July 10, 2025

REEL LIFE, the new middle grade graphic novel by Kane Lynch ‘16, is now available via Scholastic Graphix at your local bookstore!

“…A thoughtful drama with richly drawn characters, and a meaningful exercise in empathy for young readers.” –School Library Journal

“When Galen’s parents reveal that they’re splitting up, his life is thrown into chaos. He knows he shouldn’t like his dad’s home-wrecker girlfriend, Jasmine, but she isn’t a jerk like he expected. Then his mom brings home a new boyfriend—and his teenage daughter! To top it off, Galen’s friend Kyle has inexplicably become really mean. To process these confusing emotions, Galen and his best friend, Luna, decide to make a documentary movie all about his parents’ divorce. But will the reel life of filmmaking help Galen face his real life?”—Scholastic Graphix

School Library Journal says about REEL LIFE: “The cartooning is affable, colorful, and wavy, leaning on central California’s calm visual atmosphere of beaches, low-profile houses, and gentle rolling hills to provide a comforting backdrop for a deeply felt story… VERDICT A thoughtful drama with richly drawn characters, and a meaningful exercise in empathy for young readers.”

Kane Lynch is a cartoonist and educator whose non-fiction comics and illustrations have appeared on The Nib, Slate, and Psychology Today, as well as in the graphic novel GUANTANAMO VOICES (2020). Kane also teaches workshops for young artists and artists of all ages at schools, including The Center for Cartoon Studies, libraries, and comic cons across the country. 

We picked up our copies of REEL LIFE from Norwich Bookstore (Norwich, VT), Still North Books and Bar (Hanover, NH), and Yankee Bookshop (Woodstock, VT).

For more information about Kane Lynch’s work, visit: kanelynch.com.