Quirky graphic novel about a too-eager-to-grow-up young girl who finds herself drawn into a quest in a strange world called Here&Now where she is the Chosen One. She discovers she has to be careful about what she wishes for... and maybe she shouldn't be in such a hurry to be older. Maybe it's a fine thing to be a kid and live in the moment.

This had a pretty simple plot, which I didn't mind since it was geared towards younger children. I really enjoyed the story overall and the artwork's style was very interesting (in a good way). Overall, a fun read!

This book was absolutely chaotic. While the concept was interesting, the plot was extremely difficult to follow. There's a whole host of characters as Mel and Otto jump from one place to the next to the next to the next...I see most elementary students abandoning this simply because it's much too jumbled and confusing!

I was honestly a little confused by the plot. But I think the illustrations are standout and that the character design is awesome.

The art and writing of "Mel The Chosen" are excellent but the story itself is disjointed. The plot seems to jump for topic to topic. The storyline doesn't feel like a coherent, natural progression of the character's journey.

A pretty wild, inventive adventure. While it starts in a pretty standard place for fantasy, Aragno doesn't hold to genre standards. The messaging is strong. Illustrations are charming.

Cute and quirky, a great fit for fans of The Okay Witch and other graphic novels that mixed fantasy adventure with a little bit of typical real-life problems--dealing with special gifts and more!

I loved the illustrations, but the story was lacking. It felt disjointed, and while fast-paced, it felt like it was missing something. I think it would have benefitted with some more world-building, as well as developing the ending more.

Mel is a kid who just wants to grow up already. Adults don't listen to kids, after all, and Mel is fed up with not having a say in where she lives, what she wears, what she eats, or where she goes to school. Things change, though, when Mel discovers a magical world where she can make her own choices - and meets Otto, an old man who was just recently a young boy with the same wish. He cautions her that growing up quick isn't all it's cracked up to be: there are consequences, after all. Mel and Otto go on an adventure to make things right again, and Mel discovers that taking the time to enjoy childhood may be the better choice after all (because adults feel just as ignored by kids). 

Random House Graphic has been bringing some great graphic novels in translation to American shores. I loved The Runaway Princess (2020) and Aster and the Accidental Magic (2020), both originally published in French; Mel the Chosen One was originally published in Italy in 2019 as Melvina. The story is engaging and addresses that need to grow up and be independent that so many kids have. Rachele Aragno acknowledges and respects Mel's point of view, and gently introduces, through her storytelling, the reality behind the fantasy: rushing through life does no one any favors. Adults feel just as ignored as kids do. Maybe it's time we all took a deep breath and started enjoying the moment, while actually hearing one another? It's a magical story that brings home that age-old saying, "Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it." Middle graders will understand, and hopefully share with the adults around them. Rachele Aragno's artwork is expressive, and creates fanciful settings like magical animals, including a monocle-sporting fox and an owl sporting a top hat; a headless princess; a cheery graveyard filled with children yet to be born, and enchanted forests. Fun for your fairy tale fans and fantasy readers.

This feels super choppy. The premise is good, but after all of that I don't feel any attachment to Mel or her adventure.

I always worry just a little bit when something is translated from its original language, especially children's books, because sometimes things don't translate well, or the story ends up a bit disjointed. I think this was the case for this one, as there are portions of it that seem to come out of nowhere and make very little sense. However, it's still an adorable little story about growing up, and why childhood is more precious than we realize.

While this has a great message of just be a kid, you'll be a grown up before too long, it was very disjointed. Mel's parents are fighting and so she escapes to the roof with her cat, only to fall into the next door neighbor's apartment. There she learns that he was actually a young boy instead of this old man, but when he made a wish, the evil sorcerer took his youth. Mel is labeled as the Chosen One, and is tasked with helping Otto find the sorcerer and defeat him, therefore saving everyone in Here&Now. Mel travels with Otto as they cross many fantastical lands and "help" people along the way. There's no structure to this story though, there's no explanation of how they got to Here&Now, and all the backgrounds for these characters are half told because either Otto or Mel encourage the others to continue the journey. Sure there's a happy ending, but it's such a fantastical tale that absolutely nothing makes sense. I am also not a fan of this art style, but I try not to critique books based on that.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
Geared toward upper elementary level readers. Aragno brings to life the wish of so many children - to be more grown up. We meet a child who got their wish and regrets it, and Mel who is frustrated by her parents not listening to what she wants. The concept of a chosen one is not new to the fantasy genre. This story continues to use this plotline to allow good to conquer evil. The basic story works but some of the transitions are choppy and there are gaps to overcome when some actions occur. The illustrations are fun to study and do provide further information about the story.

I was drawn to this graphic novel by the exciting cover. It was bright and the drawing style was fun. I was actually reminded of the illustrations by Quentin Blake, famous for his work on the Roald Dahl books.
The story itself was admittedly quite strange, but not in a bad way. It was very much following the tradition of a child getting to adventure in a mysterious new world. The cast of characters, who sometimes were a meld of human and animal, definitely reinforced this.
The main character, Mel, finds out she is the chosen one who must save a whole world from an evil man. Her guide into this new world acts both literally and metaphorically. While he literally is telling her how she can save the day, he is also instructing her how to not make the same mistakes he did. Mel, starts the story wanting desperately to grow up and be taken seriously by adults. Upon finding a world of magic and a guide who got his wish to be a grown up, she wants it too. But, of course magic has consequences and her guide is not happy with the way his life turned out. So, the story grapples with the journey but also Mel having to realize growing up is a natural part of life.
I think children will find this story interesting and enjoyable. There is a lot going on but the story is quite linear and quick, which I think children will find nice alongside a happy ending.

This was a cute coming of age type of story. The preteen girl’s parents are arguing, she has a move to face that she isn’t happy about. The story explores her feelings of being powerless as children are. The artwork is soft and whimsical. It’s a sweet child friendly story that doesn’t make light of kids’ feelings.

This is a cute little story about the dangers of being careful what you wish for. The watercolor illustrations are charming. I think kids will really empathize with Mel's desire to be listened to.

Fun, colorful fantasy adventure! I particularly liked the art. I would have liked to get to know the characters better, but I enjoyed it all the way through.

This was a really cute graphic novel. I love the artistry in this - there's whimsy in every line! I wasn't super invested in the plot, though, which was a little disappointing.

This story follows Mel and her friends as they go on a life altering journey that is both fun, and a little scary! Mel wants more than anything to grow up, but she doesn’t think about what that will mean for her life. I thought this was a cute story! It was fun, and had a few life lessons thrown in for good measure. I absolutely LOVED the art. I thought the watercolor style was beautiful, and the color choices were awesome. This was a fun, heartwarming middle grade read!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my ow

The art in this book is utterly charming. Parts of the story were enjoyable, but I felt that there were a lot of gaps that made the story not make sense. The big jumps the story made felt jarring. I think the right middle grader could really love this book, but I do wish it had about fifteen more pages interspersed here and there to make the story flow a little bit better.