The Cardboard Kingdom

Order now!

Bookshop | Indiebound | Amazon | Publisher

Order now!

Bookshop | Indiebound | Amazon | Publisher

Order now!

Bookshop | Indiebound | Amazon | Publisher

Knopf Books for Young Readers (2018, 2021, 2023)

Welcome to a neighborhood of kids who transform ordinary boxes into colorful costumes, and their ordinary block into cardboard kingdom. This is the summer when sixteen kids encounter knights and rogues, robots and monsters—and their own inner demons—on one last quest before school starts again.

Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier, Awkward, and All’s Faire in Middle School, this graphic novel follows a neighborhood of kids who transform ordinary cardboard into fantastical homemade costumes as they explore conflicts with friends, family, and their own identity.

In the Cardboard Kingdom, you can be anything you want to be—imagine that!

The Cardboard Kingdom was created, organized, and drawn by Chad Sell with writing from ten other authors: Jay Fuller, David DeMeo, Katie Schenkel, Kris Moore, Molly Muldoon, Vid Alliger, Manuel Betancourt, Michael Cole, Cloud Jacobs, and Barbara Perez Marquez. The Cardboard Kingdom affirms the power of imagination and play during the most important years of adolescent identity-searching and emotional growth.

“A breath of fresh air, this tender and dynamic collection is a must-have.”
— Kirkus, Starred

Roar of the Beast
A mystery is afoot in the Cardboard Kingdom.

Vijay, the Beast, renounces his title after being bullied by neighborhood teenagers. No one–not his big sister Shikha or his friends–can seem to draw him back out of his shell.

That very night is when it starts. At first, no one believes Nate, who breaks his leg trying to pursue what he saw from his bedroom window. But then there’s another, and another. An unknown monster has been spotted roaming the Kingdom after dark. It’s ghastly, it’s quick, and it might even have giant tentacles. Or claws. Or wings. Okay, there might be some varied testimonies on what exactly this monster looks like.

Forget Halloween–the newly minted Monster Mashers will go to any lengths to protect the Kingdom and uncover this mystery. But how did the monster get here? What does it want? And mostly importantly, who is behind its creation?

Snow and Sorcery
Friends abound… or might they be enemies?

It’s winter break in the Cardboard Kingdom, and kids from the town across the park want to play together! But according to the evil Sorceress, not just anyone can join the kingdom… So it’s not long before the two communities spiral into battle.

Will the Sorceress realize the error of her ways before all hope is lost? Will friendship still manage to win the day?

And The Cardboard Kingdom is recommended by a variety of organizations and publications!

Excerpt from The Cardboard Kingdom (2018)