Dan in Green Gables

After being abandoned by his mother, a queer teen endeavors to cultivate a sense of home and belonging in this tender and heartfelt graphic novel reimagining of Anne of Green Gables. Living on the road with his flighty mother, who has an alcohol dependency, forced pale-skinned 15-year-old Dan to assume adult responsibilities early in his childhood. His nomadic lifestyle abruptly ends when his mother takes him to rural Tennessee to meet his late father’s parents; the next morning, Dan is heartbroken to realize his mother is gone, leaving him with the grandparents he’s never known. Growing pains abound as his headstrong and free- spirited nature clashes with Pawpaw’s strictness, religious teachings, and homophobic ideologies. Despite his strained relationship with Pawpaw, though, he bonds with Mawmaw. Now attending a local school, Dan makes friends, encounters bullies, and tries to carve a place for himself in his new community. Animated, intricately detailed artwork by Aguirre (Lifetime Passes) has a watercolor feel that evokes a nostalgic 1990s ambiance. Utilizing a bustling, distinctly limned cast anchored by a protagonist whose personality leaps off the page, Terciero (Northranger) explores religion, generational trauma, acceptance, and self-worth with grace. Ages 12–up. Author’s agent: Brent Taylor, TriadaUS. (June)