Arden High

Booth (Nothing Happened), Strohm (Restless Hearts), and Green (Brothers in Arms) channel William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in this joyful graphic novel series opener. Human twins Viola and Sebastian have been inseparable until, as the duo prepare to transition into Arden High, a school populated by humans, fairies, and satyrs alike, Sebastian opts to go to St. Anne's boarding school, instead. Juggling feelings of abandonment and elation at being able to finally dress how she wants ("I just felt more and more uncomfortable in those skirts. I wanted to dress more like Sebastian," Vi says of her middle school uniforms), Vi meets and crushes on enigmatic human poet Orsino. But things get messy when Orsino recruits her to help him woo his own crush. Green's distinct and whimsical character designs, coupled with a rich color palette, skillfully render Arden's ephemeral fairy-realm setting. The creators pay homage to the source material by modernizing core elements while staying true to the original's spirit. The twins' struggles to forge their own personhoods, and Vi's exploration of her gender and sexual identity, enrich the narrative. Characters are portrayed with varying skin tones. Ages 12--up. Agents: (for Booth) Alex Slater, Trident Media Group; (for Strohm) Molly Ker Hawn, Bent Agency; (for Green) Chad Beckerman, CAT Agency. (Oct.)

Gr 7 Up--This graphic novel dishes out a lot of high school drama. Vi, a new first year at Arden High School, is dealing with her father's death as well as her fraternal twin brother's move away to boarding school. Vi is resentful towards her brother, Sebastian, for having to go to Arden alone, although happily, it has none of the trappings of her old, strict private school--including no uniform requirement. She is free to be herself at Arden, which is made up of some magical as well as human students. Vi makes fast friends and even meets her first crush, Orsino, a dreamy "emo-boy" poet. Vi gets pulled onto the social committee to plan the first school dance, though she remains largely on the periphery of the committee shenanigans while dealing with her own mini-love-triangle-crisis. Booth and Strohm create a fun, bouncy, lively story through entertaining dialogue and high school high jinks, while Green's illustrations get the facial expressions of teenage banter and confusion just right. This appears to be the first in what could be a popular series about joyful, mostly happy teens navigating high school with peers who are all being their true selves, be they fairies or minotaurs, bisexual or straight, trans, or cis. VERDICT Fans of Strohm's previous novels (Love a La Mode, Prince in Disguise) and graphic novels such as Alice Oseman's "Heartstopper" series will enjoy this title. A sound choice for any library with a strong graphic novel readership.--Kim Gardner

Vi Messaline has always done everything with her twin brother, Sebastian. So she's shocked when he decides he'd rather stay at their private boarding school instead of attending public school alongside her. And Arden High is not your average public school: Fairies run the social scene, glittery magic permeates the woods, and oddball students and their shenanigans rule the day. Taciturn and sensitive Vi is set to go solo in an overwhelming and strange environment. Adopted by a new, quirky friend group, she's then swept up in Shakespeare's familiar love quadrangle. This retelling closely follows the beats of the original Twelfth Night, and it's solidly grounded as it tackles the often retold tale. The surprises lie mostly in the effervescent and goofy tone. Although Vi grapples with real issues--trying out a less feminine gender presentation, grieving the loss of her father, and navigating her changing relationship with Sebastian--the focus is on fun. Green's buoyant art effectively augments this tone, with extremely appealing and expressive character designs and settings full of lush detail. Clever updates to the source material include the cliques to which the characters belong and the use of social media to facilitate mistaken identities. This playing to strengths helps readers overlook a breakneck timeline and less emotional complexity in some storylines. The cast is heavily queer and racially diverse; Vi reads White. Endearing, magically infused, romantic comedy hijinks. (Graphic fantasy. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.