Normally Aria flies to San Francisco with her parents to spend two weeks with her grandmother. This time, she flies alone, and is planning to spend the whole summer. Aria isn't ready to tell her Nainai about it, why the long trip and what happened at school. She wants to focus on learning the secret of making boba, and recovering.

Aria wants to get more business for the Super Boba Cafe. A luck opportunity with the Bao, local cat in the cafe, may get customers coming in droves. Nainai, however, has no social skills especially when closing time hits. She goes off in a hoodie while sending Aria to pick up takeout for dinner. There is a mystery, and maybe the prairie dogs that love her Nanai's chips hold the answer.

I was spellbound by this first volume, and am thrilled to find out it's book one. Book two can't come soon enough. Both Aria and Nainai are traumatized for different reasons, and they try to hide their secrets. Eventually, however, Aria can't stand her Nainai's short-tempered nature. She needs to try something else. And when she and Nainai trust each other with their secrets, they are able to find out a solution for Nainai's problem.

Really fun book, and cannot wait for book two!

Absolutely loved this graphic novel. It’s a fun mystery and expertly touches on family themes as well as social media/texting safety in a way that will be immediately accessible and relatable to young readers. Highly recommend.

Chanani’s graphic novel is unlike any other I have ever read! What starts as a sweet story about a granddaughter visiting her grandmother for the summer, turns into something so unexpected; I think most readers will be quite surprised by the turn of events!

Sweet kiddo-grandma monster mystery complete with cute groundhogs and kittens. Crosses off all the boxes of entertaining and reflective, even throwing in some social media safety tips.

Very cute illustrations and a story that I think many readers will love. I can’t wait to see it in full color.

Thank you to ABRAMS Kids and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of "Super Boba Cafe" (Book 1) in exchange for an honest review.

"Super Boba Cafe" centers around 12 year old Aria and her grandmother Jing Li, aka Nainai Li (Grandma Li). Needing a break from a terrible situation at home, Aria visits Nainai Li in San Francisco, where her grandmother owns a boba teashop. Despite business being slow, Nainai disappears into the shop's kitchen every day.

At first, she refuses to explain why she's so secretive in the kitchen, but as Aria makes changes (she makes it a cat cafe!) and business picks up, the stress leads to Nainai finally confessing: she makes a giant boba to satisfy a monster hidden beneath the city. If the monster isn't appeased by boba, one of two terrible things might happen. Either the monster will devour some of the local prairie dogs or it will cause an earthquake, damaging the entire city.

In general, I enjoyed the book. It was a little slow at times, and the artwork skews a little young, so I kept thinking that Aria is was younger than she's supposed to be. However, the concept is unique, the illustrated kittens are ADORABLE, and as this is the first in a series, I'm interested in seeing where it goes next.

One thing I particularly appreciated is the situation that drove Aria to visit her grandmother. Prior to the start of the story, she shared personal photos with a boy at school, who posted them online. She does not describe what was in the photos, but you get the idea that they weren't anything Aria would have wanted shared. It's a horrible betrayal, but unfortunately, one that is all too possible and sadly common these days. The author presented this as the social peril it is, without dwelling so much as to make it a morality tale.

I recommend this book for 11-13 year olds, especially as they wade into life online. It's a quick, easy read.

In this graphic novel, we follow Aria and her grandmother Jing Li. Aria is visiting her grandma for the summer and is excited to help run her cafe, which is guarded by her cat, Bao. Grandma Li has secrets though and she won't tell Aria what they are. She mysteriously closes the cafe at 6 p.m. every day and kicks all the customers out so that she can cook something secretly in the kitchen. Aria is determined to figure out what her grandma is doing. Will she be able to figure out her grandma's secret and help her? You'll have to read this and find out!

This was a super cute graphic novel! I really enjoyed the story. I've read a few books by this author and they never disappoint. This book was no different! I loved all of the little touches throughout the book - I thought the prairie dogs were so cute!

This will be at the top of my recommendations when my middle grade students come in looking for a funny, adventurous graphic novel. Nidhi Chanani combines two favorite topics--bubble tea and superheroes, in a surprisingly layered story about the perils of trusting people online, the need for human connection, and the connection between humans and animals.

