COOKING W MONSTERS (2025)

Fast-paced monster fights are back on the menu in this critically acclaimed YA graphic novel featuring high school romances and a diverse cast of LGBTQIA+ characters that is perfect for fans of Naruto, My Hero Academia, and other great manga.Our heroic chefs-in-training are back for their second spicy year at the Gourmand Academy of Culinary Combat. Missed connections and bitter rivalries are rekindled as Hana, Olivia, Bobby, and the others struggle with new monsters, new techniques, and new recipes! But things are only made more difficult when the crew is split up. As Hana and some of her classmates are sent on their first field mission to Clayton Ranch to uncover the secret behind attacks on the local livestock, Olivia, Bobby, and the remaining students in Gourmet City find themselves in the midst of a culinary crime ring. And both seem to be connected to a mysterious band of poachers working for a charismatic and dangerous leader... If the students can’t stop her, Gourmand may just go up in smoke!

Fast-paced monster fights and burgeoning high school romances are both on the menu in this exciting young adult debut from Jordan Alsaqa and Vivian Truong.Hana Ozawa is the newest face at the Gourmand Academy of Culinary Combat, a school that will teach her how to fight monsters AND how to turn them into delicious meals. Hana is a natural, but so are her classmates, and she struggles to keep up—she’s gotta stand out, especially if she wants to impress the warrior chef who saved her life as a child. Throw in a crush on a formidable lady rival and a dash of multicultural cuisine, and this unique and hilarious story is sure to hit the spot! Cooking with Monsters is Naruto with a cast of LGBTQ+ characters. It’s Percy Jackson or Harry Potter without a straight white man in the pilot seat. It’s perfect for every young reader out there who doesn’t feel like they get to see themselves represented in the fantastical adventures they read.