- Vera Vance: Comics Star by Claudia Mills
Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-8234-4094-8 $15.99
Paper ed. ISBN 978-0-8234-4742-8 $7.99
E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-8234-4635-3 $9.99
Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 2-4
In this second title in the After-School Superstars series, Vera is thrilled at the chance to participate in after-school comic-book camp; the third-grader loves drawing comics, despite her no-nonsense mother’s wish that she’d focus on something like science. Camp is wonderful, but as Vera grows more committed to her comic she’s worried that she’ll derail her first friendship at her new school by wanting to work on her own rather than as a partner; she’s also desperately hoping that her mother will let her join the other campers on their trip to a comic-con. In her usual assured and friendly style, Mills respectfully tackles some common elementary-grade dilemmas; the confident, funny, and capable characterizations bring Vera’s explorations to vivid life, as Vera worries, new friend Nixie sunnily beams, and Vera’s mother keeps a tight rein on everything. Budding artists will appreciate the respect for and information about the comics process and relate to Vera’s joy at immersing herself in her beloved pastime. Easygoing art captures the cast neatly, with dark-skinned Vera always beautifully tidy in pulled-up socks and almost always knitting her eyebrows in concern.