Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illustrated by Lisa Sterle
Published on January 20, 2022
Reviewed by Jayde Valosin
After starting at Piedmont, an elite high school in California, Becca is quickly adopted into an exclusive group of high school royalty. Not used to having friends, Becca is overjoyed that Marley, Amanda, and Arianna seem to genuinely want to spend time with her. Even Becca's mom is thrilled that she is making the "right" connections at school, given that Arianna's father is the wealthy executive of Vandergum Enterprises. Everything seems perfect until one night, at a beach party, someone starts to come on to Becca way too strong and Becca's friends come to her rescue. As werewolves. Becca is given a choice- she can continue being her disappointingly normal self, or she could join her friends and become one of them. Like, really one of them. When Becca agrees, it sets into motion a dangerous chain of events that could put her in danger and risk exposing them all.
Squad is a perfectly fun graphic novel exploring friendship, fitting in, and power. The book's saturated colors and bold detail help shift the tone from light and fun to dark and gruesome when necessary, and Squad definitely doesn't shy away from the blood and guts you'd expect from a book about werewolves. The pacing of the book is quick, and readers are rewarded with a surprisingly wholesome ending. Perfect for those who want a quick read with heart.