ASH'S CABIN

A 15-year-old seeks solace and solitude in the wild.

Ash has always felt like an outsider, and ever since Grandpa Edwin passed away, that feeling of isolation has only gotten worse. Their parents haven’t fully accepted Ash’s recent name change or newly shorn hair, and school isn’t much better. When Ash learns that their family plans to sell Grandpa Edwin’s old ranch, they come up with a plan: to find Grandpa’s secret cabin in the woods and stay there—forever. They earn money, watch online videos to pick up survival skills, and buy food, gear, and supplies. Ash carefully conceals their preparations, and with a little deception and some luck, they finally set off into the Northern California wilderness with their trusty dog, Chase. Told as a series of journal entries, Ash’s first-person narration is punctuated by panels and full-page spreads depicting current and past events in soft, soothing tones against a clean, white background. The conviction and emotions driving Ash’s decision-making process always feel strong and true and are apparent in the effective illustrations and evocative color palette. This story recalls many familiar and beloved tales—a list of further reading and references includes children’s classics such as Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain—which points to the subject matter’s perennial appeal, but Wang masterfully adapts this storyline for contemporary audiences, seamlessly weaving questions of identity, gender, race (Ash has Chinese and Irish ancestry), and climate change into this fundamental tale of survival.

Searing and radiant.