by Dana Simpson
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Content: There’s some difficult words for younger readers (and some concepts that will go over the heads of younger readers), but it’s really accessible at any age level. It’s in the middle grade graphic novel section at the bookstore.

I’ve seen this at the store for ages; I’ve even sold it to a couple of girls looking for a fun graphic novel. But it wasn’t until recently that I actually sat down to figure out what this was.

The basic premise is this: Phoebe, a girl, has a unicorn friend (whose name is Marigold Heavenly Nostrils — I KNOW, RIGHT?) who may or may not be real. (Sound familiar?) And, after I got past the initial “huh, this isn’t a graphic novel, it’s more a collection of comic strips” I fell in love. Oh. My. Gosh. It’s SO hilarious. Maybe it’s because I’m an adult and get jokes about 80s and 90s music (“My mom said a woman named Alanis ruined irony forever.”) but really. It’s just impossible not to love Phoebe and Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. They are perfect.