Swing
by Audrey Meeker; illus. by the author; color by Sarah Davidson
Middle School    Feiwel    256 pp.
10/24    9781250864031    $22.99
Paper ed.  9781250864048    $14.99
e-book ed.  9781250406262    $9.99

Marcus McCalister begins eighth grade ambivalent about trying out for soccer despite pressure from those around him in this lively graphic novel. Unlike his varsity-soccer superstar brother, Marcus finds himself yearning for something more. Tough-minded Izzy Briggs, with her purple hair and punk-like fashion sensibility, wants to design costumes for the theater club’s stage plays. The two end up together in gym class, where they must cooperate on an extra-credit assignment: performing a swing dance routine in a talent show. This amusing story of boy-meets-girl-in-unusual-circumstances unfolds through strategically composed panels containing details that build aspects of character and tension in a rapidly paced tale. Comical facial expressions and body language accompanied by natural-sounding dialogue advance the plot, ratcheting up the tension between an unlikely duo with dramatic flair and humor.

From the March/April 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.