If you've heard me talk about manga, you've probably heard me talk about given (all lower-case intended~it's usually stylized this way by the mangaka or as GIVEN). I talk about it so much because it's my favorite manga series. Natsuki Kizu's art work is just... PERFECT IMO.

So, given. It's rated older teen and I generally agree with that assessment, but I DO THINK Volume 1 is fine for middle school. Why collect just one volume of a series? Well, when the series is uber popular, I think it makes sense, especially given (see what I did there) that the series has Queer and (many think) disabled representation. GIVEN not only has a popular anime adaptation, it also already has a live action film! {The sixth volume came out in English in September, 2021.}

It's a beautiful manga, it connects to music for all of your music lovers, and Volume 1 sets the stage for a burgeoning Queer romance(s). The two main characters (in Volume 1) are Mafuyu Sato (guitar newbie, but mysteriously carries around expensive guitar) and Ritsuka Uenoyama (guitar prodigy). As Uenoyama teaches Mafuyu to play guitar, a rich friendship is born.

AND THE ARTWORK. Some of my favorite pages are the character designs throughout. Here, one of our stars: Uenoyama. Also to the right is a page from a later volume (with Mafuyu singing) that captures what is so LUMINOUS about Natsuki Kizu's artwork.
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Many believe that given has well-done autistic representation (See more here: https://www.animefeminist.com/perspectives-playing-my-song-queer-autistic-representation-in-given/).

AGAIN. My middle school folks--buy Volume 1 for your collections. 

Content warnings: suicide (which happened in the past) is a plot point

I've known about this 'all ages' manga for a while, of course, and judging by the sweet looking cover, I wrongly assumed it was a very light, fluffy story. I WAS WRONG. Is it sweet and adorable? Um, hello, look at that tanuki*! Of course it is! It's also suspenseful, rich in characters, and framed with a dynamic (redemption-like?) story arc. Senzou (a formerly villainous fox) has been stripped of his powers, but finally awakened after many years. His new job? Watching over an ADORABLE tanuki he eventually names Manpachi. Missions, dangers, and hijinks ensue as well as feelings. <3

I'm confident I could book-talk this to my middle schoolers--both those looking for an adventurous, action-packed story and those always here for adorable animal shenanigans.

A great purchase for middle school collections.

*If tanuki is a new animal for you, it's a Japanese mammal that is sometimes called a racoon dog. For your anime watchers, they all probably know what a tanuki is already, as it is very present in Japanese folklore. If they've watched the popular anime BNA on Netflix, the main character is a tanuki/girl hybrid! 

Spy x Family Volume 4
So excited to meet Bond (WORF!) + Vol 4 just continued the magic of this sublime series. Spy x Family just sparkles w/ humor+cleverness. There was intense dialogue ('ever stewed human flesh in a pot?'), but used to illustrate horrors of war, not titillate. Still fine for MS IMO.