Lovely graphic novel about a girl who wants to break her family's "curse" by falling in love. Neither her parents nor her grandparents were "lucky in Lovely graphic novel about a girl who wants to break her family's "curse" by falling in love. Neither her parents nor her grandparents were "lucky in love", their marriages broke up (her mother left them when Val was only a baby!), so Val thinks she is doomed to be alone too. She talks to the spirit of St. Valentine, who offers her a deal: one year to prove she doesn't share her family's fate, or he'll take her heart and make her impervious to ever suffering a broken heart. Then she meets two terrific boys who are lion dancers, and begins to fall for one of them; could this be true love? Meanwhile, she has family issues to deal with involving her mother and dad.
The art in this book is gorgeous, and there are so many great references to Asian culture, from Chinese and Vietnamese to Korean. I loved all of the characters, especially Val's Vietnamese grandmother, and the sister of one of the dancers, who are particularly funny and buoyant. The romance is swoony and realistic for teens. ...more
A beautiful and haunting graphic novel set in a northern snowy clime (exact location never indicated). A white girl and an indigenous girl (again, nevA beautiful and haunting graphic novel set in a northern snowy clime (exact location never indicated). A white girl and an indigenous girl (again, never specified) join forces to save each other from the clutches of greedy evil men during a gold rush. Themes of misogyny, self-reliance, wilderness survival, and honoring the land not pillaging it. Gorgeous artwork....more
Three Canadian teens work in a pizza shop, rediscovering and/or forming friendships and relationships, solving a mystery of a missing Indigenous teen Three Canadian teens work in a pizza shop, rediscovering and/or forming friendships and relationships, solving a mystery of a missing Indigenous teen girl, and attempting to save the shop from being bought by a corporation and thereby losing its small town local charm. Themes of friendship, mental health/depression, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The characters are quirky and memorable, with LGBTQ and Canadian Indigenous representation. Some deeper moments of philosophical musings are unique (main character Berlin loves surrealism and compares things to Dali paintings sometimes; like I said, quirky!). Recommend for 8th grade and up. (A fair amount of f-bombs, if that sort of thing bothers anyone anymore.) ...more
Excellent story of a teen boy coping with everyday struggles in his neighborhood and family life. Fifteen-year old Fawad lives for basketball, but he'Excellent story of a teen boy coping with everyday struggles in his neighborhood and family life. Fifteen-year old Fawad lives for basketball, but he's having trouble convincing his protective Pakistani mother to let him try out for the school team. He gets bullied by Omar, a neighborhood teen who plays on his rival school's team. Fawad's mother wants to arrange his marriage to a cousin back in Pakistan, which Fawad definitely does not want to do because he is interested in a girl at school--but his mother has forbidden him from dating. And then his best friend's brother, a young man whom Fawad looked up to and valued as a mentor, dies from gun violence, and this really shakes up both of their lives. This story started out grim and I thought I wouldn't like it that much, but I quickly grew to like Fawad's character, and it turned out much more positively than I'd predicted. The basketball action is fast-paced and pretty easy to follow; there are good moments of friendship and a sweet storyline involving his blossoming first relationship. Despite living in a poor neighborhood with rough circumstances, Fawad and his friends rise above their challenges and stay positive and hopeful. The Regent park neighborhood is a character on its own, described as very diverse and varied, which Fawad values despite the drawbacks; descriptions of Muslim culture in general and Pakistani food in particular add warmth and vibrancy to the story. Strong coming-of-age story. For junior high readers and up who are fine with some spicy language. Although it is set in a Canadian city, American teens shouldn't have any problems following the story....more
A great ghost story set in Kansas, that calls attention to the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. This is sort of a sequel to A great ghost story set in Kansas, that calls attention to the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. This is sort of a sequel to the author's previous YA novel Hearts Unbroken, but focuses on a secondary character from that book, Hughie. When the school play is cut from the budget, Hughie volunteers to help create a haunted house for charity. The haunted house is at The Crossroads, site of the disappearance of several local girls over the years, all Native American or similar in appearance. Hughie is dismayed that the haunted house is going to use as its theme a "Haunted Indian burial ground", playing off the local legend of a murdered "Indian princess" whose ghost haunts the crossroads, because he is Native American and wants to stop this culturally inappropriate practice. While he works to create a new theme for the haunted house, he also gets involved in investigating the real girl's disappearance, as one of his friends writes for the school newspaper. Hughie also takes his first tentative steps into dating. Chapters are narrated by Hughie and also by the ghost of the Native girl, giving the book a great spooky aura. The supernatural aspect becomes very real on Halloween night, when the ghosts actually interact with the living characters. I don't want to spoil it but it's a fun night! This is a good middle school-appropriate ghost story with a Native American twist, a murder mystery and a realistic fiction novel all wrapped in one....more
