NELL OF GUMBLING

Crushes, competition, and calamity ensue on a class camping trip.

Following on Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life (2023), this cheery sequel follows ruddy, bespectacled Nell Starkeeper as she’s about to embark on an adventure with friends Thumbkin Gil, fairy Myra, human Leabelle, and unicorn-centaur Voila. The group is competing in the Multi-Disciplinary Wilderness Engagement Adventure, and the stakes are high, especially since Nell’s rival, Tony Pfluff, is also there. With his good looks, Romesh Roy, Nell’s group leader, immediately catches her eye, but her crush is tempered by his determination to win at all costs. The dynamics between the friends falter as unspoken crushes and resentments surge among them. When a misspoken wish upends Nell and the crew, communication and teamwork may be the only options that will save them. Steinkellner offers readers an alluring mix of Nell’s prose journal entries alternating with full-color comic panels; together they form a visually delightful page-turner. Though the story is rooted in a fantasy world, readers (especially those who appreciate the gentle angst of Raina Telgemeier’s and Judd Winick’s graphic novels) will find this volume utterly relatable; they’ll appreciate the young friends’ stumbles as they navigate their ways through life’s twists and turns. The cast is diverse, with queer characters, a range of skin tones, and a refreshingly realistic spectrum of body sizes.

A heartwarming and whimsical sequel.