Twelve-year-old Ty is captain of the swim team, but he missed the last swim season because of a broken arm. That’s not all he missed: he hasn’t seen his best friends Max and Heather in months. They keep reaching out, but Ty doesn’t know how to talk to them now, because he’s feeling so many things he can’t explain. He’s scared to get back in the water, but doesn’t know who he is if not a champion swimmer. He hates that he gained weight while recovering. He gets overwhelmed frequently in social situations. Oh, and he secretly has a crush on Max.
So Ty has been hiding out at home, but that ends when he, Max, and Heather start summer camp. Camp means new friends and cool activities . . . and a looming swim competition that Ty can’t even think about. He’s struggling to rebuild his friendship with Max after avoiding him for so long. Meanwhile, he finds his own body disgusting and has started skipping meals. His friends and well-meaning camp counselors care about him, but they don’t understand what he’s going through. For Ty to get better – and to fix things with Max – he’s going to have to finally let other people in and ask for help.
This book, based on experiences of author Lee Durfey-Lavoie, touches on several serious issues without ever naming or diagnosing anything. Ty suffers from what might be panic attacks, depicted as water rising around him or waves crashing over him. He feels helpless and hopeless, and sometimes does things like go to bed super early to avoid doing activities and being around people. Ty hates his heavier body, often can’t bring himself to eat, and at one point digs his nails into his own stomach hard enough to leave marks that others notice. He also worries what others might think if they discover he is gay.
Ty starts asking for help fairly early, but the sympathetic camp counselors he talks to aren’t sure how to support him. Things get better as he makes new friends and starts to enjoy some new activities, letting him see himself as something other than a once-great, now-failed swimmer. Eventually, he stands up to his own cruel internal voice and finally shares his struggles with the person he has been shutting out for so long: Max.
The cast is diverse, including characters of various races as well as gay and trans characters. They have a variety of passionate interests, from bug catching to tabletop roleplaying games. Misunderstandings and hurt feelings cause Ty and Max to keep hurting each other, and the camp counselors are a little out of their depth with Ty’s problems, but the characters are all kind, supportive, and doing their best.
The art is colorful and active, with a cartoony style. The characters mostly keep the same outfits throughout the book, which is helpful for distinguishing between Heather and Max, siblings who otherwise look similar. The art is simple and clean, without much fine detail except in scenes that require it, like when Ty and his friends are designing and building a canoe.
Some readers may wonder about the fact that therapy is never suggested or mentioned, given the seriousness of Ty’s struggles. Because the book ends while he is still at summer camp, we also never get to find out whether he tells his parents what has been happening with him, or what they do next. Ty’s situation has improved by the end of the book, but one hopes this is only the beginning of his healing.
This is a hopeful book, with a protagonist who is struggling but who takes some good steps, like telling the adults in charge about his problems. The summer camp makes a fun backdrop, with lots of new friends and interesting activities. It may appeal to fans of Upstaged by Robin Easter, another story in which a queer kid goes to summer camp with their crush and has difficulty connecting. Fans of middle grade realistic fiction will enjoy this if they don’t mind some heavier subject matter than typical tween awkwardness.
Sink or Swim By Lee Durfey-Lavoie Art by Veronica Agarwal Penguin Random House Graphic, 2024 ISBN: 9780593125519
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13) Creator Representation: Indian American, Italian-American, Character Representation: Gay, Ambiguous Mental Illness, Eating Disorder
As I Enfold You in Petals begins with several pages of wordless panels and near wordless panels depicting people in a huge line waiting to enter, one family at a time, the home of Benny the Bank, a notorious bootlegger first met in the first volume. The people are waiting to impress Benny on his birthday with promises and gifts. The winner will receive a substantial amount of cash, but it is an almost impossible task.
Curtis joins the line. He has just returned to Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, after fighting forest fires and six weeks in rehab for alcoholism. His gift is definitely a surprise for Benny: his lost watch, found when Curtis was fighting fires. Curtis does not want the cash; he wants title to his grandfather’s home which is now owned by Benny. Curtis is interested in helping others in Fort Smith in the struggle with alcoholism and wishes to connect with Louis, his grandfather. Louis’ legacy is as a healer who received his gifts from the Little People and Spirit Helpers.
Curtis’s invitation to the Little People is through a song which is witnessed by Benny and Crow, a mysterious female friend of Benny’s. Benny tells her “As I Enfold You in Petals,” a poetic phrase borrowed from letters he read from Curtis’s father to his wife. The reader also discovers Benny’s secret wishes and his illness in his conversations with his sons. All is dependent on Curtis regaining the trust and support of the Little People.
As I Enfold You in Petals is the second volume in The Spirit of Denendeh series. The first is A Blanket of Butterflies.
Written byRichard Van Camp (he/him/his) a proud member of the Tlicho Nation from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, illustrated by Scott B. Henderson, Donovan Yaciuk and Nickolej Villiger. The first volume, originally published in black and white, has been completely revised by the four creators to provide a fresh and colorful rendition of the story. The newly released volume (2022) includes a precise essay regarding the background of this story as well as an essay on the interactions between the Japanese and the Dene.
It is a delight to have such a positive depiction of Dene spirituality and the people in this superb story of hope, strength of spirit, and redemption. The story celebrates family connections, memories, and stories through the text and the stunningly illustrated and colored illustrations. The pacing created by the panels, along with the rich and diverse coloring scheme, enfold readers into this story of cultural awakening and knowledge, leaving them satiated and complete. The characters and setting are vivid and authentically brought to life while the revisiting of memories is clearly delineated by sepia tones providing an accessible and seamless reading experience. Materials in the back provide information and cultural context about traditional Inuit tattoos that appear in the graphic novel.
