Chickenpox - by Remy Lai (Hardcover)

About the Book

"All big sister Abby wants is to spend more time with her friends, far away from the sticky fingers and snooping eyes of her annoying brothers and sisters. But when a case of the chickenpox leaves the Lai kids covered in scratchy red spots and stuck at home together for two weeks of nonstop mayhem, Abby thinks this might be the end--of her sanity"--

Book Synopsis

A Harvey Award finalist for Best Children's Book!
An Eisner Award nominee!

"Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier or readers who enjoy graphic novels akin to -Megan -Wagner Lloyd's Allergic and Varian Johnson's Twins." --School Library Journal

This hilarious and heartwarming contemporary middle-grade graphic novel is about eldest sister Abby, who is sick of being trapped at home with her FOUR younger siblings as they all suffer from the chickenpox.

All big sister Abby wants is to spend more time with her friends, far away from the sticky fingers and snooping eyes of her annoying brothers and sisters. But when a case of the chickenpox leaves the Lai kids covered in scratchy red spots and stuck at home together for two weeks of nonstop mayhem, Abby thinks this might be the end . . . of her sanity. Yet she feels responsible for the situation since her best friend was Patient Zero and brought chickenpox into their home.

Will the itch to escape her siblings overwhelm Abby or will she realize being a big sister isn't all bad? Full of heart and hijinks, Chickenpox showcases what gets us through good times and bad: family.

Review Quotes

An Eisner Nominee
A 2026 CBC Children's, Teacher, and Librarian Favorite Winner
A 2025 Kirkus Best Book of the Year
A 2025 Amazon Best Book of the Year
A 2025 Harvey Best Children's Book nominee
A 2025 Indie Next List Pick
A Bank Street Best Book of 2025
A 2025 Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids Pick

* "Honest, atmospheric, and full of heart." --Kirkus, starred review

* "Laughter about the Lai siblings' antics will be as contagious as chickenpox was in the '90s!" --BookPage, starred review

* " Sidesplitting, pitch-perfect middle-grade graphic novel." --Shelf Awareness, starred review

"Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier or readers who enjoy graphic novels akin to -Megan -Wagner Lloyd's Allergic and Varian Johnson's Twins." --School Library Journal

"Touching and humorous." --Publishers Weekly

"Chickenpox is so full of fun and heartfelt moments that it makes reading contagious! You'll want to read this book in one-sitting... I did!" --Christina Diaz Gonzalez, artist of Invisible

"Funny, heartfelt, and relatable, Chickenpox will scratch every reader's itch for a great story!" --Megan Wagner Lloyd, bestselling author of Allergic

"A wonderful tale about siblings and friendship. Remy Lai is a master at capturing the tween voice!" --Varian Johnson, award-winning author of Twins

"No one writes sibling drama like Remy Lai." --Collen AF Venable, author of the Katie the Catsitter series

"Full of heart, wit, and at times downright hilarious . . . A wonderfully universal story about the growing pains of adolescence, and navigating those challenges amidst family, friends, and chickenpox! Highly relatable." --Betty C. Tang, artist of Parachute Kids

"A fantastic portrait of family, friends, fighting, and finding a connection with the people closest in your life. Chickenpox will leave the reader itching to know more about the Lai family." --Rey Terciero, author of the Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy

"An entertaining and ultimately heartening slice-of-life comic." --Horn Book Magazine

About the Author

Remy Lai studied fine arts, with a major in painting and drawing. She was born in Indonesia, grew up in Singapore, and currently lives in Brisbane, Australia, where she writes and draws stories for kids with her two dogs by her side. She is the author of the critically-acclaimed Pie in the Sky, Fly on the Wall, Pawcasso, the Surviving the Wild series, Ghost Book, Read at Your Own Risk, and Chickenpox.