This was a sweet middle grade fantasy graphic novel in the vein of Katie O'Neill. The granddaughter of a geozoologist and an old friend who's run away from her family's high expectations venture out on a quest to help a small town and find Ren's ah-ma. Hsieh's take on zoology mixed with geology was so fun and something I think kids will really enjoy. It reminded me a bit of The Tea Dragon Society in it's story about interesting animals and friendship.

A delightful and artistic graphic novel about family, friendship, and learning to be your own person. Also, mountain-sized guinea pigs.

Lu’s adventuring grandmother has gone missing. When they receive a letter for her from a nearby village asking for help with their local wildlife, Lu and her friend Ren set out to help the village and find Lu’s grandmother.

I can’t describe exactly how this book makes me feel but from the fantasy elements to the art style, I couldn’t get enough. I’m so glad that this wasn’t a short blink-and-you’ll-miss-it graphic novel, but long, lavish, and soft.

My favorite parts were definitely seeing the fantasy critters, called geofauna. A fascinating mix of geological features and familiar, but larger than life, animals. From giant axolotls to dogs made of sunlight, the graphic novel introduces the reader to a variety of its fantasy wildlife. I’m so glad that instead of focusing on one creature, we were introduced to many through Lu and Ren’s travels. I’m blown away by Angela Hsieh’s creativity, and I want more.

Overall, I think the art style speaks for itself. The cover displays Hsieh’s beautiful style, and it’s maintained throughout. Each of the images are soft while also being bright and colorful. She utilizes backgrounds and space brilliantly. I particularly loved the way she used space to emphasize the terrain or the panels that relayed Lu’s frustration in translating her grandmother’s journal.

The graphic novel felt like the perfect length and managed to pack in a variety of messages for young readers. The main messages focused around family, Lu running to find hers while Ren tried to run away from the pressures of hers. The two girls learned independence traveling on their own and how to make amends for the hurt they cause. They learn to see things from new perspectives and overall, how to recognize and atone for their mistakes. I felt that Lu’s journey of growing and realizing that all people have faults and can’t be perfect was particularly well done. Each of these lessons come naturally and don’t feel forced into the narrative.

I can’t say enough good things about this book and don’t have any active criticisms. Hsieh has crafted a masterpiece here with real and engaging characters and environments, excellent pacing, and a compelling narrative and art styles.

Lu and Ren embark on an epic quest to find out what happened to Lu's Ah-ma (grandmother). Ah-ma was a geozoologist who traveled around the world studying the geozoologic creatures. When Ah-ma promises Lu that she will take her to see the Cosmola Eclipse and then doesn't return Lu decides to go and find her. The resulting adventure tests Lu and Ren's friendship.

This is a delightfully cozy graphic novel. Themes of emerging adulthood, family, exploration, immigration, language and the end of life make it much deeper than one might expect. It was an absolute pleasure to read Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology is a breathtaking coming of age graphic novel. Filled with gorgeous artwork, we follow Lu and Ren on an adventure where grief follows them. We follow the two characters as they find their own paths in life in spite of and because of their families expectations. I loved the representation of friendship, familial relationships/ expectations, and the stages of grief. Special shout out to the author for her inclusive storytelling (disability, gender) and her use of multiple languages via different colored text- so unique and creative! 4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology by Angela Hsieh is a Middle Grade cozy fantasy graphic novel. When Lu’s grandmother, a geozoologist, goes on another adventure, she leaves her family behind with the promise to send them letters to let them know how she’s doing. Eventually, the letters stop coming and the family is worried. Lu runs into her old friend Ren and the two go on a journey to find Lu’s grandmother and have her finally fulfill her promise to show Lu the sunfish eclipse.

The worldbuilding is so cozy and cute while hitting on some very important topics for mixed race kids to explore. There’s mossgoats and cloud jellyfish and giant axolotls. The combination of geology and zoology into animals who have characteristics of the land (like creatures as big as mountains that are basically moving boulders) is perfect for the imaginations of young children and delightful for an older reader to explore. The more heavy aspects come from linguistics and how Lu is made to feel less than because she struggles to read her grandmother’s language (represented in the text by Chinese characters) and Lu feeling isolated because there’s very few people around her who share this culture.