Good middle grade novel about a shy Korean-American girl who secretly wants to become a stand-up comedian against her immigrant parents' wishes. When Good middle grade novel about a shy Korean-American girl who secretly wants to become a stand-up comedian against her immigrant parents' wishes. When she stumbles into a comedy camp and is mistaken for another camper, one little lie snowballs into another. Will Yumi be able to follow her dream without breaking her parents' hearts? Can she still save her father's Korean barbecue restaurant? Yumi is earnest and sincere, and hates lying to everyone. But she also has a strong desire to become independent and prove that she can be a success beyond what her parents want for her. I was hoping for more jokes in the story, but there are a few and they're cute. ...more
A sweet tween book about two 6th grade boys, best friends who live next door to each other, and their struggles with family problems and school probleA sweet tween book about two 6th grade boys, best friends who live next door to each other, and their struggles with family problems and school problems. Both have divorced parents--Isaac's dad has a drinking problem, while Marco's father never sees him, has prioritized his new girlfriend and younger son. Isaac is an athlete, tall, great at basketball, but not so good at academics, while Marco is the opposite: book smart, clever, gets great grades, but physically is short and dumpy and very un-athletic. But they support each other and have a great friendship. Marco wants his father's attention and love and decides to try out for the school basketball team in hopes of doing just that; Isaac tries to concentrate more on his homework and improve his grades, but also wants to see Marco excel at a sport finally. The two boys both help and hinder each other's pursuit of their goals, doing each other's homework and giving each other ballplaying tips and tricks. This is a nice short story about male friendship and perseverance and overcoming all challenges, with a diverse cast and a sprinkling of Spanish phrases as both boys are Latino. 2023 Buckeye Children's Book Award nominee, grades 3-5....more
Fun adventure story with contemporary issues in the mix. A team of four friends competes in puzzle hunts, where you get the first clue online and it lFun adventure story with contemporary issues in the mix. A team of four friends competes in puzzle hunts, where you get the first clue online and it leads you through various places around the city. Usually the prize is money or points or something, but this time a hunt is initiated by a secretive organization called "The Order," which aims to "bring to justice the untouchable elite." The prize they offer to the team who completes the hunt first is POWER. For each of our team members, that power would help them keep their families safe from the effects wrought by a greedy corporation's plans. Our players are eager to win the hunt, but also to find out who exactly The Order is and whether they can possibly join it. I loved the diverse mix of characters on the team--African American, Muslim, lesbian, trans, and neurodivergent are all represented. They each bring something unique to the team, from parkour skills to tech hacking to special communication skills. It's a good action story and character drama; some f-bombs may lead to it being used mostly with older readers but I think if that's not an issue then any middle school student would enjoy it very much. A budding LGBT romance adds some flavor....more
Printz Honor Award winner 2023. This is a really intriguing book! It's a fairy tale, kind of, or a folk tale or fable I guess (I'm hazy on the distincPrintz Honor Award winner 2023. This is a really intriguing book! It's a fairy tale, kind of, or a folk tale or fable I guess (I'm hazy on the distinctions), about immigration and Jewish culture and angels and demons. An angel and a demon take human form and have lived for decades as humans, studying the Torah together in their small 19th century/early 20th century Jewish shtetl (named Shtetl! It's so small of a town that it's called "Town"!). They decide to set out to America to try to find a young woman who has gone missing from their shtetl. Along the way they have lots of adventures, including encounters with another demon, and a dybbuk (a dead Rabbi who turns into a ghost who haunts them), and evil-hearted humans who prey on unsuspecting immigrants (like our modern day coyotes at the southern border, but here fleecing them for passage to Ellis Island and then indentured servitude in shirtwaist factories). They also meet sweet natured humans like Rose, and Essie, two young Jewish immigrant women who befriend them/need their help. The demon becomes a little less demonic (he's really a con man/thief) through his love for the angel, and the angel becomes a little more human as "he" loses some of his magic; the angel goes by "it" pronouns, so there's some nonbinary coding. The reader gets a whole lot of immersion into Jewish culture and traditions--I was very glad for the comprehensive glossary of Yiddish and Hebrew terms. This is an unusual historical fiction/fantasy, very well written....more
