Rating: 5 stars

“Nimona” by Noelle Stevenson is her debut graphic novel based on the popular web comic series. One caveat first, this reviewer rarely reads graphic novels. In fact, when this one arrived in the mail, it went in a bag for reading several months in the future. But one day, I opened it to the middle and just started reading.

I couldn’t put the book down. I stopped reading, turned back to the first page, and was pulled into a story where the “good guy” is not necessarily the good guy and the “bad guy” might just really be the good guy. Add in a super-evil sidekick, evil directors and other crazy characters, and this is a really good story.

Although the publisher recommends this for kids 13 and older, it seems to this reviewer (and teacher) that there is really nothing in appropriate in the story for children as young as eleven.

This is a great choice for reluctant readers and for those who enjoy super-hero stories. Lots of thoughtful discussion could be had regarding the character traits of the main characters and about protagonists and antagonists.

This review is based on the advance review copy of the book provided by HarperTeen, the publisher.