Tag: graphic novel

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Chef Yasmina And The Potato Panic by Wauter Mannaert

Posted on by hijabilibrarians

Mannaert, Wauter,; Illustrated by Wauter Mannaert; Translated By Montana Kane. Chef Yasmina And The Potato Panic. Jan. 26, 2021, 160pp. First Second, $14.99. (9781250622044). Grades 3-6

Chef Yasmina And The Potato Panic, a graphic novel by Belgian artist Wauter Mannart and translated by Montana Kane, follows 11-year-old aspiring chef Yasmina. Yasmina and her father Omran live in an apartment in Brussels, Yasmina preparing their vegetarian meals to eat at home and for Omar to take to his work at a frites shop. A photograph of a woman wearing hijab implies that Yasmina’s mother has passed away and that the family is Muslim, but there are no indicators of specific racial, ethnic, or cultural identity of the family. Yasmina’s cooking is delicious, their limited budget supplemented by Yasmina’s resourceful foraging and friends running community gardens. Still times are tight, and despite her initial reservations, Yasmina finds herself occasionally sneaking onto the lush rooftop garden of her mysterious upstairs neighbor to pilfer ingredients. 

When a big potato corporation buys up farms in the city and its outskirts things change for Yasmina. The company wants to monopolize the potato market with genetically modified crops, engineered to be irresistibly addictive, so much so that the populace start displaying bizarrely gluttonous, aggressive zombie-ish behavior. Yasmina no longer has access to as much fresh produce and her visits to the rooftop garden increase. While Yasmina is discovered she also find out that her elusive neighbor has a surprising link to this disturbing corporate potato scheme. Rallying her friends, Yasmina embarks on a daring (and silly) mission to expose the truth, take down the corporation, and restore balance to her community.

Mannaert’s narrative is fun and charming, but also visually engaging, employing sequential vignettes along with traditional panels to propel the story forward with dynamic action sequences, and find balance between words and illustrations. Older readers or those reading with children can approach the narrative with surface level fun or ask deeper questions around healthy eating, access to fresh produce, and even genetically modified foods. Still, it is up to the readers to engage in nuanced conversation about food access as well as the costs and benefits of GMOs, corporate interests, and food insecurity and shaming of food choices in the context of access and the privilege in food waste, particularly for readers in the United States. Still, this graphic novel raises awareness of access to food in a way that is fun, celebrates joy in cooking, and community. 

I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp by Anthony Del Col; illustrated by Fahmida Azim

I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp
by Anthony Del Col;
illustrated by Fahmida Azim
Lev Gleason/Diamond Books

WINNER OF THE 2022 PULITZER PRIZE FOR ILLUSTRATED REPORTING!

A 2024 JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION!

This graphic novella, from New Friday an imprint of Lev Gleason®, recounts the true story of Zumrat Dawut, as originally published in the independent online news organization, Business Insider, through interviews conducted by Anthony Del Col and testimony given to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Zumrat Dawut is a mother of three in the Xinjiang autonomous region in China, who was arrested and sent to a detention facility for simply being a Muslim. There, she endured brutal living conditions, torture, interrogations, anti-Muslim propaganda, and sterilization. But that was just the beginning of Zumrat’s troubles, who with her husband would soon hatch a plan to escape to America.

This story, featuring art by Golden Kit Award-Winner Fahmida Azim (Samira Surfs), and adapted by best-selling writer Anthony Del Col (Kill Shakespeare), was originally published online by Business Insider. This print edition, published by New Friday an imprint of Lev Gleason®, includes a foreword by Nicholas Carlson, Global Editor-in-Chief of Business Insider, an interview with the creative team, a follow-up interview with Zumrat Duwat, a teaching/discussion guide, and process art.

I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp is a harrowing, evocative, and important story that will enthrall and enlighten readers worldwide.

Cover image and summary via Edelweiss

Shiny Misfits: A Graphic Novel by Maysoon Zayid; illustrated by Shadia Amin

Shiny Misfits: A Graphic Novel
by Maysoon Zayid; illustrated by Shadia Amin
Graphix/Scholastic

A hilarious story about fame and friendship, by comedian and disability activist Maysoon Zayid, paired with Shadia Amin’s absolutely perfect art!

Bay Ann wants to shine.

She’s sure her moment in the spotlight has arrived when she wins the school talent show with a showstopping tap routine! But then her classmate and crush, Alyee Maq, causes her to wobble and almost fall. The video of him catching her goes viral, making Alyee an overnight sensation for “helping her.” Bay Ann is reduced to her disability and her talent is ignored.

