Last name mispronounced by every teacher? Check. Being called every Asian nationality except Thai? Check. Getting teased for not knowing the right clothes to wear. Check.
In elementary school, Christina wasn’t happy about moving from Dallas to a smaller Texas town so her Thai dad and white mom could open a Thai-Chinese restaurant.
The only Asian kid in town, she was delighted to become best friends with Megan, whose father had emigrated from Iran.
Then they get to middle school, where popular kids get by with everything, including racist remarks.
Most popular of all are the cheerleaders, so Christina and Megan decide to try out!
Oh, Megan isn’t her partner? Oh, the finalists will be voted on by the entire 7th grade?! Oh, this is scarier than roller coasters!!
Based on the author’s real-life experiences as a Thai American kid in a small Texas town, this great graphic novel shows us that your best efforts are more important than winning every contest.
What middle school memory stands out most for you? **kmm
Book info: The Tryout / Christina Soontornvat; art by Joanna Cacao. Graphix / Scholastic, 2022. [author site] [illustrator site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
A mechanical gecko, a garden atop a traveling snail’s shell, an armored jet-propelled ancient fish…
Imaginary beings are at the heart of Shaun Tan’s most beloved books: The Arrival, Tales from Outer Suburbia, The Lost Thing (also made into an award-winning short film – trailer here).
Collected in this large and beautiful book are 25 years of the Australian artist’s paintings and drawings from those books, as well as many standalone works.
“The first thing I remember drawing was a creature… and not much has changed since.” (page 7)
Tan writes intriguing commentary about influences on his style and subject matter – old monster movies, Aboriginal stories, birds in his family’s neighborhood – and how his imagination reinterpreted them as he told stories through images.
Enjoy these large-scale pictures of mechanico-animal beings, humans living alongside unusual beasties, and transformational situations, then flip to the back and read Tan’s notes about how each creature was made.
Includes this set of creature Emoticons, 2016, pencil on paper, digitally composited, originally published in The Stick and Der Spiegel, as shown on Tan’s website.
What creature from your own imagination would you like to meet? **kmm
Book info: Creature: Paintings, Drawings, and Reflections / Shaun Tan. Levine Querido, 2022. [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher; Emoticons illustration from https://www.shauntan.net/creature-book-1.
The ocean is more home for Pearl and her one-eyed doggy than the rundown house that she and Dad share in their struggling South African coastal town.
In fact, the teen is often late for school because she’s diving for sea creatures to sell for rent money.
Pearl spots something interesting through the restricted offshore area’s fence near the sunken trawler, just before the poachers overfishing the abalone beds spot her – and the police boat spots all of them!
Dad says they have to move inland to the city so he can find work, but how can Pearl leave the sea?
Reluctantly helping the poachers find more abalone, she ventures into the fenced-off area and finds an amazing creature!
Now, to keep her new friend Otto safe from everyone, responsibly harvest enough shellfish to pay back the poachers, and stay awake in class…
Easier said than done, as her school friend Naomi worries about Pearl, the poachers spy on her, and Dad says it’s time to move – now!
A stunning graphic novel from creators at Triggerfish Animation Station in South Africa, coming to North America through Catalyst Press.
How have you helped a friend through difficult times? **kmm
Book info: Pearl of the Sea / Anthony Silverton, Raffaella Della Donne, Willem Samuel. Catalyst Press, 2023. [creators’ site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
Shuna’s people are ever-hungry as no crops can thrive in their cold desert land.
When a traveler tells of a strong golden grain that grows far away, the young prince is determined to bring its seeds back to their mountain valley.
Riding west on his yakul, Shuna traverses strange landscapes, fights those who would capture him, despairs at the fortress slave market.
He rescues two sisters at great peril, and the trio travels west without stopping until they reach the cliffs of World’s Edge.
Can Thea and her little sister safely reach their home in the north? Can Shuna reach the God-lands past these dreadful cliffs and find the golden grain? Will Thea and Shuna ever meet again?
Just before co-founding Studio Ghibli in 1985, Miyazaki created this stunning illustrated story based on a Tibetan folktale about a prince’s epic pilgrimage to bring barley to his people.
Four decades after its publication in Japan, the classic graphic novel (read back to front) is available to English readers for the first time. Visit the publisher’s page here to look at its gorgeous artwork.