Graphic novels are quickly becoming a great way to enhance the emotions, deeper meanings, and carry stories that wouldn't be as easily told in written form. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves boba and adventure stories! I can't wait to read the next book in the series, and see the final version in color.

I like the main character of this book and I love a boba cafe setting!
My primary issue with the book is that the mystery moved very slowly to me. It was, however, foreboding at first, not knowing where Jing's grandma was going and why she would sometimes act so strangely.
My favorite thing about this book was the illustration style. I can't wait to see it printed in color!

Super Boba Cafe is a fun graphic novel set in a secret boba cafe in San Francisco. The book explored many themes, including consent, cyberbullying, and social media, that may be relevant to the middle grade audience. I felt like Chanani did a great job balancing the more lighthearted aspects of the story with these serious themes. The plot is unique and whimsical - Nainai is the keeper of a monster and the only way to keep the monster from wreaking havoc on the city is to feed it a giant boba every day. Honestly, I can't get over how silly and delightful this is! The ending is a bit rushed but sets us up for another installment in the series. Lastly, the artwork is spectacular and I cannot wait to see this final product in color.

This was a really good graphic novel and the dynamics between the main characters was fun and sweet. I'm not the biggest graphic novel fan, but enjoyed this

This was silly and cute. Maybe a little too silly a premise for me. But I bet a lot of kids will like it, especially with the increased popularity of boba tea in the last several years.

CONTENT NOTE: age appropriate discussions of photos being shared without consent, mention of the death of a loved one, animal death (discussed and visually implied, but not shown), confined space

Super Boba Café is a fun and quirky adventure romp that touches on serious topics affecting kids and their families while remaining lighthearted and magical.

What Worked for Me:
Just a quick note: I received an ARC of this comic, and it came to me as a grayscale preview at a visibly low quality instead of the full color the book will be in later, so I can only comment on what I was given.

I'm a little sad about this because the colors of the comic was one of the things that drew me to the book, but I really enjoyed the story and fully believe that the colors will enhance the comic even more! This also applies to the lettering; the ARC version had pixelated lettering that I believe will look much better in the final version, but I can't give a proper review of it as is.

Due to all of this, I won't be analyzing the art as much as I usually do for comic reviews since I don't think it would be fair to the book and the creators given that I didn't see the full intended version. From the few previews of the interior pages that I've seen, though, it looks very promising!

✦ The story is a fun one! I like the way so many elements came together to create an entertaining and cohesive tale about so many ideas: magic and fantasy, modern day adolescent issues regarding social media, familial relationships, boba, a cat café, responsibilities and independence, and even marketing. I think the diversity of ideas in here helped it feel grounded and realistic, like fully developed characters existing in their own world.
✦ I love the relationship between Aria and her Nainai! The back and forth between these two characters felt very realistic to me for a grandparent-grandchild dynamic: a little more indulging than perhaps a parent-child relationship, the grandparent being a little more rigid in their set ways, still firm about setting rules, but also warm and deeply caring.
✦ I liked that Nainai encouraged independence in Aria and respected her as her own person. I think this is one of the things about grandparent-grandchild relationships that feels distinct from parent-child relationships in that grandparents who don't live with their grandchildren have a bit of that distance from the day to day discipline and rearing and are invested in providing a safe space for their grandchildren to explore their independence. I loved seeing that dynamic in this comic.
✦ The art was super cute! I like Nidhi Chanani's playful character designs, facial expressions, and clear body language, as well as her clean line work and well established values. I think once the color is included, the level of charm this book has will be even more amped up!
✦ The magic of the world in the story was also interesting and creative. I always enjoy the exploration of liminal spaces, and I liked how Nidhi Chanani approached them in her book.
✦ I love bubble tea, so I really enjoyed having a comic revolving around it! I can relate to the, uh, stuff that happens later in the book (trying not to spoil lol), as I, too, am such a fan 😂 It was also fun to see the way it gets made and to see a little about the process and recipe.

What Didn't Work for Me:
✦ There were a few moments in the story that felt a bit forced to me. It's not that they shouldn't have been included-- more that I wish they had been included in a more organic way, such as the moments where Aria was interacting with Jay, one of the neighborhood children friendly with her Nainai. Maybe it was meant to be a bit jarring whenever he was in the story, as a way to show his presence as unwelcome in Aria's perspective, but it did feel a bit odd to me the way Aria, an otherwise friendly kid, would immediately reject this entire human's presence as an offensive one lol.