I really enjoyed this graphic memoir, and not just because my family history shares a lot of similarities with the author's. It is an excellent look aI really enjoyed this graphic memoir, and not just because my family history shares a lot of similarities with the author's. It is an excellent look at German culture and history, particularly during World War II, and "German guilt" and post-war reckonings. It was a little confusing at times to remember which side of the family she was referring to, as she is researching both her maternal and paternal grandparents/granduncles, but that was easily rectified by looking at the awesome endpapers--which are illustrated with the family tree on both sides. I loved the art style, which is mixed media collage, so along with the drawings there are a lot of black and white photographs--of family and of total strangers, just period photos she found at garage sales or online--and facsimiles of actual forms and papers like her granduncle's 1930's school essays, or a post-war US Army questionnaire filled out by her grandfather. A burning question for Krug is whether or not her grandfather was an active member of the Nazi Party--or did he only join under duress and never do anything to willingly act on their principles. In her quest to find out, Krug travels back and forth to Germany from her home in the US, looks through government files of the time, and interviews some of her relatives--the ones who are willing to talk to her, that is. This book is also a story of a fractured family, and how the war split them apart. It is quite touching to see how she is able to mend some of those relationships, and meet relatives for the first time.
The illustrations are phenomenal. I especially felt a resonance with the pages that are titled "Scrapbook of a German" (or something like that), where she shows an illustration and description of a common everyday item that she remembers having used when growing up in Germany, that she misses now or that she still uses to this day. Examples: "schwartzbrot" (black bread or German bread), hot water bottles, UHU glue. I was familiar with several of these--definitely the bread, it's all my German father ever wants to eat-- and I hadn't even realized some of them were a particularly *German* thing (like hot water bottles), I just thought that was what my parents used because of their generation! (But this makes so much more sense now.) Overall this is just a really well-done book, and anyone reading it will learn a lot....more
I enjoyed this semi-autobiographical graphic memoir. Muslim-American teen Huda goes through an identity crisis as she navigates high school in a new tI enjoyed this semi-autobiographical graphic memoir. Muslim-American teen Huda goes through an identity crisis as she navigates high school in a new town, where she is suddenly no longer the only hijab-wearing girl in school but rather, one of several hijabi. But she still suffers microaggressions and discrimination from teachers, and is trying to figure out what kind of girl she wants to be. She realizes she has several friends, but that none are really a best friend and that she seems to be different around each friend. She also has conflicts with her mom, who is overly protective of her. As the story progresses, she learns to stand up for herself and to appreciate her mother's side of things more. The humor is sweet and self-deprecating, starting with the title, and the art is adorable--in color, with semi-stylizations (the characters' hands are all depicted as circles, like they were dolls, very cute)....more
Gosh darn it, the book made me cry. Very lovely novel in verse about a young girl who feels torn between two worlds, as an Indian American daughter ofGosh darn it, the book made me cry. Very lovely novel in verse about a young girl who feels torn between two worlds, as an Indian American daughter of immigrants. When her mother is diagnosed with leukemia, Reha goes through the gamut of emotions, as she tries to be "the perfect daughter" so her mother will get well again. Very interesting subplot about how Reha's always wanted to be a doctor, even though--she gets queasy at the sight of blood! I was intrigued to learn in the afterword that the author is a doctor as well as a writer. The poetry is very moving. Nominated for the Buckeye Children's Book Award, grades 3-5, although I think older readers would find it interesting as well. Especially if they already are fans of novels in verse....more