The art is super colorful and lends itself well to the cozier atmosphere. Many of the animals are drawn with enough detail to be clear which animal they are based on while in simple styles for a reader to try to draw themselves. I loved the use of two page spreads for more emotional scenes to show the passage of time and distance with a minimal use of dialogue. It’s simple but very effective.

Ren’s character arc deals with a very complex topic: being the scapegoat in a golden child-scapegoat family situation. We see Ren’s grandfather mistreating her, calling her a disappointment right to her face, and praising her older brother at all times. Not only do Ren’s parents not defend her, but when the grandfather passes away and Ren isn’t as upset as they feel they should be, they’re upset with Ren. As a reader, I cannot fault Ren for her feelings at all, but if I was in her family’s POV, I might also be annoyed with her not being more upset at the death of a relative.

Content warning for depictions of emotional abuse

I would recommend this to fans of Middle Grade fantasy graphic novels with cozier vibes and young readers looking for a fantasy that doesn’t pull punches and handles emotional topics with delicacy and honesty

Oh my goodness! This is such a beautiful and cozy book! The illustrations are stunning and I love the concept of geozoology and how the creatures are part of the landscape. This is also a great story about friendship and family relationships and being an individual.

I'm sure this is a really cute book, it looks like it from it's pictures and descriptions. I'm unfortunately unable to get anything to load whenever I try and access it through the new NetGalley Reader.

This graphic novel was so beautiful.
The soft, lineless art style made every page feel cozy, while the story explored big emotions such as grief and belonging.
Lu and Ren had such opposite personalities, and it was great watching them clash and learn how to deal with those differences while staying such good friends.
I think this is a great read for kids and adults alike. I enjoyed every second and loved what it had to say about family differences and individuality.
The various creatures in the story were very fun and interesting. I found myself wishing I could live in the pages of this book, surrounded by such cool creatures and beautiful vistas. I would love to see more set in this world!

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's and Netgalley for the ARC.

With a selling line like "Perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli and The Tea Dragon Society" I was expecting it to hit a little harder than it did. I do expect this to do well with the Middle grade crowd, however. I don't know why but I couldn't get myself to care about the characters. I was bored.

"Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology" is perfect for middle grade audiences and up! It follows 2 younger teen girls, Lu and Ren, who set off on a journey to find Lu's grandmother, a famous Geozootologist who has been missing for a few years. Along the way, they struggle to read the field notes Lu's grandmother left on the magical geozoologic creatures across the land, due to it being written in a language each of them only speak but cannot read. They come across many mystical creatures and have to help them using the knowledge Lu's grandmother taught her, while continuing to search for Lu's grandmother.

This novel deals with themes of friendship, grief, self discovery and many more coming of age topics in a way perfect for the middle grade audience. The art style is similar to the "Tea Dragon Society", brightly colorful with an art style perfect to grab the attention of younger readers. The story had a lot of depth to it and was really sweet. I highly recommend it to anyone 8 or older!

I was a bit confused at who Ren was for a bit because young Ren looked nothing like older Ren-I thought they were different characters and for a bit I though older Ren was a guy based on the way she is illustrated, but I guess that was just a stylistic choice the illustrator made. I'm curious to know if any other readers were confused and didn't realize Ren was the same as Lu's young friend Ren from the beginning of the book. It didn't detract from the story at all, just was a bit confusing.

5/5 stars
Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent new graphic novel for fans of The Tea Dragon Society and future zoologists alike. Lu and Ren, both contending with their own complicated families, set off on an adventure to find Lu's grandmother. Their quest leads them past many different mega-geofauna - giant guinea pig-like hills, enormous bullfrog hot springs, and eclipse-causing sunfish. While travelling, Lu has to contend with her grandmother's complex legacy and Ren must confront her feelings of anger towards her own family. The healing journey leads both girls to make new friends and find themselves. A delightful story full of self-discovery. The stunning lineless art style in soothing pastels sets this middle grade adventure high on my recommendation list.

Lu and Ren's guide to Geozoology is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that follows two friends in search of one's grandmother. I enjoyed the story and illustrations, but I wish there were more creatures.

I received an ARC from HarperCollins Children's Books | Quill Tree Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A heartwarming story about rediscovering your roots, identity, and family--both blood and found--with absolutely gorgeous illustrations!