Serendipity

Written and illustrated by Gabbie Benda

Penguin 2026

Reviewed by Zewlan Moor

Serendipity is a girl who has it all. She’s class captain, plays a lead role in the school play, and is the star shooter in her basketball team. She puts this down to a lot of luck, exemplified by her tendency to win giveaways from the local radio station multiple times a week. 

When her tightly wound schedule begins to unravel, Serendipity refuses to take the advice of her scientifically minded friend, Basil. Basil suggests she cut down on some of her commitments and focus in on the ones coming up next.

Serendipity prefers to pretend the deadlines are not looming, and seeks mystical solutions to regain her “lost luck”. She tries to avoid anything deemed unlucky by superstition, and spends her time seeking advice from the mechanical fortune teller at the town carnival. 

As Serendipity starts to fail her friends, teammates and classmates in spectacular fashion, she learns to heed Basil’s advice and delegate, depend upon and give credit to those who support her in her ambitions. 

While the plot is a bit thin, the themes of humility and teamwork more than make up for it. This is a good graphic novel for those energetic children with many projects on the go, who may have a tendency towards perfectionism, burnout and alienating their peers. The illustrations are bright and clear, with a contemporary suburban setting that may appeal to fans of Raina Telgemeier, Age 10+.

Zewlan Moor is the author of Nothing Alike, The Bill Dup and Our World: Philippines. Her next book, Say Hello Like an Armadillo is out in the US/UK in June 2026 and Australia in Summer 2026-7. Pre-order or add it to your Goodreads Want To Read shelf now!