The Cardboard Kingdom: (A Graphic Novel)

This book/series has been a favorite of both my kids as new readers. As parents, we love the vibrant characterization that normalizes all kinds of kids' life circumstances and relationships, without imposing any adult baggage onto them that real kids wouldn't have internalized yet. I think it really engages their imaginations. They read all 3 books over and over, fight over them, and just lost one volume backstage at a dance recital today, devastating them both. I have one reading on about a 5th grade level, another who just learned to read independently, and this is a high interest book for that whole range. I wish I could find more books that tick all the boxes these do.

The opening story of Cardboard Kingdom opens on an evil Sorceress and her orcish minion torturing a captive princess, but we soon find out that the feindish duo is really a couple of siblings playing make believe in their driveway. The pair are discovered by a next door neighbor, and our Sorceress is embarrassed, and runs away followed by his little sister. Since this first story is completely wordless, the reader is left to use infer what made the Sorceress run away: he is afraid to be judged for dressing up as a feminine presenting character. Instead of losing their sense of play, the Sorceress is encouraged by their little sister to come back bigger, and badder than ever with the help of a cardboard costume redesign! The Sorceress learns to own their identity, and also teaches the reader a lesson about projecting gender roles on others...all in 16 wordless pages.Moments like this are sprinkled throughout this amazing all-ages book: countless boys and girls discover how to face issues through heroism, imagination, and play. There is a joy present at the root of this book that everyone needs to experience. Kids will immediately begin looking for materials to make their own cardboard costumes, and adults will long for the days when they could just make a fort in the middle of the living room and just imagine with reckless abandon. With vibrant art by Chad Sell, and writing duties being covered by Jay Fuller, David Demeo, Katie Schenkel, and more, Cardboard Kingdom is an easy recommendation to make for kids and adults alike.But for me, Cardboard Kingdom has hit on something deeper than just nostalgia. Earlier this year, I read a string of middle grade books in my role as a judge for the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. I got to read a ton of books for younger kids like The Baby Sitters Club, The Witch Boy, Nightlights and most recently, Drawn Together. As I read through these books, I started to feel this overwhelming sense of comfort. It wasn’t because these titles were overly simplistic. All of these books deal with issues that kids and adults alike have to battle: self-doubt, identity, isolation, fear of the future, and loneliness. All of these books handle those heavy issues in a way that is digestible for younger minds, but doesn’t hold their hands and lead them to conclusions. There’s something about these books that is just...affirming.

The first section is told completely through wordless panels as we witness two siblings playing with a kiddie pool, a chair, and a bunch of cardboard boxes and how their imagination has transformed that into magic and adventure. A girl peeking over the fence at them starts laughing and at first it breaks the spell and ends the game. But then she gets drawn into their world in her own unique way. And the story takes off from there - with each neighborhood kid bringing in their own personalities and quirks and their own imaginative spin on adventure. There are knights and robots and banshees and beasts. And entrepreneurs. There are conflicts and battles. And quieter moments of understanding. The stories stack and intertwine and build and build to create an amazing collection of backyard adventures! And just as the kid’s adventures are collaborative - so is this book! Chad Sell is the illustrator but each section was crafted along with a different writer - Jay Fuller, David Demeo, Katie Schenkel, Manuel Betancourt, Molly Muldoon, Vid Alliger, Cloud Jacobs, Michael Cole, and Barbara Perez Marquez. And somehow, those diverse authors and illustrators have captured that magical feeling of childhood where there’s boundless inspiration and freedom and when it’s good - acceptance and transformation of flaws into strengths and positive energy. It’s hard to describe the special magic of this book.

Best book ever! I bought this for my (academically advanced) 8 yr old for a holiday gift and snuck it out and read it as soon as it arrived. This book is a celebration of inclusivity, imagination, and friendship. The one star bad review at the top of the reviews made me want to buy it because I was looking for a book with gender non-conformity that isn’t about gender non-conformity. The kids in this book just happen to smash gender stereotypes along the way and I loved it! Exactly what I was hoping for in a book for my young child! I also loved that the book showed all different types of family structures and many examples of loving, supportive adults who are sometimes imperfect and sometimes make mistakes. The book also addresses bullying in a sensitive and surprisingly insightful way. I believe this respectful book would be really empowering for a wide range of kids! Just lovely!