Laura I.'s Reviews > Frizzy

This graphic novel is so so good. I love that BIPOC creators are getting more and more chances to create middle grade realistic graphic novels in the vein of Raina Telgemeier — not just the big trauma stories but also the more everyday stories as well. It’s so important! I bought this for my middle school library, and I think the kids will really love and connect to it.

This book is about big things (racism, anti-blackness, colorism, intergenerational trauma), but it’s also a story of daily life, regular family woes, and middle school friendships and drama. It made me cry, kind of a lot! The art is somehow both gorgeous and incredibly cute, and the writing does so much while being deceptively simple. It does some great education work (explaining what anti-blackness is and how it pertains to so-called “good hair”), while also being so nuanced, sensitive, and non-pedantic. Highly recommended.