Monster Locker, Vol. 2: Nine-Tail Trouble
Written by Jorge Aguirre
Illustrated by Andrés Vera Martínez
Published by First Second
What happens when a mischievous nine-tailed fox goes toe-to-toe with a colossal golem? What happens when Japanese and Jewish folklore collide? Pablo and his friends are about to find out, in this hilarious and action-packed graphic novel.
After their face-off with an angry Aztec earth goddess, Pablo, Maggie, and Takashi are living it up as their school’s resident monster-banishing trio. (It turns out that fighting drooling trolls and vicious kelpies gets you invited to all the best parties.) Lately, though, monsters are the least of Takashi’s problems. Wrestling with his parents’ divorce, his father’s impossibly high expectations, and his multicultural identity, he decides to summon a “helpful” monster: a shapeshifting nine-tailed fox called Kitsune.
The charming Kitsune gets straight to work solving problems for Takashi and his classmates, and before long, the entire school is under his spell. As the situation spirals out of control, Pablo and Maggie turn to an unexpected source to rescue their best friend. But is summoning a second monster a brilliant plan, or a recipe for disaster?
Don’t miss the rest of the series! Explore:
Primary ISBN: 9781250749765
Publication Date: April 2026
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Middle Grade, Graphic Novel, Age 10 or older
Community Represented: Japanese/Japanese American, Unspecified (Hispanic/Latinx/Latine)
Themes: Accolades & Awards, Accolades & Awards: Starred Review, Coming of Age, Cross-Group Friendship, Cultural Empowerment, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Family, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Identity, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Storytelling, Family Relationship: Parents, Genre: Action Adventure, Genre: Fantasy & Folklore, Identity: Exploration, Identity: Multiracial, Life Event: Divorce, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Religious Background: Jewish
Setting: United States (Columbus OH)
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 2nd Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
Click here for details about how we define our titles.
Engagement Projects & Resources:
Share your favorite resources for this book with info@imyourneighborbooks.org.