Tabitha Laurie loves the Sommerland theme park with her whole heart. Even though her parents divorced when she was little, Tabi has always been able to look to Winda Sommers’ characters to restore her faith in true love. After seeing the magic of Sommerland firsthand, Tabi’s dream is finally coming true with a coveted summer internship at Sommerland at the end of high school. While the dorms aren’t quite as magical as she’d imagined, Tabi is so ready to do her part to help make magical memories for a new generation of park visitors.
Tabi knows she has everything it takes to be one of Sommerland’s most competitive park jobs as a princess. The only problem is that all of Sommerland’s princesses are thin and Tabi isn’t. Now, instead of meeting guests and participating in the daily performances and parades, Tabi is relegated to the nacho food stand–one of the worst jobs for park interns. She doesn’t even get a cute uniform!
With hard work and perseverance, Tabi is determined to make her dreams of being a princess come true. She just needs to convince park management to look beyond her size with a little help from her friends, a new crush, and her own dose of Sommerland magic in We Could Be Magic (2025) by Marissa Meyer, illusrated by Joelle Murray.
We Could Be Magic is Meyer’s first graphic novel and features full-color illustrations by Joelle Murray. The story centers Tabi, a Black girl, and features a supporting cast with a variety of skin tones.
From the first page, Tabi’s enthusiasm and affection for Sommerland is infectious. Her fondness for the park and its characters imbues the story making it easy to believe that Sommerland is real and to easily follow the quick world building to establish the park ecosystem. Meyer has written a story that is inherently kind where, given the full length of the book, everything will work out for Tabi and her friends. Murray’s illustrations are beautifully detailed with an inviting palette of soft colors and intricate line work.
A rocky start with a failed princess audition, placement at the infamous nacho stand, and obnoxious comments about her size from some of the other park interns only strengthens Tabi’s resolve to not just succeed but thrive at Sommerland. An evolving friendship with her initially prickly roommate Kyra and support (and light romance!) with park expert James add additional layers to the story.
We Could Be Magic is a gentle story where dreams can come true with hard work and optimism–and sometimes that can feel just a bit like magic
Possible Pairings: Lifetime Passes by Terry Blas, Claudia Aguirre (Illustrator), Nerdcrush by Alisha Emrich, It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood, Mall Goth by Kate Leth, Diana Sousa (colorist), and Robin Crank (lettering), You Belong Here by Sara Phoebe Miller, Morgan Beem (illustrator), Ready or Not by Andi Porretta, Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks, Zoe Rosenthal is Not Lawful Good by Nancy Werlin, Navigating With You by Jeremy Whitley, Casio Ribeiro (Artist), Nikki Fox (Letterer), Micah Myers (Letterer), Love, Decoded by Jennifer Yen
*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
Miss Print 