Historical fiction novel based on the author's father's true story of living in Communist China and escaping by swimming to Hong Kong. Intense, detailHistorical fiction novel based on the author's father's true story of living in Communist China and escaping by swimming to Hong Kong. Intense, detailed depiction of life during famine (which the government dubbed "The Years of Natural Disasters" to disguise the true cause) and Communist indoctrination, memorizing Maoist sayings, the hardships faced by untrained city youth working on a communal farm in the countryside. Two boys become friends, one city, one country, when they work and room together, and after years of disappointment and personal tragedies, they decide this is their only option. Unlike the other book about swimming away from Communism that I read this year, Beyond the Blue Border, this book deals mostly with life in China. The escape doesn't occur until three quarters of the way into the book. An eye-opening book for teens who may not know anything at all about Maoist Chinese life. (Book set in the late 1960s.)...more
A fun middle grade/tween fantasy about a girl who has mysterious superstrength--which is a big bother to her as she longs to just be normal. When she A fun middle grade/tween fantasy about a girl who has mysterious superstrength--which is a big bother to her as she longs to just be normal. When she accidentally releases the Monkey King, legendary Asian demon-god, from his captivity, he promises to help her if she does him a favor. There's all sorts of action and some humor; the Monkey King is a trickster god, after all. Thom misses her best friend but finally makes a friend in her new town, who harbors a secret having to do with the gods and mythology too. There is a lot of great Asian mythology and culture in the book, but in general it's a middle schooler trying to fit in on her soccer team and at school, who needs some heavenly help to get there. And really, who doesn't want to ultimately save the world with their superpowers?? Even if those superpowers mean you occasionally break a door or throw someone so high they fly out of sight!...more
Interesting premise: a young woman who loves to play the guitar in her band ends up with her dead grandfather's guitar, which contains his SOUL, whichInteresting premise: a young woman who loves to play the guitar in her band ends up with her dead grandfather's guitar, which contains his SOUL, which is trapped forever until she can write "THE" song, the one he began but never finished, that will set him free. She spends so much time working on the songwriting that she neglects her bandmates, and their gigs and recording sessions suffer for it. Things come to a literal fiery conclusion and lessons are learned. I wanted to like this more, but it spent a lot of time on details of being in a band and the early 2000's music scene of Mexicali, Mexico, which was way too specific for me. And hearing the devil speak to you from an old reel-to-reel tape recorder was just...weird. There are apparently lots of Easter eggs in the art referencing specific bands and places and food from the place and time. I was surprised at the lack of Spanish in the dialogue; it could have just as easily taken place in California, and that was a little disappointing to me, I expected more of the Mexican culture to stand out. Art is pretty good, with some cool dramatic panels to show the frenzy of playing music, getting into the groove....more
A sweet LGBT romance and a nice multicultural story. Nishat, a Bangladeshi teen living in Ireland, plans to win her class entrepreneurial competition A sweet LGBT romance and a nice multicultural story. Nishat, a Bangladeshi teen living in Ireland, plans to win her class entrepreneurial competition by selling henna designs--but she must compete against a girl who's doing the same project, and on whom she has a crush! Good book for junior high level, good look at Bengali culture....more
This is an interesting book to file under "books set in a bookstore" but it's also an allegory/fable/fantasy kind of book. Set in Japan, the story conThis is an interesting book to file under "books set in a bookstore" but it's also an allegory/fable/fantasy kind of book. Set in Japan, the story concerns Rintaro, high school junior, who is mourning the recent death of his grandfather and preparing, reluctantly, to pack up his grandfather's beloved bookstore so that Rintaro can move in with his aunt. Rintaro is a "hikikomori," a Japanese word I learned here because the translator felt it didn't have an exact translation into English--it's kind of like hermit, recluse, very shy nonsocial person. But when a magical talking cat appears one day in the store and tells Rintaro he needs his help to rescue some books, Rintaro's adventure begins and through his journey he comes out of his shell. He becomes better friends with Sayo, a girl whom he only knew as his class representative, who drops off the schoolwork he's missing by skipping school in his grief, when she comes along on a cat-fueled journey too. The "labyrinths" the two teens and cat visit are very bizarre, they meet a man who reads books only once and then locks them away