Beginning a new school is often nerve wracking and Brigette is feeling those nerves. Her new house feels weird without her friends around to share it with and the first day of school isn’t far away. Making a local boy fall off his bike isn’t a good start either, but despite his torn jacket and having to pull his bike out of a bush, he’s kind not angry, even giving her some advice for starting a new school.

She tries to remember that advice on her first day, but after getting lost before the very first bell and arriving late to class, she is suddenly in full view of the class bully. Things don’t go well.

She ends up alone again, this time on the school grounds while everyone else is in class. What happens next defies description. Did she really see what she think she saw?

She flees home only to find she has been followed. No one else seems to see what is right in front of her eyes. All they see is Bridgette acting strangely. Her new-girl reputation plummets even further, but something incredibly weird is happening in her new town and it’s way more important than just trying to fit in.

Is she the only one who can save her town? With a new unexpected friend at her side, Bridgette wades into a silent battle with something not of this world…

It was the cover that drew me into this exciting graphic novel. The contrast of black and white, innocent young girl and spiky, nasty, black…things!? What is going on here?

The Girl and the Glim begins with a normal opening of new kid, new town, new school, but quickly becomes so much more. Bridgette is faced with something terrifying, and what makes it worse is that only she can see it. This doesn’t make her feel more isolated however, in fact empowering her into a task that surpasses her worries about fitting in.

This full colour graphic novel has engaging characters and a fun expressive illustration style. An unexpected explosion of action grabbed me instantly, wondering just like main character Bridgette, what was going to happen next?

Fresh, fun and just a little creepy, I wish I had the next episode at hand. But it is definitely a graphic novel I can enjoy again while I wait.

Author / Illustrator – India Swift

Colourist – Michael Doig

Letterer – Hassan OE

Graphic Novel

Age – 9+

See more of The Girl and the Glim here

(2022, Penguin Random House, Graphic Novel, New Girl, New School, New Town, Bullies, Bully, Creepy, Strange Creatures, Series, Fitting in, Seeing things, School, Sci fi)