problem is trying to avoid bullies, until he learns that his family has connections to a secret subterranean kingdom of monsters. When his aunt Isabelle pulls him out of school and informs him that his mother is missing, Shay expects they’ll have to get the police involved. But then Isabelle tells Shay that she is a changeling named Sa’belle who had been under his mother’s protection. Further reveals detail Shay’s mom’s occupation as the Under Warden, the “human leader and caretaker of monster kind.” And since she’s gone missing, Shay must take up the mantle or risk destroying the delicate balance between the human and monster realms. Abstract paneling, minimal backgrounds, and sharp, distinctive character designs play up the creature feature feel of this paranormal escapade. Fast-paced dialogue shifts seamlessly between serious and downright goofy, and Shay’s abrupt introduction to his ancestry and stumbling transition from quotidian teenager to ruler of a monster ecosystem offer imaginative windows into themes of friendship, family, cooperation, and belonging. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)