Bay Ann doesn’t want her classmate to get all the fame, and she is NOT satisfied being anything but the best. She’ll do everything in her power to beat Alyee at his own attention-seeking game. With the help of her two best friends, Michelle and Davey Matt, she’ll go up against Alyee and his crew to prove she’s number one.

But as Bay Ann tries to find the thing that really makes her stand out, everything she tries goes disastrously wrong. What if the only way to beat her enemy . . . is to join him?

This is a hilarious and one-of-a-kind graphic novel about fame, friendship, and fighting to take back your own story.

Cover image and summary via Shiny Misfits

Posted in Books, Reviews

Review: ParaNorthern: And the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse by Stephanie Cooke and Mari Costa

Posted on by Nada Abdelrahim

Cooke, Stephanie and Costa, Mari. ParaNorthern: And the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse, July 2021. 240pp. Etch/Clarion Books, $19.99. (9780358168997). Grades 3 – 7.

Stephanie Cooke’s ParaNorthern (illustrated by Mari Costa) is a humorous and heartfelt graphic novel fit for any age group. When young witch Abby Morgan accidentally opens a portal in the magical realm of North Haven unleashing a horde of chaos bunnies, her initial instinct is to keep the problem to herself. When she realizes that these destructive hares are too big of a job to take care of on her own she must look beyond her worries and accept the help of her family and friends.

With a consistent theme of adolescent independence and relying on others, Abby’s struggles can be relatable to many middle grade readers. Though first resistant to receive help, Abby’s friends–werewolf Gita, pumpkinhead Silas, and ghost Hannah–support her through her fears to help her find the confidence in her witch powers. Costa’s engaging illustrations and palette of fall-like hues of orange, purple, and red complement the dialogue and flow of the narrative. With no real introduction to the characters or setting, the novel reads like a second volume. Readers may find it necessary to read the first volume in order to have foundational knowledge of the world.

The characters of Paranorthern are quite diverse, ethnically and by paranormal standards. Many of the characters appear to have brown skin. Gita is a werewolf and presents as female, and there seems to be a mutual crush between her and Abby. Silas is a pumpkinhead boy trying to convince the other paranormal creatures to stop ingesting pumpkins. Hannah is an undead ghost from another dimension. In a realistic portrayal of the observance of hijab, Hannah wears a headscarf whenever she is outside her own home and does not wear it inside her house. However, though Hannah’s hijab is normalized in illustrations and not constantly called out, she is never explicitly named as Muslim. Throughout the book, Hannah mentions how she and her family are ghosts from another dimension, Hannah is seen chatting with her grandmother through the computer, and magically she needs a charm to be physically present in North Haven’s dimension. These elements hint that Hannah may be part of a diaspora community, living away from her home dimension. But though this parallels real life SWANA diaspora communities in North American or European countries, Hannah’s ethnicity is also never specified, though usage of language implies that they are Arab but terminology is incorrectly used.

With heartwarming, fun, and laugh-out-loud moments, Paranorthern celebrates the power of  friendship in a paranormal world. Readers will cheer for Abby and her friends as they work together to return the Chaos bunnies back to their realm.

I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp by Anthony Del Col, illustrated by Fahmida Azim

I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp
by Anthony Del Col, illustrated by Fahmida Azim

WINNER OF THE 2022 PULITZER PRIZE FOR ILLUSTRATED REPORTING!

This graphic novella recounts the true story of Zumrat Dawut, as originally published in the independent online news organization, Insider, through interviews conducted by Anthony Del Col and testimony given to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Zumrat Dawut is a mother of three in the Xinjiang autonomous region in China, who was arrested and sent to a detention facility for simply being a Muslim. There she endured brutal living conditions, torture, interrogations, anti-Muslim propaganda, and sterilization. But that was just the beginning of Zumrat’s troubles, who with her husband would soon hatch a plan to escape to America.

This story, featuring art by Golden Kit Award-Winner Fahmida Azim (Samira Surfs), and adapted by best-selling writer Anthony Del Col (Kill Shakespeare), was originally published online by Insider.

I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp is a harrowing, evocative and important story that will enthrall and enlighten readers worldwide.

Cover image and summary via Edelweiss

Who Was the Greatest?: Muhammad Ali (Who HQ Graphic Novel) by Gabe Soria

Who Was the Greatest?: Muhammad Ali (Who HQ Graphic Novel)
by Gabe Soria
Illustrated by Chris Brunner and Rico Renzi
Penguin Random House / Penguin Workshop

“The Who HQ Graphic Novels series does an excellent job of quickly engaging readers by capturing the drama and immediacy of pivotal historic events.” — Booklist

Discover the story behind Muhammad Ali and the boxing match that captivated the world, the Thrilla In Manila, in this powerful graphic novel — written by Murder Ballads‘ Gabe Soria and illustrated by award-winning artists Chris Brunner and Rico Renzi.

