This graphic novel was so adorable! Frankie is such a relatable person. I really liked the concept of going through each of the trials to become the Dog Knight. I also liked the character arc of Frankie's friendship with Dallas. I really liked that the two of them were able to work it out I liked that Frankie forgave Dallas for the way their friendship fell apart in the past, and that Dallas was able to accept Frankie. I also loved the few details the book provided about Dallas's family life. Overall, a very cute book

This was such an enjoyable read! Perfect for middle grade readers! The concept was unique and well delivered. Hand this one to animal lovers and it will sell itself!

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic read, great non-binary protagonist with relatable feelings and so many adorable dogs with their own personalities. Highly recommend!

I absolutely adored this graphic novel! The plot and pacing were both very well done. I really enjoyed all the different dogs and their personalities. I think my favorite was The Terror out of all the dogs, he really cracked me up with how serious he was all the time. I think that this would be a great book to read if you are an animal lover like me! All the artwork was so cute too!

I love seeing more and more nonbinary representation in worlds outside of realistic fiction and coming out. This is a perfect example that balances both well.
Frankie does tell their coming out story and explain some past and present day bullying and friendship troubles, but the main plot of the story is an adventure. Frankie has a very supportive mom and explores clothing and expression.
Frankie must pass several trials to become The Dog Knight and help protect against the forces of chaos. The challenges are engaging and exciting and she’d some light on kindness and justice in the context of bullying. It definitely has a lot of opportunity for sequels.
The art is colorful, sharp and appealing.
I would recommend this to fans of The Deep & Dark Blue, The Witch Boy, and Rabbit Chase.

Frankie is a non-binary student that is struggling with bullying and with finding a style that lets them feel like they are finally showing the world who they really are. When they save a dog from tormentors they get roped into another realm and get the opportunity to become the Dog Knight and save the world!

This book was equal parts endearing and goofy. I loved that they showcased a non-binary character and some of the struggles that entails. This includes not only losing a very trusted best friend, but then being bullied by that friend and her family. The story itself was goofy, and fun, and something that would appeal to kids in the target audience.

Not a review. I interviewed writer Jeremy Whitley on my podcast.
VODKA O'CLOCK 2023-04:
Jeremy Whitley

The Dog Knight

On this episode of the podcast, comic book writer Jeremy Whitley is back and he's got a new graphic novel coming out called The Dog Knight. The art was by Bre Indigo with colors by Melissa Capriglione Pagliucci. When Macmillan approved the concept of the book, Jeremy said it was important that they find a non-binary artist for the line art and designing the characters. Macmillan came up with a list and they agreed Bre Indigo's style fit this story well.

Frankie is a bi-racial non-binary child being raised by their mom, Diane, a black lawyer. Diane is also really into physical fitness. When Frankie comes to the aid of a dog in park, surrounded by bullies, Frankie is the one who ends up knocked up. They wake up at the Omniversal Doghouse. This is where things get surreal. Gremlins are real and the Dog Knight can stop them.

The Pawtheon send Frankie through trials in order to become the Dog Knight. The dogs are associated with particular traits:

Omnidog, all dogs in one
Loyalist, champion of loyalty
The Good Dane, champion of kindness
Legal Beagle, champion of honesty
Dowg, champion of stubbornness
Yorkshire Terror, champion of justice
Platinum Retriever, champion of smell

Jeremy and I discussed the obstacles transgender people can face in the U.S. including school acceptance, fashion choices for body shapes, state legislature, and pop culture influences.

Protip: If you make a mistake with someone's pronouns or name, don't make a big show of embarrassment about it. Say you're sorry and move on with the conversation as you correct yourself.

I loved this cute book! It was so good! This was absolutely stunning.
I just reviewed The Dog Knight by Jeremy Whitley. #TheDogKnight #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Cute idea/story. The art work was fine. The humor was alright. The ending felt a little abrupt HOWEVER I understand that the point wasn't defeating The Big Bad, but rather discovering and embracing yourself.

All around decent but I'm not sure it's outstanding.

Delightful! Like the Princeless books it was pretty wholesome while still being enjoyable to read. I liked the Princeless books somewhat better because I would have adored them as a kid. They spoke to me. This one wasn’t quite meant for my inner child but it’ll be the right book for the right kid.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for depictions of transphobia, bullying, and animal cruelty.)

Middle schooler Frankie Bryant knows a lot about bullies. When they came out as nonbinary, Frankie told exactly two people: their mom Diane, and their best friend Dallas - who immediately outed them to the entire school. Now she joins in the "Freakie Frankie" chorus when her classmates mock her. Dallas's older brother Austin is even worse, upping the verbal abuse to physical threats and even assault, ultimately driving Frankie off the baseball team.

So when Frankie spots Austin and his friends taunting a Golden Retriever on their way home from school, they intervene. What was meant to be a heroic effort takes an embarrassing turn when Frankie trips on a tree root - and wakes up in an ornate mansion, surrounded by a pack of talking superhero dogs. They are the Pawtheon, and they suspect that Frankie might be their next Dog Knight, the one human meant to battle the forces of chaos (gremlins and shadows and such) alongside these super-pups. Frankie knows all this because they can communicate with the dogs, thanks to a magic, dog-eared helmet (the "helm").

Frankie must prove their merit by passing a series of trials, each designed to test the six dog virtues of loyalty, kindness, honesty, justice, stubbornness, and smell. But it won't be easy when the forces of evil are conspiring against them. Ditto: their mom's allergies.

