Half lumberjack and half vampire, Lumberjackula must figure out where he belongs.Lumberjackula, Jack for short, is a cute, blue-skinned 11 1/2-year-old boy with the pointy ears and fangs of a vampire and the bushy beard of a lumberjack. It is time for Jack to decide whether to follow in his burly mother's footsteps and attend lumberjack school or attend vampire school like his spooky father. While he has talents in both areas, Jack's real passion is dance. There are several spreads that showcase Jack's adorable dance moves, which he breaks out especially when processing emotions. He really wants to attend Tip Tap Twinkle Toes Dance Academy, but he is afraid to tell his parents. While Jack worries about what his parents think, it's clear to readers that they will never be anything less than supportive. This keeps the stakes low and makes for a predictable read, even for the intended age group. Despite this lack of tension or anticipation, the premise, endearing cartoon art, whimsical worldbuilding, and characters are charming enough to carry readers to the end. The moral is a step above the obvious "be who you are": a more nuanced "be everything you are."A low-stakes plot balanced by lovable characters and setting. (Graphic novel. 7-11)

In an earnest graphic novel about embracing one’s true self, 11-and-a-half-year-old Lumberjackula, who has teal skin and sports a red flannel, agonizes about choosing between a perceived either/or around his half-lumberjack, half-vampire heritage. Lumberjacks and vampires peacefully coexist in Hollow Tree, but they largely lead separate lives. After finishing their combined early schooling, flannel-clad lumberjack children of various skin tones attend Mighty Log Lumberjack Prep to learn wood splitting and logrolling, while cloaked, blue-skinned vampires study hypnosis and flight at Sorrow’s Gloom Vampire Academy. Though Jack’s supportive parents say that the choice of school is up to him, he’s aware of both family legacies and doesn’t feel like he fits in at either place. When an enthusiastic performer from nearby Branchborough sees Jack dance, and encourages him to enroll at Tip Tap Twinkle Toes Dance Academy, the idea opens up new anxieties—and refreshing options. In rounded lines and subdued colors, Owen’s cartoon art renders the friendly world with winning details, including dance-party interstitials that show Jack working through his feelings. Heagerty (Martian Ghost Centaur) refreshingly keeps the conflict focused on Jack’s internal insecurities in this good-natured slice-of-life story that wields familiar tropes to laud embracing myriad intersections of identity. Ages 8–12. (July)