"Grace Needs Space!" is a much needed story featuring a queer family handling divorce. Grace's two mom's are divorced, and she is going to spend some time with the mom she doesn't live with most of the time. She's very excited, but things don't go exactly as she hoped. The story is important, and one we don't often see in literature yet. Not only is it a story about divorce and the resulting family dynamics, it is a positive story about navigating those dynamics. There are realistic problems, and realistic responses to those problems. The story is sweet, and the art is gorgeous. This is a book I will highly recommend to middle graders and adults alike.

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 8 | Atmosphere: 10 | Writing: 9 | Plot: 9 | Intrigue: 9 | Logic: 10 | Enjoyment: 10
total: 9.29 / 5 Stars

This was such a fun middle grade. Grace is a lovable character, and while she acts very much her age, I remember being that age and being frustrated with all the adults around me. The familial dynamics were played out really well here, showing sides of the parents/adults vs. children mindset in a tangible way. I think that this could be a good read for parents, as well as children, as it shows the many ways kids interpret our actions around them and the way we affect them. The artwork here was gorgeous and really well done. I had such a fun time reading this one.

Cute story! This would be good for a kid exploring feelings around going between households in a divorce setting. The setting is well done with a light science based sci-fi setting.

This was a cute sci-fi graphic novel! The novel follows Grace, a young girl living in space with her mothers, one of who is a space traveler. Grace wants to be more independent while also hoping to spend more time with her mom, but they unfortunately still see her as a little girl. Grace gets to embark on a trip with one of her mothers, where she hopes that she will gain more independence and get to spend more time with her. I thought this was a cute book, and I loved the art style. I liked the inclusivity of different neo-pronouns, and I thought that it was a timely depiction of a girl striving for independence while also relying on her mothers' love.

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Graphic for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautifully illustrated graphic novel! Grace is a lovely character and you feel for her internal struggles throughout the book. The space setting is a different one and makes a realistic-fiction plotline more unique than the others.

It's not a drawn-out epic sci-fi fantasy book or anything, it's just about a girl finding her place in the universe and figuring out what she wants to do.

As a librarian I am a bit conflicted on whether or not this falls under Young Adult or Kid's--it doesn't really have cursing or violence in it, but the subject material of science and space would make it harder for younger kids to understand. They do simplify it as best as they can but it'll probably only appeal to grades 5+. I'll probably place this under YA for the complex science angle.

This middle grade graphic novel is a story about the young main character, Grace, navigating her relationships with both her Ma and her Ba (who are separated). Her Ma lives on a space station that Grace thinks is boring, while her Ba pilots a freight ship. Grace is very excited to get to go on a trip with her Ba, but it doesn't live up to her expectations and end with Grace making a big (but understandable) mistake. The colorful illustrations of this story are eye-catching and will definitely appeal to the target age group of readers. Additionally, even though this story is sci-fi, the heavy emphasis on interpersonal relationships will make it appeal to readers who usually gravitate towards realistic fiction. Even though Grace lives in space, she deals with problems that many kids are navigating in their own lives. The ending seemed a little rushed, and there could have been more resolution between Grace and her Ba, but overall this is a story that many middle-grade readers will enjoy.

I loved the way Grace Needs Space! tackles situations a lot of young people find themselves in. I will definitely be adding this to my classroom library!

This was a very charming graphic novel, and I hope we see more of Grace in the future.
Personally, I feel like I never quite got on board with the story. There was a good foundation being laid, but I don't think we reached a point where the resolution felt earned which I think is mostly due to not having enough space to explore themes in the GN format. By this, I mean that I think Grace was justified in how she felt ignored by her Ba; however, her punishment was also justified with how serious of a mistake she made (something that also in itself felt rushed). I think both sides could have used more development--but I understand why it wasn't there.

I also could not see her Ba as a parental figure. She felt too much like a distant aunt. I also think "kiddo" was used to an unnatural extreme, even with Grace eventually asking to be not called it.

Even with this nitpicks from an adult reviewer, I definitely would still recommend this for any upper elementary/middle grade collection!

This is such a fun way of approaching the idea of a kid wanting more autonomy in their lives and to be trusted more with responsibility. I'll readily recommend this for the library I work at! It is a fantastic exploration of STEM topics, science and space, in the context of a coming of age.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Childrens for the ARC of this!

Super cute, I loved this outer space story that tackles the difficulties a child might have navigating their parent's divorce but with a more interesting backdrop of an outer space exploration. The art style was really adorable, and I would absolutely read more for these authors in the future.

An enjoyable science fiction adventure with a relatable kid at its heart. While we get a glimpse into these new societies in space, the story primarily focuses on the interpersonal relationship Grace has with her parents, Ma and Ba. While I think this was a realistic portrayal of the complexities of child-parent relationships, I wish we’d gotten to learn more about Grace as a person. I loved her wonder and desire to experience more of the world and would have liked to have seen more characterization. The illustrations are absolutely lovely and helped add more depth and humor to the story. Overall, I found Grace to be an endearing, honest character and I would read more books in this series if it continues. 3.5 rating.