THE DOG KNIGHT is a slightly silly, yet utterly charming and touching story about self-discovery, growing up, and doing what's right. In all their awkwardness and self-doubt (not to mention, moments of bravery and heroism) Frankie makes for an engaging protagonist. Their scenes with humans Sam and Nadia and canines Platinum and Good Dane are so delightful! The dogs, of course, threaten to steal the show, but Frankie more than holds their own.

There's so much to love here: talking dogs; a complex, human-canine backstory, complete with gremlins; a nonbinary, drum-playing, demon-slaying MC; a cross-fit-training, badass lawyer mom; a knight helmet with dog ears; a LGBTQ Cinderella moment - need I go on? The vibe does skew a little young for me, but it's perfect for the target demo of 9-12 years.

I do feel like Austin got of a little easy, but I understand the need to take the moral high ground in a book meant for middle schoolers.

Finally, if I had to pick one dog? Yorkshire Terror, if only because I've fostered a few Yorkies of my own (one of whom we nicknamed Tiny Terror).

Frankie, a non-binary youth is learning how to deal with bullies, acceptance and finding their own path. After a brief encounter with a bully, Frankie is transported to an unknown location to meet with the dog counsel. Does Frankie have what it takes to become the next Dog Knight?

Without the silly fantasy elements (and with more nuanced illustrations), this could have been a delicious story of self-growth and possible friendship-cum-romance. As it stands, however, the book falls far short of its potential. (I also don't love that the cats were considered antagonists. That's a personal beef, though.)

This was such a fantastic, magical, original and entertaining graphic novel. Dogs and magic, a kid finding out who they are, friendship, what else can one ask for?

This is such a cute, fun middlegrade graphic novel with a non-binary MC and SO MANY DOGS.

In most books I wouldn't enjoy seeing the MC become friends with someone who bullied them before, but I think in middlegrade this can be really important, since kids that age still have so much growing to do, so redemption needs to be possible. Both characters had some good conversations, so I thought this was handled really well.

This book was absolutely everything I could ever ask for! I am a major dog person (I have 8 dogs) and I'm queer so a graphic novel like thus would have meant everything to me as a kid. Even now as an adult this book helped to heal my inner child. I quite literally can not gush about this book enough. This is going to be my new comfort read!

Generally, I liked this book and how the story evolved. It's an origin story and plays to a lot of things that a middle schooler would appreciate, including dogs. I really liked the main character. They were interesting and working through their sexuality in a real and relatable way. I also appreciated how the author conveyed the fact that Frankie was born female so that you could understand where they were struggling and how. I liked the idea of facing trials as part of learning the ways of the Dog Knight but having the trials be about morality and finding strength within as much as anything else.

The one element that I wasn't sure about was the relationship with Dallas. I mean, it definitely is believable up until Dallas has a change of heart. At that point, I was a little bit wishy washy on how Frankie was handling it as well as how Dallas could do such an about face all of a sudden. I did, however, appreciate that Frankie needed an ally and that their relationship was critical to moving the plot forward.

Some of the dogs were a bit confusing in terms of their function, but all in all, it was well illustrated and well done.

I finished this is one sitting because it was so good. I loved the concept of this graphic novel, with a round table of dogs choosing their champion in a young, nonbinary middle schooler named Frankie. It also confronts the issue of bullying and coming out, but doesn't make that the focus of the story. The focus is Frankie coming into their own and being able to stand for something they believe in while beginning to feel comfortable in their own skin, with the help of talking dogs! I loved this so much, I preordered it right after I finished it. Five stars, and I will definitely be continuing this series if more books come out!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the e-arc!

#TheDogKnight #NetGalley

This is such a cool concept. The dogs of the world need a human champion who can fight the gremlins who want to destroy the world. Whomever is chosen must have all the qualities of a good dog, bravery, loyalty, stubbornness, and such.

This is where Frankie comes into the picture. They are a non-binary middle grade student, who plays drums in the orchestra, and is trying to find something dressy to wear to their first performance. Problem is, dresses don’t cut it, but neither do suits. They don't’ make them look like how they feel.

And as they are walking home through the woods, they come across some mean boys tormenting a dog, which they defend. Turns out it is one of the dogs that is looking for their champion, and so Frankie has to go through a series of trials. Only problem is, their mother is allergic to dog fur, and the dogs keep getting them covered with fir.

I loved that Frankie being non-binary is important to the story, and not, at the same time. They are all they can be for the dogs, but we have the side story of Dallas, their best friend, until they came out to her, and she rejected them, and made fun of them from that point forward.

It is such an engaging story on both levels, of a cool adventure, and a coming out for Frankie. Beautifully illustrated. And apparently it is the beginning of a series of graphic novels about Frankie, which I am all for.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This comes out May 16th from MacMillian.

The first in a new middle grade graphic novel series follows Frankie, who is struggling to find themselves. After coming out as nonbinary to their mom and best friend, they found themselves supported by their mom, but not their best friend. One day though, they stumble across a secret - dogs are key protectors of the world and they want Frankie to be their knight. Frankie must pass a series of tests to officially become the dog knight.

This was so cute! I loved how Frankie finds their identity along the way, and just all the dog love. It made me jealous that I was not a dog knight and that this book wasn't around when I was younger. I would've loved this concept as a child/middle grades student, although I still do love it as an adult.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.