STELLA & MARIGOLD

The sisters introduced in the remarkable Stella & Marigold (2024) tackle friendships and unnerving sirens.

When the siblings’ well-meaning cousin gives them each a journal, Stella discovers that the notebooks contain 25 lines where they can write in the names of their best friends. Both Stella, 7, and Marigold, 4, feel sharp pains of inadequacy at not having nearly enough pals. What follows are their attempts to make more friends, from their babysitter to their upstairs neighbor and their classmates. In one particularly fraught sequence, Marigold steals a disturbingly toothy (but very funny) mermaid candle holder from her upstairs neighbor; she plans to pretend to find it so he’ll be grateful to her. Of course, the heart of the series lies with the relationship between its titular sisters, and the two are as close as ever; a scene where they briefly contemplate running away from home cements their mutual dedication. While the text isn’t quite as hilarious as in the first volume, the art may actually be funnier (thanks to the mermaid), with its loving depiction of the realistically nuanced sororal relationship that made the first book a hit. Readers need not be familiar with the earlier installment to enjoy this latest. Both sisters present white; their community is diverse.

Some things may come and go, but sisterly friendship like this will stand the test of time.