A delightful read perfect for the voracious middle grade reader! The second graphic novel I've read illustrated by Rii Abrego - love their illustration style. Very vibrant and joyful.

I loved both the story and artwork of this book! Grace is so excited to hang out with her “fun” mom instead of being with her overbearing mom, but it doesn’t end up being what she expected at all. This leads to Grace searching for her own adventure which leads to the rest of the story.

Grace is bored on being on the space station with her mom Evelyn, and she can't wait to go on vacation with her cool mom Kendra. Grace will be able to escape the space shuttle for a while, site see on a nearby moon, and send much needed quality time with Kendra. Once on their trip, Grace realizes Kendra can't be bothered to take a break from work, leading to some unfortunate events, and a rescue from Evelyn. GRACE NEEDS SPACE! explore the complicated relationships between kids, separated parents, and balancing work and family. Late elementary and middle school readers will love this book, and it will appeal to both realistic fiction and sci-fi readers.

Grace Needs Space! is a middle grade graphic novel following 12-year-old Grace who lives with her "boring" engineer mom on a space station. Grace is looking forward to spending time with her other "exciting" mother, Ba, a space freight pilot, and visiting the destination moon Titan. When Ba spends most of her time working and Grace is left to her own devices, she discovers that her impressions of her parents might not be completely fair or accurate.

Though it has a sci-fi setting, the focus of Grace Needs Space is on the interpersonal relationships between Grace and her divorced moms, which was well done. Ba isn't a villainized, but the shine does rub off a little, and Mom gets her proper due. Grace is inquisitive, adventurous, and excitable (maybe a little too excitable sometimes!), a very relatable and admirable character. I adored Rii Abrego's illustrations in The Sprite and the Gardener, and I enjoyed them just as much here. 3.5 stars

TW: mild space terror

Can't wait to buy this for our library! A sweet, simple story plot-wise, but one that packs a punch emotionally. The dynamics between Grace and both her parents, and between her divorced parents are really well done. The art style and facial expressions really add to relating to and sympathizing with each character's emotions and motives. The visual humor added a lot to the story; the part where the workers were telling Grace to stay calm yet were freaking out themselves had me laughing out loud. The distinction of the two ships was really unique, a twist on different homes and life styles between parents who are divorced, but still highly recognizable and identifiable for kids of split families.

Hello Again!

With November well on its way here and temperatures cooling down (at least for the most part), I have been in a big reader mood. Last week on Friday, I decided to grab a bunch of graphic novels and manga from my shelves and head to my coziest reading spot to read them! When grabbing some graphic novels, I wanted to leave room to read some E-ARCs of graphic novels that were upcoming. One of those graphic novels was Grace Needs Space.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Grace lives in space with her mother but sometimes (every few months), she gets to go spend time with her Ba. Her Ba, lives on a space shuttle and works delivering and moving cargo. Grace always looks forward to her time with Ba and traveling a bit. This time, however, things seem different. Ba is always busy and they are not really getting any time together or time to go on adventures in these new and amazing places they are going to. So when they dock at a town, Grace decides she is going to have an adventure and see one of the very things she came here to see with or without her Ba. But Grace might not be able to get back from her adventure alone or without her Ba finding out that she left.

I really enjoyed my time with this graphic novel. Grace’s story while it contains a sci-fi twist shows some big issues people face growing up. I loved the space environment and seeing Grace’s two different lives, one with her Ba and one with her mom (and it reminded me a little bit of Zenon). Additionally, I really love the art style of this story, it pops off the page. Grace’s story comes out on April 4th and I highly recommend giving it a read!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

**Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

A sci-fi graphic that manages to read like realistic fiction. Grace may live in space, but her life will feel very relatable.

For Libraries: A good fit for middle grade graphics shelves.

Really enjoyed this quick tale of a preteen in space. Enjoyed the art style and attention to details in the background. The story had a nice flow and was relatable. Liked the main character, Grace, and her mom. The only issue I had was her Ba. I thought their relationship could have grown more at the end. Would read a second if created!

Grace has been looking forward to taking this adventure into space with her mom Kendra, anything to get her away from the boring drab existence that she has to deal with at her home at the space station with her mother Evelyn. But her mom Kendra's head is lost to the work of space, and Grace is finding herself to be even more lonely on this adventure that she felt when she was at the Space station. With broken promises, trust lost and a very real fear of never making it home will Grace and her mothers land their crazy chaos safely or will this families problems crash and burn?

I found that the mother Kendra didn't take a lot of responsibility for the broken promises that she gave and while that is a very realistic human response I really wished at one point there was an apology to Grace for mismanaging the time that she promised to share with her. I know that a lot of it was overshadowed by Grace's mistake but I truly feel that the parental emotional needs were filled but not the child's and it left a bad feeling in my heart.
Other than that I think this is a really amazing book, that shows that not everyone is perfect and that navigating the social-emotional landscape of relationships. I plan on adding it to my collection as soon as I can!

Story: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Worldbuilding/Illustrations: 5/5
Social emotional: 3/5
Thank you to Netgalley, Benjamin A. Wilgus, Rii Abrego and Random House Graphic for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.