Starred Review ALA Booklist (Tue May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Starred Review In the Cardboard Kingdom, every kid can be whomever he or she wants to be! Evil or good, a superhero or a scientist, everyone is welcome among this gang of imaginative neighborhood friends. In Sell's episodic, short comics, each of the kids gets a chance to tell his or her story. Most are fairly standard middle-grade fare, such as a chapter about the bully who learns to play nice with others, but The Cardboard Kingdom really shines in its dissection of traditional gender roles: within the first few pages, readers learn that the Sorceress is a boy playing in high heels and robes, while the Mad Scientist is a girl who likes to wear a mustache. Though the kids rarely question these choices and often take on different personas, the parents at times are less accepting, and it's in these moments that Sell's themes of inclusivity and self-acceptance are truly driven home. Sell's playful, expressive, and boldly colored artwork always keeps the mood fun, quickly shifting between the real world and the kids' imagined scenes in the Cardboard Kingdom. The blocky figures have a great cartoon quality, and, with a wide range of skin tones, genders, and family types, every kid reading will have someone to relate to. This easy-reading story offers a fun, engaging package meaningful commentary on the importance of childhood games.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

Comics creator and illustrator Sell teams up with 10 different authors to create an extraordinary linked anthology, seamlessly interweaving stories of unabashed joy and friendship.In a suburban neighborhood, an ebulliently diverse group of children gathers with glee to create a vibrant world of pretend play, find themselves, and support one another. In the story written by Katie Schenkel, Sophie feels terrible that people say she's too loud until she crafts a Hulk-like play identity known as "The Big Banshee." Manuel Betancourt's Miguel loves fairy tales and is thrilled when Nate asks him to play in "The Prince"—only to discover he's actually been cast as the "magical pea" and not the romantic role he'd been dreaming of. Seth pretends to be a superhero to try to protect himself from his dad in Michael Cole's "The Gargoyle," while in Sell's sole authored tale, "The Army of Evil," Jack identifies as the Sorceress because "She's what I want to be… / Magical. And powerful. And amazing." Some neighborhood kids prefer STEM to fantasy while others build businesses; some have trouble making friends while others choose roles on the sidelines. Sell's cheerful, friendly artistic style, with bold borders and bright colors that unite all the stories, will appeal to fans of Victoria Jamieson. Thoughtful representation provides a true diversity of body shapes and sizes, races and ethnicities (the majority of the cast is kids of color), gender identities and expressions, sexualities, and family structures. Bios of all 11 contributors conclude the book.
A breath of fresh air, this tender and dynamic collection is a must-have for any graphic-novel collection. (Graphic fantasy. 9-13)

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

One summer, neighborhood children enact fantastical adventures by constructing places and costumes out of cardboard. The diverse group includes a boy pushing gender norms with his alter-ego "the Sorceress," who he describes as "what I want to be." A refreshing look at what creative kids can do with a little imagination, this graphic novel uses vivid color and expression and very few words.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Comics creator and illustrator Sell teams up with 10 different authors to create an extraordinary linked anthology, seamlessly interweaving stories of unabashed joy and friendship.In a suburban neighborhood, an ebulliently diverse group of children gathers with glee to create a vibrant world of pretend play, find themselves, and support one another. In the story written by Katie Schenkel, Sophie feels terrible that people say she's too loud until she crafts a Hulk-like play identity known as "The Big Banshee." Manuel Betancourt's Miguel loves fairy tales and is thrilled when Nate asks him to play in "The Prince"—only to discover he's actually been cast as the "magical pea" and not the romantic role he'd been dreaming of. Seth pretends to be a superhero to try to protect himself from his dad in Michael Cole's "The Gargoyle," while in Sell's sole authored tale, "The Army of Evil," Jack identifies as the Sorceress because "She's what I want to be… / Magical. And powerful. And amazing." Some neighborhood kids prefer STEM to fantasy while others build businesses; some have trouble making friends while others choose roles on the sidelines. Sell's cheerful, friendly artistic style, with bold borders and bright colors that unite all the stories, will appeal to fans of Victoria Jamieson. Thoughtful representation provides a true diversity of body shapes and sizes, races and ethnicities (the majority of the cast is kids of color), gender identities and expressions, sexualities, and family structures. Bios of all 11 contributors conclude the book.
A breath of fresh air, this tender and dynamic collection is a must-have for any graphic-novel collection. (Graphic fantasy. 9-13)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In his first title for young people, cartoonist Sell offers a story that unfolds in a neighborhood where children make elaborate cardboard costumes that let them try on new