“This… this is fine.”

From India Swift’s The Girl and the Glim.

After moving to a new town for her parents’ new jobs, Bridgette is overwhelmed with anxiety about staying at her new school without any of her friends. While she meets a friendly boy while unloading the moving truck, she doesn’t really see him at school, and instead is left with mean classmates like bully Jove and the smart-but-self-centered Sylvia. Bridgette pushes through the nightmare that is school as best she can, but when Jove and his friends lock her in a supply closet, she escapes through a window and while walking around the school’s fence, she falls down a hill in the woods. As of her day wasn’t terrible enough, Bridgette is attacked and chased by a giant bear that transforms into dozens of terrifying spider-like creatures. Fleeing home, Bridgette is shocked to discover a bright and fluffy little monster in her room that she names Glim after she realizes he’s trying to protect her from the terrifying spider-like Glums. Glad to have a helpful friend in Glim, Bridgette is puzzled that no one else seems to be able to see him or his Glum enemies, but only to notice their unusual effects. Armed with Glim’s insight and help, Bridgette realizes that she is the only one who can save the town from the invading Glums, if only she can be brave enough to pull it off.

This graphic novel is captivating, both in its storyline and artwork. Swift has created a fun, action-packed story that moves quickly and will leave readers looking forward to another installment in the series. The Girl and the Glim focuses on themes that will be familiar to a wide range of readers and is not to be missed.