An ambitious but unevenly executed biographical illustrated work that lacks cohesiveness.
Prince tells the story of the rise of the real-life Queen Ranavalona I in a three-part YA graphic novel.
Ramavo, who later becomes the queen of Madagascar, is a young girl in this work based on real events in Madagascan history. After the book introduces teenageRamavo and her people, including her best friend, Hanitra, and Toky, a young warrior, it tells how the Sakalava, another tribe, have invaded other parts of their kingdom. Toky and Hanitra support their king, Andrianampoinimerina,in his efforts to unify the kingdom. Ramavo, however, wonders why they can’t all live in peace. Unexpectedly, a Frenchman named Clementarrives, pretending to be a merchant. He’s part of the faction working to assassinate the king and install Andrianjafy, the king’s uncle, to rule. Ramovo’s father, Tsalamanjaka, reveals the plot to the monarch, garnering his favor. In return, Andrianampoinimerina takes Tsalamanjaka’s daughters as his own. Prince jumps between storylines, which is confusing, as he doesn’t include captions to explain scene or setting changes, except to advance time (“Next Morning”). Prince includes two characters speaking French, but doesn’t provide any English translation, apparently to simulate the main characters’ unfamiliarity with the language. There are some notable scenes of action, as when one character is killed by a crocodile and another is bitten by a snake and kidnapped. After another is killed by the king, Ramavo becomes a princess, and a deception is revealed. The story is disjointed and fragmented, however; also, characters are drawn in very similar styles and can be hard to differentiate at times, though the varied hairstyles help. That said, too many characters initially appear without any identification at all.
An ambitious but unevenly executed biographical illustrated work that lacks cohesiveness.Pub Date: Dec. 12, 2023
ISBN: 979-8987909973
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Black Sands Entertainment
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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