No One Returns from the Enchanted Forest

Debut creator Robinson explores the ups and downs of siblinghood in this lushly illustrated fantasy that’s visually reminiscent of Hildafolk and Steven Universe. When a series of progressively worsening earthquakes threatens to collapse the underground city that their ancestors founded, the goblins of Teacup Island plan to evacuate. Troublemaking goblin orphan Pella, furious at the fabled Earth Queen for causing the earthquakes and cancelling an annual festival, sneaks into the forbidding Enchanted Forest to tell the queen off, forcing her anxious older sister, Bix, to attempt a rescue. Soon, the sisters are thoroughly entangled in an ongoing feud between two nature-ruling queens that may devastate the entire island. Bold digital art with pencil textures presents a diversity of body types across the female-presenting cast, whose clearly individuated protagonists demonstrate their own kinds of bravery through- out. Confrontational Pella, cautious Bix, and upbeat and easygoing tree troll Cici are given plenty of room to show their characters, and their contrasting personalities play off each other well. A colorful and charismatic story with an underlying thoughtfulness. Ages 8–12. Agent: Amy Stern, Sheldon Fogelman Agency. [em](May) [/em]