Middle-grade coming-of-age tale Kenzie’s Kingdom is written by Shea Fontana, drawn by Agnes Garbowska, colored by Silvana Brys, and lettered by Gabriela Downie. Kenzie’s Kingdom is edited by Rebecca Taylor and published by Wonderbound Comics. 

Kenzie King isn’t happy. Her family has picked up and moved across the world to run a medieval hotel and resort called King’s Castle. And it’s a family business in the truest sense, with all three children helping out. And her family is yet another reason Kenzie is unhappy.

Her older sister, Rose, is a talented performer whose charisma transfers offstage and helps her navigate social situations with ease. Her younger brother, Frederick, is a genius. Meanwhile, Kenzie believes she isn’t a good performer, her stage fright and clumsiness cause mishaps, and she’s not a genius. All she wants to do is go home to California and leave King’s Castle far behind.

The plot of Kenzie’s Kingdom kicks off when an unexpected time travel incident brings medieval knight-in-training Squire Gavin of Oakwardshire to the modern day.  Kenzie’s life is shaken up as she helps Gavin train for the Knight’s Challenge and learns to come out of her shell. 

Friendship, family, and kindness are important themes in Kenzie’s Kingdom. When her family moved, Kenzie had to leave behind her best friend, Aubrey. Despite keeping in touch via text message, their relationship has changed as the girls build new lives and make new friends. 

A big part of Kenzie’s character development is how she learns to adapt to these changes. At the start of the story, Kenzie constantly checks her phone to see if Aubrey has messaged her, to the point of ignoring the people around her. And she gets extremely worried that Aubrey doesn’t want to be friends anymore when she takes too much time to respond. 

But as Kenzie grows closer to Gavin, she starts to learn that making new friends doesn’t mean Aubrey isn’t her friend anymore. And it’s the same for Aubrey; just because she makes new friends doesn’t mean that Kenzie isn’t still her friend. She also realizes that Rose and Frederick can be her friends as well. 

    As Kenzie begins to open up more and connect with her siblings and Gavin, she realizes that she’s not the only one struggling with the move and her confidence; Rose and Frederick have had their own struggles. And this realization helps the siblings become closer, knowing that the others get it. 

    Overall, the art of Kenzie’s Kingdom is cute. The characters are very expressive, and Brys colors the world vibrantly. Garbowska illustrates Kenzie’s growing confidence and security in her sense of self in the art of Kenzie’s Kingdom. At the beginning of the story, she wears the same gray hoodie every day, no matter where she is. Gavin even likens it to his armor- something that makes her feel safe. 

    In addition to her hoodie, Kenzie’s body language suggests how much she wants to go unnoticed. She hides, hunches, and crosses her arms across her chest. She tries to make herself smaller. But as the story continues and her confidence grows, Kenzie begins to stand taller, speak more assertively, and project the confidence she feels. 

Kenzie’s Kingdom is well suited for its middle-grade audience, telling a good story and teaching lessons without talking down to the reader. Though it’s been quite a while since I was part of that audience, I can remember the awkwardness and general out-of-placeness of going from child to preteen. And I wish I’d had access to stories like Kenzie’s Kingdom at the time. 

The creative team behind Kenzie’s Kingdom has put together a great story that readers of all ages can enjoy, whether they currently relate to Kenzie’s struggles or remember a time when they did.

GRADE: A