A heartfelt, reassuring, and emotionally intelligent page-turner.
A teen girl faces new challenges both at home and in high school in this graphic memoir by author and illustrator Bermudez.
Alyssa has a lot on her plate as a new ninth grader at an all-girls high school in New York City in 2002. Her camp crush is far away, and she misses him. Her white mom and Puerto Rican dad make her try out for sports, even though she doesn’t consider herself athletic. Dad lectures her on the importance of taking advantage of every possible opportunity. He’s getting remarried soon, which means adjusting to a new stepfamily. And, hardest of all, her dad has been sick with liver issues that Alyssa can tell are more serious than he wants to let on. But relatable, likable Alyssa bonds almost instantly with a new group of girls at lunch—and she even makes the cross-country team. Her dad comes to cheer her on at meets, and she and her mom watch Gilmore Girls together. Life is good. The story unfolds through Alyssa’s diary entries, which burst with mini-adventures and expressive, colorful illustrations. But when disaster hits, Alyssa must rely on her family and friends for support. Even in her darkest moments, the love surrounding Alyssa shines endearingly, almost palpably, on the page. Through her heartache, Alyssa remains relatively well adjusted, learning to cope with her pain in healthy ways.
A heartfelt, reassuring, and emotionally intelligent page-turner. (author’s note, photographs) (Graphic memoir. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9781250774309
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
Full of laughter and sentiment, this is a nudge for readers to dare to try new things.
A 1989 summer trip to Europe changes Caldecott Medal winner Santat’s life in this graphic memoir.
Young Dan hasn’t experienced much beyond the small Southern California town he grew up in. He stays out of trouble, helps his parents, and tries to go unnoticed in middle school. That plan gets thwarted when he is made to recite poetry at a school assembly and is humiliated by his peers. When eighth grade is over and his parents send him on a three-week study abroad program, Dan isn’t excited at first. He’s traveling with girls from school whom he has awkward relationships with, his camera breaks, and he feels completely out of place. But with the help of some new friends, a crush, and an encouraging teacher, Dan begins to appreciate and enjoy the journey. Through experiences like his first taste of Fanta, first time hearing French rap, and first time getting lost on his own in a foreign country in the middle of the night, he finally begins to feel comfortable just being himself and embracing the unexpected. This entertaining graphic memoir is a relatable story of self-discovery. Flashbacks to awkward memories are presented in tones of blue that contrast with the full-color artwork through which Santat creates the perfect balance of humor and poignancy. The author’s note and photos offer readers more fun glimpses into his pivotal adventure.
Full of laughter and sentiment, this is a nudge for readers to dare to try new things. (Graphic memoir. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85104-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
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