Donutella Hamachi and the Library Avengers

This lively chapter book introduces Jae Han, a twelve-year-old Korean immigrant who cherishes his local library as a safe space for creativity and friendship. When the mayor plans to demolish it, Jae Han and his diverse group of "outcast" friends spring into action. They embark on a fundraising campaign, imaginatively framed as battling a "slime-shooting blobfish" with the help of Jae Han's drag superhero creation, Donutella Hamachi. The story blends contemporary realistic themes of community activism, cultural identity, and belonging with whimsical superhero elements and graphic panels, making it an empowering and humorous read for children aged 4-11. It celebrates finding your voice and the power of collective action.

From drag sensation and star of RuPaul's Drag Race Kim Chi and the acclaimed author of the K-Pop Confidential books comes a contemporary superhero series about a community coming together, fabulously, to save a local library. For twelve-year-old Korean immigrant Jae Han, the library is more than a place to check out books. It's a safe space to work on his comic book featuring drag superhero Donutella Hamachi, play video games to improve his English, and befriend other outcast kids sheltering among the stacks. When the mayor announces plans to demolish the building and pave a mall parking lot, Jae Han pleads with his friend the librarian to intervene. But even if the mayor doesn't shutter the library, Ms. Henny reveals, a funding deficit will. Called to action, Jae Han rallies his ragtag group of friends to halt the destruction of their haven. Can they--with help from the sparkling Donutella Hamachi--unite long enough to defeat the slime-shooting blobfish enveloping screaming citizens in goo (i.e., ace a fundraising campaign)? Filled with diabolical plots and empowerment aplenty, this lively foray into the heart of a town's darkness, sprinkled through with hilarious graphic panels, will delight superhero fans, comic book creators, and anyone who has felt outside the mainstream--and perfectly at home in a library.