Aurora and the Orc

When I was in high school, I’d read the newspaper almost daily and definitely on Sundays. What was I reading? The comic strips, of course. I developed a love for Calvin and Hobbes, Curious Avenue, Baby Blues and more. 

And if you were a fan, you may recall that one of the main characters of Tom Toles’ Curious Avenue was a helmet-haired girl named Aurora. I love that name so much that I named one of my own characters after her in the picture books series that I have been working on.

So, of course I was going to be pulled into a book called Aurora and the Orc, especially when I saw the cute illustrations on the cover.  And especially with my family’s obsession with Lord of the Rings. Please note that this is a review of the ARC (advanced reader’s copy) so some things may be different than the actual version which comes out June 23, 2026 (today!). 

Aurora and the Orc centers on a new student, the orc, who starts school at Aurora’s school. No one blinks an eye at the fact that he is an orc (due to an “elf spell”), but Aurora is super curious and befriends him right away. Sort of. The graphic novel reads as a series of comic strips and the engaging strips capture the reader right away. I love how nonchalant Aurora’s parents are when she comes home with questions about orcs. And how they have lots of war paintings hanging in the house but are nonplussed about Aurora’s questions about blood in the paintings. 

 The orc teleports back and forth between war and the classroom without blinking an eye. And, it does make me second guess my disgust at orcs—yes I have seen the scene of the orcs being birthed one too many times in The Two Towers.  But, of course, the orc starts to grow on Aurora (and the reader). At some point, Aurora enters the orc’s world and they need to figure out a way to get back. 

At its heart, their friendship is not just a parallel to making new friends who come from different backgrounds, but also shows the orc being unapologetically himself.  The combination of the fantastical elements with the school setting, the quirky characters and the actual laugh out loud punchlines of the strips make Aurora and the Orc a sure hit.  Aurora and the Orc is marketed toward younger readers (ages 7-10) but definitely still engaging for the older reader too, especially if they love fantasy novels.

I’m still not sure if I would befriend an orc, but maybe if they were friendly like Aurora’s latest friend. 

Images from ARC of Aurora and the Orc, final images may be different.