Akissi #4

The cover says it all: Akissi — her colorful hair beads flying, a mischievous grin plastered across her face — stands at the chalkboard while a stern, pointer-wielding teacher reads the cheeky inscription she's written ("le maître est nulle"), as horrified classmates look on. Created by Abouet and Sapin for Gallimard Bande Dessinée, this 2013 volume subtitled *Rentrée Musclée* (roughly "One Tough Back-to-School") promises that the new school year will be anything but ordinary for this irrepressible young heroine. Warm, funny, and drawn with real expressive flair, it's a delightful entry in one of French-language all-ages comics' most charming series.