Lacks cohesion but still a relatable look at bodies and self-acceptance.
Spanning 1989 to 1990, Page’s latest graphic memoir looks back on seventh grade, when he navigated shifting friendships and body-image issues.
After winning an extra-large T-shirt in a competition and having to buy husky jeans during back-to-school shopping, Tyler begins to look at himself differently: “I’m not fat. Am I…?” While changing in the locker room, Tyler struggles with the ways his body differs from those of other boys, especially those who are developing muscles; even watching TV shows like He-Man reminds him that he doesn’t resemble society’s physical ideal. While Page’s cartoon art is appealing and clearly presented, the narrative loses focus as it juggles multiple storylines, including brief encounters with a bully, Tyler’s frustration as lighthearted jibes between friends turn mean-spirited, his own casual cruelty toward a fellow student, and a budding relationship with a classmate wrestling with her own insecurities. Tyler’s father’s quest to lose weight and to get the rest of the family to adopt healthier habits takes up a lot of narrative space while barely affecting Tyler’s examination of his own body. Though related, these elements don’t hang together well, leaving the book uneven in spots. Nevertheless, Tyler’s journey feels authentic as he slowly finds “a place for myself in the world…where I [can] just be myself.” Tyler and most characters present white.
Lacks cohesion but still a relatable look at bodies and self-acceptance. (author’s note) (Graphic memoir. 10-14)Pub Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781250851574
Page Count: 208
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality.
An examination of the history of Chinese American experiences.
Blackburn opens with a note to readers about growing up feeling invisible as a multicultural, biracial Chinese American. She notes the tremendous diversity of Chinese American history and writes that this book is a starting point for learning more. The evenly paced narrative starts with the earliest recorded arrival of the Chinese in America in 1834. A teenage girl, whose real name is unknown, arrived in New York Harbor with the Carnes brothers, merchants who imported Chinese goods and put her on display “like an animal in a circus.” The author then examines shifting laws, U.S. and global political and economic climates, and changing societal attitudes. The book introduces the highlighted people—including Yee Ah Tye, Wong Kim Ark, Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, and Vincent Chen—in relation to lawsuits or other transformative events; they also stand as examples for explaining concepts such as racial hierarchy and the model minority myth. Maps, photos, and documents are interspersed throughout. Chapters close with questions that encourage readers to think critically about systems of oppression, actively engage with the material, and draw connections to their own lives. Although the book covers a wide span of history, from the Gold Rush to the rise in anti-Asian hate during the Covid-19 pandemic, it thoroughly explains the various events. Blackburn doesn’t shy away from describing terrible setbacks, but she balances them with examples of solidarity and progress.
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality. (resources, bibliography, image credits) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780593567630
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
A powerful resource for young people itching for change.
Soccer star and activist Wambach adapts Wolfpack (2019), her New York Times bestseller for adults, for a middle-grade audience.
“YOU. ARE. THE. WOLVES.” That rallying cry, each word proudly occupying its own line on the page, neatly sums up the fierce determination Wambach demands of her audience. The original Wolfpack was an adaptation of the viral 2018 commencement speech she gave at Barnard College; in her own words, it was “a directive to unleash [the graduates’] individuality, unite the collective, and change the world.” This new adaption takes the themes of the original and recasts them in kid-friendly terms, the call to action feeling more relevant now than ever. With the exception of the introduction and closing remarks, each short chapter presents a new leadership philosophy, dishing out such timeless advice as “Be grateful and ambitious”; “Make failure your fuel”; “Champion each other”; and “Find your pack.” Chapters utilize “rules” as a framing device. The first page of each presents a generalized “old” and “new” rule pertaining to that chapter’s guiding principle, and each chapter closes with a “Call to the Wolfpack” that sums up those principles in more specific terms. Some parts of the book come across as somewhat quixotic or buzzword-heavy, but Wambach deftly mitigates much of the preachiness with a bluff, congenial tone and refreshing dashes of self-deprecating humor. Personal anecdotes help ground each of the philosophies in applicability, and myriad heavy issues are respectfully, yet simply broached.
A powerful resource for young people itching for change. (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-76686-1
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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