Call Me Iggy

by | Feb 20, 2024

Call Me Iggy begins with a cinematic moment – a young man, presumably Iggy’s father, leaving Columbia in 1982 for Columbus, Ohio. The hairstyles and clothing in the images, as well as the color palette of yellows and browns, give the impression of a bygone era. Then we are propelled forward to 2016 Columbus, Ohio, where young Ignacio “Iggy” Garcia is riding along with his older brother, Billy to his first day of high school—where things quickly go awry.

Besides being the younger brother to a do-no-wrong older sibling (who is embarrassed enough by Iggy to pretend not to know him), he winds up in a Spanish class instead of the French class he wanted and he accidentally bumps into a girl at school (Marisol) and her coffee, spilling it all over her papers and books. But Spanish class turns out to be a chance to get to know Iggy’s crush, Kristi a little better so he decides to stick it out.

All of this seems rather mundane until the day when Iggy discovers his dead abuelito’s ashes in the basement and an accidental spill leads to an encounter with his grandfather’s ghost. Soon Iggy is striking a deal with his abuelito’s spirit to spread his ashes somewhere nice – in exchange for his Columbian grandfather’s help with Spanish class and impressing his crush.

There is so much about Call Me Iggy that feels timely, heartfelt, and thought-provoking all while maintaining its humor. As we find ourselves in another election year, it feels especially poignant to revisit the 2016 presidential election and what that looked like for Latin Americans. The way that the story tackles this and racism in America is well done, both realistic and hopeful.

Call Me Iggy’s author, Jorge Aguirre is, like Iggy, a Colombian-American born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and the story feels very honest and informed by life experience, despite the infusion of magical realism. The artwork by Rafael Rosado is vibrant and stunning, allowing readers to become fully immersed in the story. Panels including Iggy’s grandfather clearly depict that he is a transparent figure in clothing like those he wore in the first scene, when Iggy’s father was leaving Columbia in the ‘80s. The interactions between Iggy and his grandfather are one of the many entertaining things about the book – their banter is amusing and Iggy’s growth with his abuelito’s guidance is evident.

I loved seeing Iggy’s transformation as he began to learn more about his heritage – learning Spanish, salsa dancing, and how to cook arepas, among other things – and his burgeoning political leanings as he started to see what the future Trump presidency would mean for someone like Marisol or her family. The book is part family story, part commentary on the impact of assimilation. Getting to see Marisol’s family and their connection to their culture alongside Iggy’s own family and their journey is especially impactful.

The book is best suited for teens and will likely be enjoyed by those who gravitate towards stories of family, culture, and identity such as Laura Gao’s Messy Roots or Trung Le Nguyen’s The Magic Fish.

Call Me Iggy  Vol. 
By Jorge Aguirre
Art by Rafael Rosado
Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, 2024
ISBN: 9781250204158 

NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
Creator Representation:  Latinx,
Character Representation: Latinx,

Eerie Tales from the School of Screams

by | Sep 28, 2023

As a kid, I loved spooky stories; not much has changed. I’m still a horror fanatic. I still like grim tales with ghosts or monsters, and I especially love to be surprised by a smart, creepy thriller. Enter Graham Annable and his new middle-grade horror graphic, Eerie Tales from the School of Screams—this year’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. This is the horror comic of my childhood dreams…or maybe nightmares?

Reminiscent of Alvin Schwartz and Edward Gorey while remaining wholly original, the tales here are built around the framework of a classroom where children are bid to tell their eeriest tales. It opens with an overly cheerful teacher—Ms. Nomed—encouraging each of her students to tell “the eeriest story you have!”.

Siblings Davis and Emily are reluctant—and here, Anable does a fantastic job showing a range of emotions from glee (Ms. Nomed) to fear (Davis and Emily) on each of his googly-eyed characters’ faces. Instead of coming forward with their own stories, the siblings eye their teacher suspiciously as classmate after classmate volunteers to tell another tale. The stories range widely in horror subgenres. Readers are treated to folk horror, sci-fi horror, and more in the School of Screams. 

Each child’s story is paced to build on our mounting unease around what is really happening in Ms. Nomed’s strange classroom. The use of color is minimal, mostly two-toned, giving the whole book the feel of a classic creature feature. 

Annable is a cartoonist and animator with multiple award nominations under his belt, including an Oscar nomination in 2015 for The Boxtrolls. It makes sense that his stories would feel cinematic. There is no actual gore on the page but plenty of spooky images to haunt readers long after they shut the book: dismembered heads that talk, tentacled aliens, and upside-down headed demons. 

Davis and Emily’s classmates and the characters in their stories appear racially diverse. Trigger warnings for the second story, ‘The Face in the Forest’ which features emotional abuse and implied physical abuse. 

Recommended for kids who like their stories a little weird and scary, but not too scary. The publisher’s recommended reading age is 8-12 but kids who are easily spooked should be cautioned—this book has some truly unsettling stories and illustrations that will stick with you.

Eerie Tales from the School of Screams  Vol. 
By Graham Annable 
Art by Graham Annable 
Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, 2023
ISBN: 9781250195043

Publisher Age Rating: 8-12

NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)