Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life by Emma Steinkellner
ISBN: 0593570669
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Graphic Novel
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

“Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life” is a middle grade graphic novel by Emma Steinkellner. The main character, Nell, is a normal seventh grader in the magical city of Gumbling. All seventh graders get assigned an apprenticeship and instead of getting to intern with a famous artist, Nell ends up apprenticing under Mrs. Birdneck, the city archivist. Nell ends up needing to use her archival skills when two adults show up wanting to completely change Gumbling into essentially a theme park.

Written as if we are reading Nell’s journal (complete with her many illustrations), the book alternates between large amounts of text and more standard graphic novel comic style. The illustrations are colorful, bright, and silly. If you pay attention to the details, you’ll find a lot of little jokes that are easily missed. Recommended for ages 8 to 12, this book is a recommended purchase for middle grade graphic novel collections everywhere.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.