In Wingbearer, a luminously illustrated graphic novel, Marjorie Liu (Monstress; The Tangleroot Palace) crafts a captivating middle-grade debut about an enchanting world threatened by a Witch-Queen.
Zuli, a Black human child whose only connection to her past is a bracelet, lives in The Great Tree. The mystical birds of The Great Tree guard and watch over the leaves, each one the soul of a bird who will be reborn back into the world. Suspiciously, The Great Tree begins to bear regular leaves, causing Zuli and the birds to panic. Zuli and her farcical owl companion, Frowley, set off into "the world beyond" to find answers--and the missing souls. In their travels, they meet mythical creatures (griffins, dragons) and are joined by Orien the goblin and his flying squirrel-like companion. The group slowly learns about Zuli's past and the power she possesses, which doesn't save them from stumbling into the path of the evil Witch-Queen.
Storyboard artist Teny Issakhanian's glowing mixed-media illustrations direct the story's mood as the characters experience hope, worry, shock and curiosity. Her borderless panels give the individual illustrations a limitless feel--as if the reader is looking through a window into a larger world--and all her creatures are entertainingly expressive. Liu includes banter between Zuli and secondary characters (like Orien and Frowley) that is humorous while also featuring serious conversations that round out the characters and show their humility and courage. Wingbearer's shocking ending will surely make readers crave Zuli's return in subsequent graphic novels. --Kharissa Kenner, children's librarian, Bank Street School for Children