The Cardboard Kingdom #2: Roar of the Beast - by Chad Sell

About the Book

When Elijah and Vijay are harassed by neighborhood teens, Vijay sinks into depression and renounces his character, the Beast. Nate, aka the Prince, is convinced that a terrible monster is invading the Cardboard Kingdom and will do whatever it takes to stop it. At the same time, Alice is working on a secret project that has her pushing the rest of the kingdom away. As the group wrestles with their fears and their friendships, they have to decide if these challenges will create a schism in their community or make the Cardboard Kingdom stronger.

Book Synopsis

Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and All's Faire in Middle School, this sequel to the Eisner Award-nominated The Cardboard Kingdom follows the kids as they solve the mystery of a new neighborhood monster.

A mystery is afoot in the Cardboard Kingdom.

Vijay, the Beast, renounces his title after being bullied by neighborhood teenagers. No one--not his big sister Shikha or his friends--can seem to draw him back out of his shell.

That very night is when it starts. At first, no one believes Nate, who breaks his leg trying to pursue what he saw from his bedroom window. But then there's another, and another. An unknown monster has been spotted roaming the Kingdom after dark. It's ghastly, it's quick, and it might even have giant tentacles. Or claws. Or wings. Okay, there might be some varied testimonies on what exactly this monster looks like.

Forget Halloween--the newly minted Monster Mashers will go to any lengths to protect the Kingdom and uncover this mystery. But how did the monster get here? What does it want? And mostly importantly, who is behind its creation?

The Cardboard Kingdom: Roar of the Beast was created, organized, and drawn by Chad Sell with writing from nine other authors: Jay Fuller, David DeMeo, Katie Schenkel, Molly Muldoon, Vid Alliger, Manuel Betancourt, Michael Cole, Cloud Jacobs, and Barbara Perez Marquez.

Review Quotes

"Sell weaves together an engaging, endearing ensemble cast with a diverse range of gender identities and gender presentations, races, ethnicities, and body shapes." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Chad Sell's first children's graphic novel was The Cardboard Kingdom, which he illustrated and co-wrote with a team of ten collaborators. This same team came together again to create The Cardboard Kingdom: Roar of the Beast. Chad's first full-length solo project, Doodleville, is set in Chicago, where he lives with his husband and two cats. @chadsell01