IDW Publishing has announced a slate of middle-grade graphic novels, for release in summer 2021, covering a variety of topics but all pitched at readers aged 9 to 12. Here’s a look:

Chibi-Usagi: Attack of the HeebieChibis, by Stan Sakai and Julie Fujii Sakai, is an original graphic novel inspired by long-running, multiple award-winning Usagi Yojimbo. In this original graphic novel, Chibi-Usagi and his friends set out to rescue a village of legendary creatures who have been captured by the Salamander King and turned into slaves. (June 2021; paperback; MSRP $12.99)

The Science of Surfing: A Surfside Girls Guide to the Ocean, by Kim Dwinnell, is a tour of the ocean, from the physics of tides to the biology of ocean reefs, led by Sam and Jade, the heroes of Dwinnell’s Surfside Girls middle-grade mysteries. The book, which will be published under the Top Shelf imprint, also includes a chapter on how to surf. (July 2021; paperback; MSRP: $9.99)

Better Place, by Duane Murray and Shawn Daley, is a middle-grade story about a boy who has no friends except his grandfather. Together they play an imaginative superhero game, but when grandpa goes to “a better place,” the child heads off in search of him. This is Murray’s debut graphic novel; Daley was the artist for Samurai Grandpa and Ogres. To be published under the Top Shelf imprint. (August 2021; paperback; MSRP $19.99)

The Girl and the Glim, by India Swift and Michael Doig, puts a sci-fi spin on the new-kid-in-school story. Bridgette is 13 years old, nervous about her new school, and already getting picked on. Things really get complicated when she meets a space alien that is invisible to everyone but her, and she has to get past her fear and keep her classmates safe. (August 2021; paperback; MSRP $12.99)

Marie Curie: A Quest for Light, by Frances Andreasen Østerfelt, astrophysicist Anja Cetti Andersen, and Anna Blaszczyk, is a graphic biography of only the scientist to win two Nobel Prizes, one in physics for developing the theory of radioactivity and one in chemistry for discovering the elements polonium and radium. This graphic novel has been authorized by the Curie Estate. (August 2021; paperback; MSRP: $17.99)

Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken, vol. 3: Macaroni & Bees?!?, by Ray Friesen, brings back the two silly friends who can’t stop competing to see who is the best at everything. Friesen fills every page with silliness such as werewolf shampoo, anti-gravity popcorn, and more. To be published under the Top Shelf imprint. (August 2021; hardcover; MSRP: $9.99)