A fierce, transformative graphic novel about art and relationships.
Enrolling at the Art Farm should have been fun, but Jade’s best friend, Phoebe, has just attempted suicide; the residency is more intense and competitive than she had imagined; and she’s feeling lost among the creative, inspired residents.
Yet the summer is full of promise, beauty, and friendship—especially the possibility of romance with the absolutely lovely and whimsical Mary—even as it comes with a side of guilt for Jade as she thinks about Phoebe. When pushed to consider her creative process, Jade turns clay and inner turmoil into ceramic monsters, which in turn change form, springing to life from the kiln. The color palette shifts from monochrome to sepia as Jade finds herself missing Phoebe and starts rationalizing her newfound feelings through imaginary conversations with her friend. Splashes of fabulism are seamlessly incorporated through illustrations and text to celebrate art—its purpose and technique and powers to heal, disrupt, and inspire—all without being sentimental. Slip is liquefied clay that’s used to attach and protect pottery, and it serves as a metaphor running through the work about transformation, fragility, and bonding. Yet, there is space for more depth of character development, especially of the other artists at the Art Farm and in the relationship between Phoebe and Jade. Jade has brown skin and wavy dark hair; Mary has light skin and dark hair.
A fierce, transformative graphic novel about art and relationships. (Graphic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64375-249-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Algonquin
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
A fast-paced dip into the possibility of a world without human emotions.
A teenage girl refuses a medical procedure to remove her heart and her emotions.
June lives in a future in which a reclusive Scientist has pioneered a procedure to remove hearts, thus eliminating all “sadness, anxiety, and anger.” The downside is that it numbs pleasurable feelings, too. Most people around June have had the procedure done; for young people, in part because doing so helps them become more focused and successful. Before long, June is the only one among her peers who still has her heart. When her parents decide it’s time for her to have the procedure so she can become more focused in school, June hatches a plan to pretend to go through with it. She also investigates a way to restore her beloved sister’s heart, joining forces with Max, a classmate who’s also researching the Scientist because he has started to feel again despite having had his heart removed. The pair’s journey is somewhat rushed and improbable, as is the resolution they achieve. However, the story’s message feels relevant and relatable to teens, and the artwork effectively sets the scene, with bursts of color popping throughout an otherwise black-and-white landscape, reflecting the monochromatic, heartless reality of June’s world. There are no ethnic or cultural markers in the text; June has paper-white skin and dark hair, and Max has dark skin and curly black hair.
A fast-paced dip into the possibility of a world without human emotions. (Graphic speculative fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780063116214
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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