forever in cases; a man who cuts up books trying to distill them down to only one sentence; and a man who runs a vast publishing empire where they only publish new hot popular titles and literally throw away every other book as outdated. Each time, Rintaro manages to say or do the right thing to "free" the books and explain the true meaning of reading, and everyone grows a little. It's an okay book, I wanted to love it more but I think maybe what bothered me was just the translation; it's supposed to be kind of stilted and old-fashioned sounding, because it's a fable type of story, but I didn't feel like I really was brought into the story. I was reading it from afar, so to speak. Not really sure how to articulate my thoughts here, but I'm still glad I read it. I actually think it would have been just as good as a graphic novel....more
Excellent contemporary fiction YA about a Haitian-American girl who forms a new friend group of girls who want to escape some of the strictures of theExcellent contemporary fiction YA about a Haitian-American girl who forms a new friend group of girls who want to escape some of the strictures of their parents and open up their social life during their final year of high school. Their "Playlist" has items like "switch up my style," "go to a real house party," and "go on a date," and Simone is eager to expand her horizons and cut loose a little. She's still going to stay a good student, she's gotten in early to college, but she chafes under her immigrant parents' very strict rules. She also doesn't know how to tell them that she really would like to live on campus next year for the fullest college experience, and not at home where she would still be under their thumb. But her first big obstacle is that her mother has arranged a date to the prom for her with Ben, another Haitian family's younger son, just like she did for Simone's older sister. Simone's decision to ask a different boy, the one she's crushing on, to be her date and have one of her friends be Ben's date on the sly, leads to all sorts of complications--not least of which are her developing feelings for Ben. This is a fun lighthearted romantic comedy, a mother-daughter relationship story, and a great look at the Haitian culture and immigration story for today's teens....more
Excellent manga-style graphic novel (written left-to-right in the Western style, but the art is all black and white and there are lots of cute chibi cExcellent manga-style graphic novel (written left-to-right in the Western style, but the art is all black and white and there are lots of cute chibi characters!) about a Japanese-American girl's year living in Japan after high school graduation. She wants to reconnect with her Japanese heritage, having only lived there a few years as a child. But she's caught between two worlds, feeling out of place in Japan as well as at home, not Japanese enough here and not American enough there. But she learns how to embrace her two cultures, as she becomes close friends with her two housemates, Tina and Hyejung, and over the course of the year all three share laughs and heartaches as they get jobs and perfect their Japanese skills (Tina is from Singapore, Jyejung is Korean, so for all three this is living in a new country). There are also two boys living in Himawari House, brothers who are quite opposites, and someone's going to develop a crush.... All three girls speak a combination of English and Japanese; there's also some Korean and "Singlish", a charming mashup language. The speech bubbles are written in the characters of the language spoken, plus English translation if needed, so if you can read Japanese kanji (I think that's the right word here) you can read along in Japanese. That was quite refreshing, I've never before read a dual-language graphic novel. I appreciated the author's note at the end where she explains that one of her reasons for writing the book (and illustrating it) was to reflect her own experiences growing up speaking and hearing multiple languages and accented English. She wanted to show having an accent as a point of pride, not of shame, and that such characters can be multi-faceted and not caricatures. Because after all, what is an accent but "proof of the ability to speak more than one language." I'd never thought of it that way before, I really like that point! Good book to hand to older fans of Japanese manga or to teens about to travel abroad or who are curious to see what it's like....more
Adorable picture book about a Native American girl and her beloved cat, whom she knows is very lucky because as she recounts the many incidents in whiAdorable picture book about a Native American girl and her beloved cat, whom she knows is very lucky because as she recounts the many incidents in which "Woogie" nearly lost a life, from being chased to napping on a warm car engine, she realizes her cat brings good luck to her people and also has more than nine lives! Great illustrations. I picked this up because I'd read American Sunrise by Harjo, her recent adult book of poetry, and saw that she'd also written kids' books so I thought I'd check it out. Plus, cats. :-) ...more
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