I think the information shared later in the book helped explain it a bit, but I felt like it was a little overly simplistic, especially since it was only applied to one of the male characters. I think it would help me if I had understood the trauma of what had happened to her a little earlier or if the impact of the trauma were a bit more clearly defined. I think the trauma mentioned is valid regardless of the degree of intensity; however, I felt like the impact described didn't quite align, to me, with Aria's reaction to Jay, which makes me suspect that the trauma's impact is greater than we're shown. And if that were the case, I would expect to see that show up in other ways, too, not just with this one kid.

✦ I think, given that we're told in the jacket copy about the monster and the boba, the comic takes a lil while to build up to the reveal. I honestly think this is more of a critique of the jacket copy than the story, though.

Overall
I give Super Boba Café 4 out of 5 speech bubbles: This was a fun adventure with great themes explored! Wonderful for a summer read, and I look forward to the next book!

How to Read It
Super Boba Café comes out October 24, 2023, and you can pre-order a copy on Abrams Books, Bookshop, or Barnes & Noble.

Hardcovers provide higher royalties for writers and illustrators, but a royalty is a royalty, so go forth knowing your purchase will support them either way!

Read This Next
If you liked this, check out Squire, Snapdragon, and Atana and the Firebird

If you enjoyed this review, I have a monthly comic review series called More Comics Please! on my website with interior page excerpts and additional information not shared here on NetGalley. You can sign up to receive them in your inbox by subscribing to my newsletter Into the Bramble at jbeoin.com/newsletter.

Super Boba Cafe is an incredibly charming start to what I presume will be a series. Aria is a delightful protagonist, and her relationship with her nainai is sweet and authentic, with both modeling vulnerability and open and caring communication. The story, which is simultaneously about a boba cafe (that turns into a kitten-and-boba cafe, which is a business I desperately want near me!) and a boba-eating monster, is engaging and exciting, while also providing an effective vehicle for Aria's growth as a person, a granddaughter, and a friend. The book does a good job of addressing internet safety and what I presume to be the dangers of sexting and cyberbullying, but in a way that is not explicit, making it appropriate for middle grade readers. The resolution was satisfying, but still left the door open for a sequel. Fans of boba, kittens, family relationships, and whimsy will enjoy Super Boba Cafe!

Cute story with a few different plot lines. The overall general one is about Aria visiting her grandmother for the summer and helping her with her boba shop. She has plenty of ideas on how to make it more popular. But Aria had a bad experience with social media during the school year, and is hesitant to use it. It is a good introduction to younger kids about the dangers online, but honestly, this plot line is barely touched on. Then there are monsters! And talking prairie dogs! But if this is the first in a series, maybe there will be more in book 2!

This is a cute story about, family friendships, and the monsters) that try and control us. The illustrations are fantastic and keep the reader engaged. The story ends abruptly but it is book one so it gives us something to look forward to. I hope the sequel is out quickly.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This graphic novel follows Aria; a 13 year old girl heading to San Francisco for the summer to visit her grandma who owns a boba shop. What could go wrong, right…. Cute little story and will be interested to read the next volume.

I love everything Nidhi Chanani writes, and Super Boba Cafe is no exception! Aria is sweet and heartfelt, and after suffering a violating social media incident, goes to stay with her Nainai in San Francisco to help out at her boba cafe. But Nainai has a secret, and Aria soon discovers that Super Boba Cafe is more than just a boba shop... her grandma is helping save the lives of prairie dogs from a vicious monster underneath the city!
With short and sweet lessons about the danger of social media and taking time for yourself amid helping others, alongside brightly colored appealing illustrations, this one will definitely fly off our library shelves.

A summer with her grandma at her Boba Cafe brings some unexpected adventures for Aria. Great MG book!

What a weird random little book. Aria is off to visit her grandmother, Jing Li, and her boba café. Aria makes it her mission to help the café drive up business. But Nainai Li has a big secret. She's actually the keeper of an immortal monster who only craved boba.

The story is cute. It would be even better with colored illustrations. It also sort of reminds me of the Goosebumps book, The Horror at Camp Jellyjam.

Thank you to Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids, Amulet Books for providing me with a review copy.