The Spirit of Denendeh: As I Enfold You in Petals Vol. 2 By Richard van Camp Art by Scott B. Henderson, Donovan Vaciuk, Nickolej Villiger, Highwater Press, 2023 ISBN: 9781774920411
Publisher Age Rating: 15+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: Indian American, Dogrib Dene, Character Representation: Indian American, Dene, First Nations or Indigenous, Addiction
Indian-American Priyanka, also known as Pri, is a comics-loving teenager who has important questions. She wants to know why her mother left India and who her father is, but her mother remains tight-lipped. After Pri discovers a pashmina (a kind of shawl) in an old suitcase, she finds herself transported to a bright and magical India. Convinced that she needs to visit the real place, Pri travels to India to discover the origins of the pashmina and herself.
Nidhi Chanani weaves together a story full of magic and realistic situations to form a charming narrative of identity and growth. Pri is a compelling protagonist, whose struggles to fit in are relatable. Pri’s determination, demonstrated through her persistent questions and decision to use her own prize money for airplane tickets, helps her to reach her goals. Chanani also includes a greater conversation about injustice and the importance of choice for women. As Pri comes to understand her identity and her mother’s story, she finds her strength.
Chanani conveys a setting filled with Pri’s close family and friends, school drama, the goddess Shakti, and magic. Because the main character and her family are Indian-American, the story naturally includes elements of Indian culture. The characters also use some Hindi words, and although the words are not explicitly translated, there is usually enough context for non-native speakers to get the gist.
Chanani’s artwork captures movement and body language well, and her ability to draw strong scenes add to the emotional power of the work. She also includes little details, such as posters of Sailor Moon in Pri’s room, to give a sense of the characters’ identity. Many of the illustrations are in black and white, and so Chanani’s judicious use of color effectively symbolizes idealism and packs a big punch at key moments.
Pashmina is a rich, sweet graphic novel about understanding your identity and finding your purpose. There is no gore or sexual content, but, given some of the more emotionally mature topics, this comic is ideal for readers ten and older. Readers looking for a work with a great feminist message will gravitate toward this one. I, for one, hope to see more work from Nidhi Chanai.
Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani ISBN: 9781626720879 First Second, 2017 Publisher Age Rating: 10-14
It was a dark and stormy night. No, really, it’s a perfect film noir opening. Our hero, Arjun Kadam, is injured and facing an armed gunman. It looks like the end. The street lights highlight the rain pouring down on Kadam and throw the scene into stark relief. Let us flashback to how Kadam found himself in this position.
Arjun Kadam is an ex-cop in Mumbai. He is down on his luck and feeling sorry for himself. One evening, a young flower-seller talks with him and makes him feel hopeful, if only for a minute. So when she is killed minutes later in front of him in a hit-and-run, he is determined to track down her killer. Let us flashback to how Kadam found himself in this position.
Arjun Kadam is a rising star in the police force. He has a beautiful wife and they are expecting their first child. He is working on the anti-mob task force under Vishnu Damle, supervised by Sunil Sawat. But then, everything goes downhill. Damle is permanently injured in a raid gone wrong, and complications develop with his wife’s pregnancy. He goes from having everything before him, to nothing.
The story moves back and forth from the present to the past, as we learn why Kadam has become so hopeless and just how corrupt the police force can be. We see how his wife and unborn baby died, wrenching his life apart. We see his guilt at his supervisor’s wheelchair-bound state. These drive him to hunt down the answer to the hit-and-run accident that killed the flower seller, which leads him deeper into the corruption of the police force.
The novel is mostly drawn by Vivek Shinde, with the interludes and side plots drawn by other artists. The art is lush and dark painting in a city that seems to be always night and always raining. Saurav Mohapatra has written a wonderful compact and compelling story with all the twists and turns you would expect from a true noir crime mystery.
Mumbai Confidential: Good Cop, Bad Cop by Saurav Mohapatra Art by Vivek Shinde, et al ISBN: 978-193639365 Archaia Entertainment, 2013 Publisher Age Rating: Adult
Twelve-year-old Ty is captain of the swim team, but he missed the last swim season because of a broken arm. That’s not all he missed: he hasn’t seen his best friends Max and Heather in months. They keep reaching out, but Ty doesn’t know how to talk to them now, because he’s feeling so many things he can’t explain. He’s scared to get back in the water, but doesn’t know who he is if not a champion swimmer. He hates that he gained weight while recovering. He gets overwhelmed frequently in social situations. Oh, and he secretly has a crush on Max.
line waiting to enter, one family at a time, the home of Benny the Bank, a notorious bootlegger first met in the first volume. The people are waiting to impress Benny on his birthday with promises and gifts. The winner will receive a substantial amount of cash, but it is an almost impossible task.
Indian-American Priyanka, also known as Pri, is a comics-loving teenager who has important questions. She wants to know why her mother left India and who her father is, but her mother remains tight-lipped. After Pri discovers a pashmina (a kind of shawl) in an old suitcase, she finds herself transported to a bright and magical India. Convinced that she needs to visit the real place, Pri travels to India to discover the origins of the pashmina and herself.
It was a dark and stormy night. No, really, it’s a perfect film noir opening. Our hero, Arjun Kadam, is injured and facing an armed gunman. It looks like the end. The street lights highlight the rain pouring down on Kadam and throw the scene into stark relief. Let us flashback to how Kadam found himself in this position.
