I’ve read a few recent graphic novels I knew I had to share. Each of them were special in different ways. For fans of science fiction middle grade graphic novels, you’re in for a real treat with Lunar Boy. And for those who have ever struggled to fit in, you’ll have to read Brownstone. Finally, for those who love stories which explore loyalty, The Worst Ronin. Keep reading these book reviews of Lunar Boy, Brownstone, and The Worst Ronin for my full thoughts.
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Lunar Boy by Jes and Cin Wibowo
Indu, a boy from the moon, feels like he doesn’t belong. He hasn’t since he and his adoptive mom disembarked from their spaceship—their home—to live on Earth with their new blended family. The kids at school think he’s weird, he has a crush on his pen pal who might not like him back, and his stepfamily doesn’t seem to know what to do with him. Worst of all, Indu can’t even talk to his mom about how he’s feeling because she’s so busy.
In a moment of loneliness, Indu calls out to the moon, begging them to take him back. And against all odds, the moon hears him and agrees to bring him home on the first day of the New Year. But as the promised day draws nearer, Indu finds friendship in unlikely places and discovers that home is more than where you come from. And when the moon calls again, Indu must decide: Is he willing to give up what he’s just found?
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Lunar Boy is a precious story about family. From the beginning I loved the celestial color palette and the richness of the blues. It’s a story about home being what we can make of it. Knowing it can take time, to have people around us we love, to have the feeling of home. At the same time, Lunar Boy is about assimilation, learning new languages, and the spaces we can carve out as our own. It’s about how we can feel alone and unseen in our family, but also how they can show up for us and support us.
This wonderfully diverse middle grade science fiction graphic novel is so precious. It’s knowing that sometimes an act of love is giving someone the space they need to breathe. To process without worrying about who or how they need to be. Find Lunar Boy on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
The Worst Ronin by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Faith Schaffer
Being a samurai isn’t easy. Sixteen-year-old Chihiro Ito knows that more than anyone. Her father is renowned among the samurai, but the only thing Chihiro is known for is spending way too much time on her phone obsessing over Tatsuo Nakano, Chihiro’s idol and the first woman to be accepted into Kesi Academy, a prestigious samurai school.
So, when Chihiro’s father is conscripted for service and the opportunity arises to work with Tatsuo in his stead, Chihiro jumps at the chance to prove that she’s worthy of a spot at Kesi Academy and the samurai title. Their mission: kill the yamauba demon terrorizing a village. With a legendary samurai like Tatsuo by her side, Chihiro is convinced victory is inevitable. But Tatsuo isn’t at all like the hero Chihiro imagined. Foulmouthed, quick tempered, and a terrible drunk, Tatsuo completely turned her back on the samurai way and is now a ronin working for hire as a means of escaping the grief that haunts her. Forced to work together, the two are thrust on a treacherous journey filled with epic battles and twisted conspiracies as they must put aside their differences to save the village and face the demons of the past.
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Worst Ronin critiques loyalty and may be an example that we shouldn’t meet our heroes. With some action packed training and battle scenes, The Worst Ronin balances modern and traditional. If you love stories about jaded older mentor and young ambitious up and coming warriors, this is for you. Like many stories about power, it explores what happens when we think our destiny is denied. Seeing some perspectives from then allows us to witness the character growth and the journey we have to being the ‘worst’.
My favorite part of The Worst Ronin was as it examines hero worship. The idea of what we would do for honor. All to follow those we respect and we think deserve our loyalty. What happens if we’re wrong? What if they turn on us and show us who they really are? Find The Worst Ronin on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
Brownstone by Samuel Teer and illustrated by Mar Julia
Almudena has always wondered about the dad she never met.
Now, with her white mother headed on a once-in-a-lifetime trip without her, she’s left alone with her Guatemalan father for an entire summer. Xavier seems happy to see her, but he expects her to live in (and help fix up) his old, broken-down brownstone. And all along, she must navigate the language barrier of his rapid-fire Spanish—which she doesn’t speak.
As Almudena tries to adjust to this new reality, she gets to know the residents of Xavier’s Latin American neighborhood. Each member of the community has their own joys and heartbreaks as well as their own strong opinions on how this young Latina should talk, dress, and behave. Some can’t understand why she doesn’t know where she comes from. Others think she’s “not brown enough” to fit in.
But time is running out for Almudena and Xavier to get to know each other, and the key to their connection may ultimately lie in bringing all these different elements together. Fixing a broken building is one thing, but turning these stubborn individuals into a found family might take more than this one summer.
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Immediately I adored the graphic novel style of Brownstone. The rich pops of color, realism, shading, and attention to details. Feeling stuck between cultures and parents, Brownstone encapsulates a summer of having to find our own way. Beginning with feeling left behind, Almudena has questions about her family and her heritage. About the ways she doesn’t feel Guatemalan and to realize the way they treat her for not knowing her own culture mimics the ways the US treats them.
My heart broke for her in the way our feelings of not fitting in felt so similar. Brownstone explores the gentrification in their community and the knowledge that we can’t replace her family. That sometimes the ideas of what should be don’t work with what is. That they never will. Find Brownstone on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.