An absorbing, sincerely told story of adolescent self-discovery and connection.
A new school year brings difficult—and exhilarating—changes for a seventh grader.
In this diary-format graphic novel from Norway, 12-year-old Tuva is looking forward to seeing best friends Bao and Linnéa. The three girls spent the previous school year playing in the woods near their school, but Tuva and Bao are shocked to discover that Linnéa not only has found a boyfriend, she also now scorns their old activities as childish and wants to do “girly things.” Bao has no time for romance, but Tuva is torn between her besties: She still wants to run around in the woods, but she’s secretly curious about love and worried about being left behind. None of the boys she knows seem like soul-mate material. But there’s Mariam, the nice, interesting new girl at school; being around her makes Tuva feel shy, and at first, she’s not sure why. This charming story captures the challenges of navigating strains on friendship bonds; following some emotional highs and lows, the girls reassuringly find their ways back to one another. The sketchy lines of Dåsnes’ digital art combined with the hand-lettered font convey the feeling of a tween’s diary. The fresh color palette with ample white space is visually appealing and effectively adds emotional impact to Tuva’s journey. Bagguley’s translation reads smoothly, and the humorous and intense moments alike read completely naturally. The cast is racially diverse.
An absorbing, sincerely told story of adolescent self-discovery and connection. (author’s note) (Graphic fiction. 9-13)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9781662640544
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Hippo Park/Astra Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel.
Sandy and his family, Japanese Canadians, experience hatred and incarceration during World War II.
Sandy Saito loves baseball, and the Vancouver Asahi ballplayers are his heroes. But when they lose in the 1941 semifinals, Sandy’s dad calls it a bad omen. Sure enough, in December 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor in the U.S. The Canadian government begins to ban Japanese people from certain areas, moving them to “dormitories” and setting a curfew. Sandy wants to spend time with his father, but as a doctor, his dad is busy, often sneaking out past curfew to work. One night Papa is taken to “where he [is] needed most,” and the family is forced into an internment camp. Life at the camp isn’t easy, and even with some of the Asahi players playing ball there, it just isn’t the same. Trying to understand and find joy again, Sandy struggles with his new reality and relationship with his father. Based on the true experiences of Japanese Canadians and the Vancouver Asahi team, this graphic novel is a glimpse of how their lives were affected by WWII. The end is a bit abrupt, but it’s still an inspiring and sweet look at how baseball helped them through hardship. The illustrations are all in a sepia tone, giving it an antique look and conveying the emotions and struggles. None of the illustrations of their experiences are overly graphic, making it a good introduction to this upsetting topic for middle-grade readers.
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel. (afterword, further resources) (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0334-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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