Fox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper

Spangler (Beast) crafts a piercing meditation on fraught family dynamics, complex adolescence, and athletic meritocracy in this baseball-filled graphic novel. Ever since her mother left unexpectedly, 13-year-old Gemma Hopper has been the de facto caregiver to her younger twin brothers. Though Gemma keeps the household running by preparing meals and doing laundry, her overworked father seems solely interested in her baseball prodigy older brother Teddy, who’s set to join the under-16 All-Atlantic baseball team. School offers little reprieve as classmates use her as a way to get close to Teddy. While helping Teddy with batting practice, Gemma channels her frustrations into throwing her best pitches, and strikes Teddy out. The incident goes viral, tanking Teddy’s confidence and catapulting Gemma into the limelight. The two-toned teal palette evokes a distinctly New England setting; rust-colored accents add nuance and energy to the protagonist’s internal conflicts. Gemma’s yearning for recognition from her loved ones, and the thoughtfully characterized family’s struggles to connect amid the tumult, result in both hard-won reconciliations and painful disappointments, presenting a sympathetic rendering of a disheartened teenager navigating an unsettled home life. Ages 8–12. Agent: Mackenzie Brady Watson, Stuart Krichevsky Literary. (Apr.)