Presenting Who HQ Graphic Novels: an exciting new addition to the #1 New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series!

Explore the journey Muhmmad Ali took to win his final match against fellow heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier, known as the Thrilla in Manila. A story of athleticism, heart, and determination, this graphic novel invites readers to immerse themselves into the explosive power of the boxing champion and civil rights activist– brought to life by gripping narrative and vivid full-color illustrations that jump off the page.

Series Overview: Presenting Who HQ Graphic Novels: a new program from the #1 New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series that highlights one pivotal moment from a person life’s or an event in graphic novel form!

Squire by Nadia Shammas

Squire
by Nadia Shammas, illustrated by Sara Alfageeh
Quill Tree / HarperCollins

This YA fantasy graphic novel follows fourteen year-old Aiza, who trains to become a knight for a war-torn empire while hiding her true background as a girl from conquered lands.

Born a second-class citizen, Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It’s the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the Ornu people, her only path to full citizenship.

Now, ravaged by famine, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again. This means Aiza can finally enlist to the competitive Squire training program.

The camp is nothing like she envisioned. Hiding her Ornu status in order to blend in, Aiza must navigate friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the merciless General Hende. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the “greater good” Bayt-Sajji’s military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in more danger than she ever imagined.

Summary and cover image via Edelweiss

Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit by Samira Ahmed Samira Ahmed

Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit
by Samira Ahmed, illustrated by Andres Genolet
Marvel

The greatest hero of the new generation returns in an all-new solo adventure! After an explosion of interdimensional proportions at her cousin’s lab, Kamala Khan suddenly has a doppelgänger to deal with! As Ms. Marvel, it’s her duty to help out the newcomer, but something doesn’t feel quite right. Kamala’s powers are on the fritz, and she suspects that this new hero-in-training isn’t trustworthy. And why has everything around her…turned into a Bollywood set?! New York Times best-selling author Samira Ahmed (Love, Hate, & Other Filters; Internment; Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know) brings all the flair of her young adult fiction to the always-surprising world of Ms. Marvel!

Summary and cover image via Edelweiss

Compass, Volume 1: The Cauldron of Eternal Life by Robert MacKenzie and Dave Walker

Compass, Volume 1: The Cauldron of Eternal Life
by Robert MacKenzie and Dave Walker, illustrated by Justin Greenwood
Image Comics

Shahidah El-Amin is many things: scholar, cartographer, astronomer, mathematician, scientist, explorer, adventurer, and—when need be—two-fisted fighter. Setting out from Baghdad’s legendary House of Wisdom during the Islamic Golden Age, Shahi’s quest brings her to 13th-century Britain…where the Welsh are whispered to possess the secret of eternal life. But Shahi’s not the only one after it…

Re-teaming from the pages of THE OLD GUARD: TALES THROUGH TIME, writers ROBERT MACKENZIE and DAVE WALKER (LAZARUS: SOURCEBOOK) and artist JUSTIN GREENWOOD (LAZARUS: X +66, Stumptown) take you on a breathless race across the map. Follow the Compass to unlock the secrets of the ancient world!

Cover image and summary via Edelweiss

All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa by Richard Conyngham

All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa
by Richard Conyngham,
illustrated by Dada Khanyisa, Liz Clarke, Saaid Rahbeeni, Tumi Mamabolo, Nathan Trantraal, Andre Trantraal, Mark Modimola
Catalyst Press

A graphic anthology celebrating pivotal human rights court cases—the stories of which have never been told before—in South Africa’s pre-apartheid years, and the unsung heroes who sacrificed everything to ensure a better future for all.

All Rise: Resistance and Rebellion in South Africa revives six true stories of resistance by marginalized South Africans against the country’s colonial government in the years leading up to Apartheid. In six parts—each of which is illustrated by a different South African artist—All Rise shares the long-forgotten struggles of ordinary, working-class women and men who defended the disempowered during a tumultuous period in South African history. From immigrants and miners to tram workers and washerwomen, the everyday people in these stories bore the brunt of oppression and in some cases risked their lives to bring about positive change for future generations.

This graphic anthology breathes new life into a history dominated by icons, and promises to inspire all readers to become everyday activists and allies. The diverse creative team behind All Rise, from an array of races, genders, and backgrounds, is a testament to the multicultural South Africa dreamed of by the heroes in these stories—true stories of grit, compassion, and hope, now being told for the first time in print.

Cover image and summary via Edelweiss