Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Dave Valeza, Four Eyes Trilogy, Fruitcake: A Graphic Novel, LGBTQ, rex ogle, YA graphic novel

Fruitcake: A Graphic Novel: Rex Ogle's Four Eyes Trilogy Concludes

Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza bring their YA LGBTQ coming-of-age Four Eyes graphic novel trilogy to a conclusion with Fruitcake, out April 2026.

Published Sun, 14 Dec 2025 16:58:04 -0600

by Adi Tantimedh

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Article Summary

Fruitcake concludes Rex Ogle's Four Eyes trilogy with a heartfelt, middle-grade graphic memoir.
The story tackles coming out, first crushes, and the struggle for self-acceptance in middle school.
Praise from Kirkus and Booklist highlights the book’s emotional honesty and expressive artwork.
Releasing April 2026 from Scholastic Graphix, Fruitcake is now available for preorder online.

Award-winning author Rex Ogle and illustrator Dave Valeza return with Fruitcake: A Graphic Novel, the heartfelt conclusion to their emotionally resonant and highly relatable Four Eyes trilogy. The series is described by Booklist thus: "Ogle powerfully depicts middle-school bullying, the pressures of living in a low-income family, and the struggle to find a place to fit in and to stand up for oneself, all with multifaceted characters. Valeza and Szymanik's well-paced, wonderfully crafted, and expressive artwork does an excellent job of capturing the emotional turns of this captivating, honest story about adolescence. Hand to fans of Raina Telgemeier, Dan Santat, Jerry Craft, and Shannon Hale."

Fruitcake: A Graphic Novel: Rex Ogle's Four Eyes Trilogy Ends — Cover art: Scholastic Books / Graphix

Fruitcake: A Graphic Novel by Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza

Kirkus Reviews said, "Readers will deeply care for Rex's journey toward self-acceptance, his familial relationships, and his navigation of a new school environment. The bright, clean art emphasizes the emotional highs and lows… A realistic, funny, and heartfelt framing of the hardships of middle school and fitting in."

A pitch-perfect middle-grade graphic memoir about crushes, coming out, and finding the courage to be yourself.

Eighth grade isn't off to a great start. Everyone but Rex seems to be coupling up, and he's starting to feel like an outsider… until he meets Charlotte. She's fearless, smart, pretty, and she likes him back. But as great as Charlotte is, there's someone Rex can't stop thinking about.

Drew is Rex's childhood best friend, so when he kisses Rex, all kinds of new feelings begin to stir. Though at school, Drew acts like he doesn't even know Rex, making those feelings turn really confusing really fast. And with all the strong opinions Rex hears at home and at church, he questions his own worth and what his affections actually mean. Rex wants to be more like his new friend, Nina, and not care what others think, but being himself seems impossible. When did middle school get so confusing?!

Fruitcake: A Graphic Novel is out on April 7th, 2026, and is now up for preorder.

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