by Sweeney Boo ; illustrated by Joana Lafuente ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 21, 2020
A sad but ultimately hopeful story of learning to love oneself.
Can self-love be packaged in a chocolate bar?
Mindy is a young woman with body dysmorphia who finds emotional comfort in eating. Lately she has been feeling depressed—unhappy with her body and unsure about her life and future. One day, at her neighborhood corner store, Mindy purchases on impulse a chocolate bar with a label reading “Eat and Love Yourself.” She discovers that each bite transports her to a time in her past. Readers, along with Mindy, get to watch pivotal moments in her younger years when she endured derisive comments and bullying around weight and food that led to her struggles with low self-esteem and disordered eating. Throughout the story, readers observe Mindy coping with the negative feelings resulting from these interactions—some, painfully, with loved ones—and they witness her present-day journey to self-acceptance, self-advocacy, and openness to love. The illustrations are vivid yet subdued, with a jewel-toned palette that manages to evoke warmth in a story that deals with sharp, uncomfortable realities. The writing and artwork complement each other and serve to make the reading experience more immersive. Boo’s graphic novel reads as realistic despite involving time travel, and readers will find themselves rooting for Mindy as she relives deeply hurtful experiences. Mindy and her family are light-skinned and racially ambiguous, and there is ethnic diversity in secondary characters.
A sad but ultimately hopeful story of learning to love oneself. (Graphic fiction. 12-adult)Pub Date: April 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68415-506-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: BOOM! Box
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
More by Sweeney Boo
BOOK REVIEW
by Sweeney Boo ; illustrated by Sweeney Boo
by Ari North ; illustrated by Ari North ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 19, 2020
A warm, sweet, lovely tale of a world readers will want to live in.
In a not-so-distant future where changing one’s physical features is as easy as purchasing nanobot mods, Sunati falls for Austen, a girl who always looks the same.
Since Austen never changes, Sunati admires what she assumes is her bravery and confidence. As Sunati and Austen chat more, Austen bluntly asks Sunati if she only wants to get to know her more because of her medical condition, which prevents her from using mods. As they gradually grow closer, Sunati learns how to interact more respectfully with those who have overactive immune systems as well as to share her feelings more honestly. Austen, in turn, learns to trust Sunati. This beautifully illustrated slice-of-life tale that shows two young women of color getting to know each other and creating a relationship is so warm and charming that readers will hardly notice how much they are learning about how to better interact with folx who are different from themselves and the importance of not making assumptions. The story also successfully weaves in agender, genderfluid, and asexual characters as well as the subjects of parenting and colorism into the natural arc of Sunati and Austen’s developing story. The soft, romantic artwork evokes hazy watercolors. The speech bubbles are predominantly pink and blue, and the varied layout will maintain readers’ interest.
A warm, sweet, lovely tale of a world readers will want to live in. (Graphic romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 19, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4998-1110-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
More by Ari North
BOOK REVIEW
More About This Book
PERSPECTIVES
by William Shakespeare ; adapted by Crystal S. Chan ; illustrated by Poe Tse ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 16, 2019
Shakespeare’s fantastical dream in an appealing format that can be shared with a wider audience.
Manga that brings to life Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy.
This third entry in Manga Classics’ adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays maintains their practice of reproducing the full text of the original. The black-and-white illustrations allow readers to easily follow the plot while also picking up on subtle themes that are significant to understanding the play. For example, the abundant imagery surrounding the moon is emphasized by the moon’s presence in the backgrounds of many panels throughout the book, drawing readers’ attention. Long dialogues are also explained visually, which allows young readers to grasp what is being discussed without the need for a glossary or translation into modern English. The nobility is portrayed in a typical manga fashion with large eyes, small noses, and well-defined ears—but with appropriate Grecian clothing—while the commoners are easily visually distinguishable from them in style. The guide to reading manga at the beginning unfortunately describes the right-to-left reading order as “backwards from the normal books you know,” a strangely judgment-laden description for a book using manga to broaden the cultural exposure of young readers. However, the creators’ notes at the end offer fascinating insights into the adaptation process and may inspire budding manga artists to attempt their own works.
Shakespeare’s fantastical dream in an appealing format that can be shared with a wider audience. (cast, creators’ notes, character design sheet) (Graphic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-947808-10-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Manga Classics
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by William Shakespeare ; adapted by Crystal S. Chan & Michael Barltrop ; illustrated by Julien Choy
by William Shakespeare ; adapted by Crystal Chan ; illustrated by Julien Choy
by L.M. Montgomery & Crystal Chan ; illustrated by Kuma Chan
More by William Shakespeare
BOOK REVIEW
by William Shakespeare ; adapted by Crystal S. Chan & Michael Barltrop ; illustrated by Julien Choy
BOOK REVIEW
by William Shakespeare ; adapted by Crystal Chan ; illustrated by Julien Choy
BOOK REVIEW
by William Shakespeare ; adapted by Georghia Ellinas ; illustrated by Jane Ray
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.