Timely and boldly told.
The creators of the acclaimed graphic novel Illegal (2017) take on climate change.
Twelve-year-old Sami lives with his grandfather in a fishing village on the Bay of Bengal. Every day, survival becomes more difficult as the sea rises, cyclones buffet the coast with increasing ferocity, and the two bring in fewer and fewer fish. Thousands of miles away, in Northern Canada, in the Arctic Circle, Yuki, a 14-year-old girl cued as Inuit is determined to save the emergent and struggling grolar bears (a polar bear–grizzly hybrid), which brings her face to face with nature at its most primal. Their stories mirror each other, pitting individuals and communities against themselves, each other, and nature itself as their worlds change faster and more drastically than they can adapt to. The decision to depict two mostly disparate, highly personal narratives from vastly different communities works surprisingly well to heighten relatability for young readers who might otherwise feel worlds away from the events of the story. The quotidian consequences of climate change are laid bare, impossible to ignore despite the creative team’s adroit avoidance of proselytizing. The text is pointed and poignant, beautifully complemented by dynamic illustrations that bring the scenes to dramatic life. Backmatter does an excellent job summarizing global warming and its negative effects, which does cast a shadow over the somewhat-forced optimism of the story’s ending, as it seems only a matter of time before the children’s hard-won luck runs out again.
Timely and boldly told. (map with Sami’s and Yuki’s locations, authors’ and illustrator’s note, sketchbook) (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728257235
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
Brava!
From award winner Telgemeier (Smile, 2010), a pitch-perfect graphic novel portrayal of a middle school musical, adroitly capturing the drama both on and offstage.
Seventh-grader Callie Marin is over-the-moon to be on stage crew again this year for Eucalyptus Middle School’s production of Moon over Mississippi. Callie's just getting over popular baseball jock and eighth-grader Greg, who crushed her when he left Callie to return to his girlfriend, Bonnie, the stuck-up star of the play. Callie's healing heart is quickly captured by Justin and Jesse Mendocino, the two very cute twins who are working on the play with her. Equally determined to make the best sets possible with a shoestring budget and to get one of the Mendocino boys to notice her, the immensely likable Callie will find this to be an extremely drama-filled experience indeed. The palpably engaging and whip-smart characterization ensures that the charisma and camaraderie run high among those working on the production. When Greg snubs Callie in the halls and misses her reference to Guys and Dolls, one of her friends assuredly tells her, "Don't worry, Cal. We’re the cool kids….He's the dork." With the clear, stylish art, the strongly appealing characters and just the right pinch of drama, this book will undoubtedly make readers stand up and cheer.
Brava! (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-32698-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
SEEN & HEARD
Problem-solving through perseverance and friendship is the real win in this deeply smart and inspiring story.
Leaving Brooklyn behind, Black math-whiz and puzzle lover Bree starts a new life in Florida, where she’ll be tossed into the deep end in more ways than one. Keeping her head above water may be the trickiest puzzle yet.
While her dad is busy working and training in IT, Bree struggles at first to settle into Enith Brigitha Middle School, largely due to the school’s preoccupation with swimming—from the accomplishments of its namesake, a Black Olympian from Curaçao, to its near victory at the state swimming championships. But Bree can’t swim. To illustrate her anxiety around this fact, the graphic novel’s bright colors give way to gray thought bubbles with thick, darkened outlines expressing Bree’s deepest fears and doubts. This poignant visual crowds some panels just as anxious feelings can crowd the thoughts of otherwise star students like Bree. Ultimately, learning to swim turns out to be easy enough with the help of a kind older neighbor—a Black woman with a competitive swimming past of her own as well as a rich and bittersweet understanding of Black Americans’ relationship with swimming—who explains to Bree how racist obstacles of the past can become collective anxiety in the present. To her surprise, Bree, with her newfound water skills, eventually finds herself on the school’s swim team, navigating competition, her anxiety, and new, meaningful relationships.
Problem-solving through perseverance and friendship is the real win in this deeply smart and inspiring story. (Graphic fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: May 17, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-305677-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
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