Illustrated by Denki Amashima
Suzume and Daijin connect from across the bar where Suzume is temporarily staying in Kobe, and Daijin playfully leads Suzume out to the next breach: a worm escaping from an abandoned amusement park high in the hills above the city. Souta and Suzume give chase, hoping to catch the keystone but also stop the worm from damaging the region. Through the open gate, Suzume glimpses a place Souta explains is the Ever After, a parallel to their world and a space where souls go to when they’ve passed on. Daijin is next on his way to Tokyo, which leads the two back to Souta’s apartment and old journals from generations of Closers that may give clues as to what the menacing cat could be up to.
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Booklist review
Sara's Rating: 8/10 Suitability Level: Grades 9-12 Publisher: VIZ Media Publication Date: March 18, 2025 ISBN: 9781974748921 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Sports, School Life, Family, Friendship, VIZ Media 
Illustrated by Toshi Aoi
Will takes a shift at one of his jobs, but several class bullies come in to harass him and his customers. He stands up for his patrons, who have no hope to stand up for themselves, which leads to Will being challenged to enter into a large-scale tournament he had very little hope of winning. The following day, Will, Colette, and a third classmate (through coercion) are teamed up and set off into a maze of magical traps and beasts against teams of their classmates to see who can overcome everything, and possibly catch the eye of the scouts from the Magia Vander. 
Nana Komatsu is a hopeless romantic who has a bad habit of falling in love with unattainable older men, until one day when she falls for a seemingly nice but married man at her local movie theater. As she heads off to college, she decides to stop falling in love at first sight, and instead try to be just friends. That’s easier said than done when the first guy she lays eyes on is perfect but friends with her best friend, Jun.
Nana Osaki is the lead singer in a punk band on the cusp of making it big in a smaller market. She’s madly in love with the band’s bassist, Ren. When opportunity strikes and threatens to split the band, Nana must make some difficult choices that pit her dreams against her heart. 
School Library Journal review
Sara's Rating: 7/10 Suitability Level: Grades 7-12 Publisher: Yen Press Publication Date: January 21, 2025 ISBN: 9798855404739 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 7/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Romance, School Life, Slice Of Life, Humor, Friendship, Yen Press 
After standing up to bullies and becoming a target herself, Sori Lee decides to transfer schools to escape the harassment. Within her new desk, she discovers a helpful letter from the previous student describing everything she’ll need to know about her classmates and school, but also setting her on a treasure hunt for a series of successive letters. Along the way, Sori tentatively befriends Dongsoon and discovers the letter writer is Hoyeon, Dongsoon’s best friend who left school without a goodbye.
 Illustrated by Denki Amashima
School Library Journal starred review Sara's Rating: 9/10 Suitability Level: Grades 7-12 Publisher: Kodansha Publication Date: September 24, 2024 ISBN: 9781647294045 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Action Adventure, Supernatural, Friendship, Kodansha  Booklist starred review
Sara's Rating: 10/10 Suitability Level: Grades 7-12 Publisher: Yen Press Publication Date: October 22, 2024 ISBN: 9781975399689 (Paperback) Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Romance, LGBTQ+, Friendship, Music, Mental Health, School Life, Yen Press 
Shizuki and Kusunoki spent junior high as social outcasts, but both have made themselves over coming into high school, so much so that neither recognizes the other. Shizuki is determined to reinvent himself and lead an entirely uneventful, normal high school life, but the beautiful Kusunoki in his class complicates things. After a scarring experience in junior high leaves him unable to talk to beautiful girls, Shizuki doesn’t want anything to do with Kusunoki or any other girls, but Kusunoki wants Shizuki’s help making friends and learning how to socialize.
During a school trip to the beach, a friend group is shaken up when two of them give into their feelings and become a couple. Amber and Nico lose themselves in each other and completely and forget their friends. Slumber parties stop. Hanging out stops. When the friend group speaks up, Amber and Nico escape further into each other and into a dream world where everything is peaceful -- until Nico wants to return, and Amber doesn’t. In her anger, Amber turns their dream world into a nightmare, putting her remaining friendship at risk.
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About MeI've been reading manga and comicbooks for years. Now, I write reviews and other helpful things for School Librarians, teachers, parents, and students. Search this site
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