Serendipity

Gr 4-7–Serendipity is her name and it’s also her game! Serendipity (Dippy) leads a charmed life: she’s been the radio station’s lucky seventh caller multiple times in a row, easily averts accidents, and always seems to recover anything she’s lost. Life moves fast for Dippy, and she’s excelling in all-things middle school—student council, grades, basketball, the school play, and the steadiness of her best friend, Basil. But when cashing in her newly won tickets to the carnival, she receives a bleak curse from the fortune teller: “bad luck will infect your soul.” Commence a romp of wacky events that turn Dippy’s usual natural luck sideways. Readers will realize faster than Dippy that she has too much on her plate, that bad luck won’t justify things she could easily control, and that her problems could be less messy if she would just slow down. Owning one’s choices is a journey every tween takes, and Benda’s story will prove relatable to many middle grade graphic novel readers. Full-page spreads featuring bright colors and a variety of panel sizes make for immersive reading. Hand this to fans of series like Terri Libenson’s “Emmie & Friends,” Svetlana Chmakova’s “Awkward,” and Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham’s “Real Friends.” Dippy and Basil both have pale skin, the students at their school are portrayed with a range of skin tones and faith backgrounds.