ARTIE AND THE WOLF MOON by Olivia Stephens
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I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.
Artie is excited to work on her photography project, and the night of the full moon seems like the perfect time to get some great nature shots. She’s sure her mom is being overprotective by insisting she stay inside after dark, so she doesn’t hesitate to sneak out with her dad’s old camera. But once outside, she is shocked when the first creature she sees is an enormous wolf–and even more shocked when the wolf turns into her mother
Artie’s mom tells her that she comes from a family of werewolves and that Artie might be a werewolf herself. But it isn’t until a group of bullies have her cornered in the woods that Artie’s wolf nature reveals itself. Artie’s mother whisks her away to the secluded community where she grew up to learn more about her heritage, but Artie can’t seem to master the art of transformation. Meanwhile, a coven of vampires has been stirring up trouble. Artie’s mother has tried to shield her from the vampires–and the uncertainty of what happened to Artie’s father–but if Artie is ever going to grow into her power, she’ll need to learn from the past and take some risks to uncover the truth.
Expressive artwork brings to life a story of a young woman finding her place in her community. Though a high stakes fantasy plot forms the central conflict, the core of the novel is the bonds of parents and children and familial love in general. Artie and her family are Black, which will contribute much-needed diversity to graphic novel and middle grade fantasy collections. I recommend this one to middle schoolers!
Susan the Librarian 