Beautifully illustrates how sharing old stories can be the best way to learn how to share new ones.
While Tiến is fluent in English, his Vietnamese refugee parents are not, leaving them struggling at times for a shared language.
Tiến’s mom, Hiền, asks him to read aloud the fairy tales he checks out from the library; they both love them, and she can use them to practice English. When Tiến selects “Tattercoats,” his seamstress mother tells him that there is a Vietnamese version that her own mother told her, long ago. As he reads the story of love, longing, and travel across a sea, Hiền is reminded of family she left behind in Vietnam while Tiến tries to navigate his own first love, a boy he is friends with. Le Nguyen’s gorgeous, flowing, detailed illustrations deftly weave Vietnamese and Western fairy-tale worlds together with Hiền’s memory of her past and Tiến’s struggle over coming out. The rich color palette highlights both the layers within each panel as well as serving as a road map for readers by indicating whether the panels are set in the present, the past, or within the fairy tale. This clever use of color smooths the way for the sophisticated embedding of stories within a story that highlights the complex dynamics between first-generation and second-generation family members. Warm, loving family and friends are a refreshing alternative to immigrant stories that focus on family problems.
Beautifully illustrates how sharing old stories can be the best way to learn how to share new ones. (author’s note, notes about the illustrations, bonus artwork) (Fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-12529-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
An enjoyable, if predictable, romantic holiday story.
Is an exuberant extended family the cure for a breakup? Sophie is about to find out.
When Sophie unexpectedly breaks up with her boyfriend, she isn’t thrilled about spending the holidays at her grandparents’ house instead of with him. And when her grandmother forms a plan to distract Sophie from her broken heart—10 blind dates, each set up by different family members—she’s even less thrilled. Everyone gets involved with the matchmaking, even forming a betting pool on the success of each date. But will Sophie really find someone to fill the space left by her ex? Will her ex get wind of Sophie’s dating spree via social media and want them to get back together? Is that what she even wants anymore? This is a fun story of finding love, getting to know yourself, and getting to know your family. The pace is quick and light, though the characters are fairly shallow and occasionally feel interchangeable, especially with so many names involved. A Christmas tale, the plot is a fast-paced series of dinners, parties, and games, relayed in both narrative form and via texts, though the humor occasionally feels stiff and overwrought. The ending is satisfying, though largely unsurprising. Most characters default to white as members of Sophie’s Italian American extended family, although one of her cousins has a Filipina mother. One uncle is gay.
An enjoyable, if predictable, romantic holiday story. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-02749-6
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
Engaging characters and appealing, nostalgic artwork make for a satisfying read.
In this series opener, 17-year-old Alaskan Waverly Lyons goes to spend two months in the small coastal town of Holden, Florida, with her aunt Rachel.
At first, Waverly has difficulty adapting to her new environment, but she begins to befriend some of the locals, finds a job, and meets her aloof neighbor, Blake Hamilton, a lifeguard with his own yet-to-be-revealed issues. Marchant excels in capturing themes of self-discovery and budding romantic tension between the two white-presenting leads. Waverly’s journey of growth feels natural and relatable, with internal monologue appearing in rectangular text bubbles and accompanying the dialogue and external action. Joaquin’s artwork enhances the storytelling through its warm and inviting color palette, which utilizes both soft pastels and vibrant tropical tones to create an immersive atmosphere. Blurring simulates motion and movement. While the plot follows familiar genre tropes, the small-town setting enhances the charm and brings echoes of simpler times to this contemporary tale. The character designs are expressive, capturing subtle emotions effectively through body language, while the scenic backgrounds bring the coastal setting to life. The paneling is well-paced, ensuring smooth transitions between comedic, romantic, and emotional moments. This graphic novel, originally released on WEBTOON, was based on Marchant’s Wattpad novel of the same name, and the story has also been made into a film.
Engaging characters and appealing, nostalgic artwork make for a satisfying read. (Graphic romance. 13-17)Pub Date: July 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781546175247
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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