When the going gets tough, how do you respond? **kmm
Book info: Shuna’s Journey / Hayao Miyazaki; translated by Alex Dudok de Wit. First Second Books/Roaring Brook Press, original 1983, English translation 2022. [translator interview] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
A grandfather’s routine errand to buy tomatoes for spaghetti sauce turns violent as something crashes down from the sky!
The machine-boy tries to atone for his destruction by rebuilding the tomato greenhouse, but needs Grandma’s help to harness his powers.
He practices karate with her all summer long, anticipating the epic Orphan Universe concert and preparing to go to high school.
The school Frosh Dungeon obstacle course victors will get to meet Orphan Universe, so of course Machine Boy is eager to win – his partner Bea with the mysterious past, not so much…
His interstellar pet goes haywire, and Bea may not truly be his friend.
Can Machine Boy be the grandson that Grandma needs?
Includes a reading guide with questions and activities for this middle grade graphic novel, as well as the recipe for Grandma Mei’s Spaghetti and Meatballs!
How are you an everyday hero? **kmm
Book info: Everyday Hero Machine Boy / Irma Kniivila & Tri Vuong. Skybound Comet / Image Comics, 2022. [Irma’s site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
Close your eyes and imagine how Picasso would paint a donut. I bet you see strong colors and lots of angles in his famous Cubist abstract style.
How would other noted artists portray that donut?
This delicious book answers that curious question with donuts in the style of 16 well-known artists from Da Vinci to Van Gogh, Seurat to Matisse, Dali to Basquiat.
Each two-page spread features information on the artist’s life and works, what’s distinctive about their style, and a huge donut in that style.
Artist Chloe Tyler who so brilliantly created all these donuts also includes an extensive glossary, as well as tips & tricks for tasty technique to help you echo a famous artist’s style on your next project.
Which artist would you like to share a real donut with? **kmm
Book info: Cultured Donuts: Take a Bite Out of Art History / Chloe Tyler. Flowerpot Press, 2022. [author/artist interview] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
School is stifling. The woods are freedom. Friends make everything better.
Dan really wonders why kids have to go to school – square tables in square rooms, the same information for everyone. He and best pal Maxie would rather be in Cogan’s Wood, free to climb trees and imagine.
In the middle of their UK spring term, 11-year-old George arrives at Dan’s primary school, accompanied by a lady who’s always taking notes.
Very solemn face, knows lots of facts, has really great handwriting – George seems very, very different from the other kids.
Whether George is an alien or a robot or whatever, Dan’s whole class quickly grows fond of him, and he becomes a great favorite of the littlest kids on the playground.
When George doesn’t come back to school soon after he and Miss Crystal visit Daniel’s house, the whole school is sad and a bit worried.
Oh, he will be back on Friday? Hooray! Oh, what have Miss Crystal and those men done to their friend George? Oh, Dan and his classmates have to free him (with help from Dan’s mum)!
Enjoy Marta Altes’ illustrations as this brand new boy finds his way into Dan’s real world, changing them all along the way.
Which newcomer has brightened your life? **kmm
Book info: Brand New Boy / David Almond; illustrated by Marta Altes. Candlewick Press, 2022. [author site] [artist site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
Resisting South Africa’s colonial government, everyday working-class people stood up for basic rights, often risking their lives during the first half of the 20th century.
Six key court cases involving these “rebels and revolutionaries” set the stage for South Africa’s notorious apartheid policy:
“Until the Ship Sails” – For decades, Asian men brought to work in Transvaal faced tight restrictions of “the Black Act” – in 1908, Gandhi urged them to resist non-violently. How long would the hundreds arrested be detained aboard old ships?
“In the Shadow of a High Stone Wall” – Striking against unjust working conditions in 1911 put Irish emigrants in a wretched prison. Without bail money, they were denied access to their lawyers. Would their 1912 lawsuit for unfair treatment keep other poor South Africans from the same fate?
“Come Gallows Grim” – Companies and gold mines began hiring low-paid Black workers after World War I, leading to riots by displaced white workers who saw the government as allied with mine owners. Death and destruction during martial law in 1922, many captured, including Taffy Long. Two trials, calls for clemency, fears of more riots. When would the shadow of the hangman’s noose leave South Africa?
