MALLORY IN FULL COLOR

Mallory Marsh is eager to please.

Whether she’s agreeing to look after her chaotic twin brothers to help her overworked and recently separated mom or simply saying that everyone else’s preferred pizza toppings are her favorites, too, Mal always puts everyone else’s needs before her own. She’s placated by stealthy acts of rebellion, lying about her age so she can publish her webcomic, “Metal-Plated Heart,” whose characters are closely based on her classmates, and attending the library’s comic club when her parents think she’s at swim team practice. When Mal meets nonbinary cutie Noa at comic club, she begins to realize that neither gay nor straight might be the right label for her. Meanwhile, the library is planning a drag storytime, and Mal is anxious about the protesters who are trying to shut it down. Mal is at a relatable stage on her queer journey, and questioning middle schoolers will surely see themselves in her story. Most of her problems stem from conflict avoidance, and Leahy establishes that this trait comes from her father, who tells Mal that he’s working on expressing his emotions in therapy, though there’s no mention that Mal could benefit from therapy as well. Dynamic panels from the webcomic are interspersed throughout, offering additional insights into Mal’s emotions. Mal’s mother is Korean, and her father is implied white; Noa has brown skin.

A sincere cautionary tale about finding one’s voice and putting others’ needs before one’s own.