Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life

Gr 4 Up–Twelve-year-old Nell lives in the magical town of Gumbling with her two dads, little brother, and little sister. All of the students in her class selected apprenticeships they thought sounded most interesting, and Nell opted to work with a famous artist, but instead found herself stuck working in the town archives. As Nell and her friends dig into their new jobs, it starts to feel like their lives are moving in different directions. It doesn’t help that two strangers come to town with plans to transform the quiet little community into a tourist destination, even if it means putting townspeople out of work. Nell has the power to help save the town, but first she’ll need to repair her friendships and fix her relationship with her new boss! This graphic novel is presented in the form of Nell’s illustrated journal, with some pages featuring mostly artwork, and others mostly words. This format also means that part of Nell’s story is her emotional journey, and part of it is her journey as an artist. This book features funny and colorful illustrations of fantasy elements that will be familiar to readers, like centaurs and fairies, as well as new concepts like a magic star farm.