“The Widow of Marsbastad” – In a 1956 township without running water, they tell stories about 1925 when an old law was suddenly applied to Black women, requiring them to carry a Night Pass while delivering laundry to white customers or be arrested on the spot! Brave women volunteered go out at night to challenge this new restriction. Would the outcome of their cases affect Pass Laws proposed later under apartheid?
“A House Divided” – A land-use dispute in the 1920s pits two factions of the Bafokeng people against one another – the hereditary chief with inconsistent decisions and his councillors who see their tribe’s bankruptcy ahead. Both sides appeal to different departments of the colonial South African government. Will unwritten tribal laws prevail and send dissenters into exile from their homelands?
“Here I Cross to the Other Side” – Tuma leaves Besotho to work in the gold mines during World War II, toiling far underground, with an angry white bossman, too little food, not enough safety precautions. Enduring the same brutal conditions for 20 years led to his father’s early death during Tuma’s first contract time. Why are white mineworkers protected by a union, while Black workers are paid less and forbidden to talk about organizing? Strike!
This stunning graphic novel combines deep research with the visual works of South African artists Liz Clarke, Dada Khanyisa, Mark Modimola, Saaid Rahbeeni, The Trantraal Brothers, and Tumi Mamabola. Each chapter is followed by intriguing historical documents from legal archives and photos of key participants in each case.
Where do you resist injustice today? **kmm
Book info: All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa 1910-1948 – a Graphic History / Richard Conyngham; illustrated by Liz Clarke, Dada Khanyisa, Mark Modimola, Saaid Rahbeeni, The Trantraal Brothers, Tumi Mamabola. Published by Catalyst Press, 2021. [author interview] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
Studying mythic creatures, learning how to heal them, all she’s ever dreamed of!
Late to her first cryptozoology class because her guide was eaten en route, Sorceline is thrilled to be on the Isle of Voon, but the Professor’s assistant (a vampire who can endure sunlight…) calls the teens outside where a gorgon lies unconscious!
Brooding, quiet Merope knows the correct first response, so he will care for the gorgon who needs unicorn blood to survive.
When Tara goes missing during their night field trip to find a unicorn, everyone is worried; when a pile of shattered glass is found in her place, they’re worried and puzzled – what creature can do this?
Zombie pixies? Everyone knows pixies never come out at night, but one bites Sorceline who yells insults, then watches in horror as it turns into glass!
The Professor said that only one of these six students would become his apprentice – who or what is trying to eliminate some of the competition?
Sorceline’s gift is identifying magical creatures with just one look – can she help the Professor find what he needs to cure those turned into glass? Or is she the cause?
Alcide is smitten with Sorceline, utterly obsessed – is he a real teenager or a mythic creature himself?
Originally published in France as a three-part bande dessinee, Sorceline was just released in the US last month – stunning art with so many mystical creatures on the eerie island!
How do you maintain friendships while competing for the same goal? **kmm
Book info: Sorceline / Sylvia Douye; illustrated by Paola Antista. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2022. [illustrator site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
Too-small house, big-big dream – action time is now!
Reading an old magazine aloud to his grandmother, 12-year-old Boipele finds the most interesting story – a man in Canada began with a red paperclip and kept trading until he had a house!
He longs to get his father and grandmother out of this tiny two-room house in their dusty South African village where they have many friends, but no jobs.
Boi and his best friend Potso decide he can start trading with the clay cow they make, so Mrs. Viljoen gives them permission to place their poster outside her Cedarville Shop.
Once folks understand that Boi is trading for something “of greater value” everyone is talking about his swapping dream. For each new trade, Potso draws another clever poster.
As the swapping continues, their classmates prepare for the Talent Show, and little breezes of hope stir through the village, along with a newspaper reporter who wants Boi’s story!
Why are his village’s problems as big as Cedarvale Mountain? Will lovely, kind Sesi in his grade ever notice Boi? Can Boi truly swap his way to a house big enough for three?
Come over to Cedarville and meet all of Boi’s neighbors as this young man works to make his dream come true.
What would you trade Boi for his clay cow? **kmm
Book info: The Cedarville Shop and the Wheelbarrow Swap / Bridget Krone; art by Karen Vermeulen. Catalyst Press, 2022. [author site] [artist site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
