A delightful series opener that offers an ideal mix of humor and heart.
In this semiautobiographical graphic novel debut by actor Amini, a mixed-race girl grapples with identity, friendship, and puberty.
It’s 1999, and middle school isn’t going according to plan for Sara: Her best friend, Monica, seems to have replaced her over the summer, and she’s greeted on the first day of sixth grade by leg hair that definitely wasn’t there the night before. Sara also struggles to navigate complex feelings around her mixed identity—her mom is Colombian and her dad is Iranian—and she doesn’t always feel like she belongs. Awkward or uncomfortable interactions often leave her questioning whether she’s Latina enough or Persian enough. Sara finds comfort in her love of television, which eventually leads her to the school drama club. As her complicated feelings around her identity and relationship with Monica intensify, Sara seeks solace in new friendships and expressing herself on stage, though she soon learns that expressing herself offstage is just as important. Sara’s brightly illustrated journey is nuanced and will resonate with readers who live at the intersection of multiple identities; the serious topics are balanced with a dose of comedy and Amin’s playful art, leaving readers eager for the next installment. Sara’s passion for television introduces pop-culture references to evoke the time period without feeling heavy-handed. Spanish and Farsi words are naturally incorporated and distinguished by different colored text.
A delightful series opener that offers an ideal mix of humor and heart. (Spanish and Farsi glossary, references) (Graphic fiction. 9-13)Pub Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781338797398
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
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 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
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