Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom by Sangu Mandanna (review)

Eleven-year-old Kiki Kallira used to be a "sunshine girl," but these days, the only thing that calms her anxiety is drawing her own fabulous version of the Kingdom of Mysore, inspired by stories of her relatives and ancestors back in India and the myth of the goddess Chamundeshwari's battle with the demon lord Mahishasura. When her fictional heroine Ashwini pursues a demon through a rip in the sketchbook into everyday London, Ashwini explains that Mahishasura turned Kiki's obsessive fictional drawing into a real pocket universe, and only Kiki can vanquish him. Into the sketchbook they go, and soon Kiki's hanging out with a group of child resistance fighters, but vanquishing a demon lord—even if it means destroying the world she created—is every bit as scary and complicated as she could imagine. Kiki's Mysore is full of wonderful architectural details, from magnificent palaces to the caretaking Crow House, while Kiki realizes the weight of the burdens she's placed on her fictional friends and the extent to which anxiety has taken over her own life. Ashwini helps her begin to think of anxiety as an illness rather than a fundamental personal flaw, a distinction readers will appreciate, and one that enables Kiki to reclaim her agency. This opening title in British author Mandanna's first middle grade series will suit fans of Rick Riordan Presents titles, while the focus on Kiki's artistry and anxiety will appeal to readers eager for a heroine who proves that the pen (or drawing pencil) is mightier than the sword (or demon lord).