(3) YA Based on her adult autobiography, Friedman recounts her childhood during the Holocaust, detailing her experiences in the Tomaszów Mazowiecki ghetto, the Starachowice labor camp, and the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. The book shares her heartbreaking experiences of loss, starvation, and cruelty, while highlighting her strength and resilience. The narrative’s historical importance and depth make this an indispensable tool for understanding this dark chapter in history. Suitable for upper middle-grade and older readers.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) 4-6 Translated by Aerin Park. Told in spare, quiet prose sprinkled with humor, Go’s illustrated autobiographical story unfolds around a close-knit Korean family. Jung-soon’s grandparents are both Korean War orphans who meet and build a life together, filled with happiness. The oldest of their three children is the protagonist’s father. While their shared war-based upbringing leads to thriftiness (“two squares for pee, three for poop”), Grandpa nevertheless brings fun into their lives, such as singing silly words to TV shows and dispensing the titular candy as part of Jesa day to honor the ancestors. Jung-soon happily spends school breaks in this idyllic home, escaping her parents’ turbulent relationship. When illness takes first the grandfather and then the grandmother, the girl learns how to accept grief and sadness, finding peace in everyday aspects of life: flower blossoms, pairs of birds, power wires that cross the sky. Go’s illustrations feature luminous palettes of yellows, greens, and pinks with more solemn black-and-white compositions, populating the spreads with whimsical, childlike shapes and creatures as well as straightforward portraits of day-to-day experiences. Love and family life permeate each page of this heart-warming story.

Reviewer: J. Elizabeth Mills | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) YA In Button Pusher (rev. 5/22), Tyler gained weight as a side effect of taking Ritalin for his ADHD. In this companion graphic memoir, Page explores the intersection of body image, bullying, and masculinity during his middle school years. Tyler wins an extra-large T-shirt at a racetrack and, while it fits initially, he starts to notice that his pants no longer do. Then his father decides to lose weight and insists the entire family “start eating a little better” and exercise more regularly. Dad’s more-extreme no-sugar diet raises questions for Tyler (“my dad had reached his goal weight...But did losing thirty pounds make him healthier?”). Meanwhile, middle school remains an emotional minefield. Tyler is increasingly insecure about his body; and as his friends mercilessly ridicule other students with pranks and name-calling, it’s only a matter of time before they turn on him. Fortunately, this coincides with a change in bus routes, allowing him to befriend a few other students who allow him to be himself. These positive friendships coincide with the cumulative effects of his healthier habits, providing a good measure of self-acceptance, not to mention closure to the narrative. The visual appeal of the art is strong with bright colors, effective panel layouts, and the occasional use of white space. In his author’s note, Page says he slightly rearranged and reshaped the events and characters in this story; nevertheless, the emotional truth resonates.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Linh Dao. In this somber, emotional, semiautobiographical picture book, Thai tells a story based on memories of her family’s escape from postwar Vietnam. Using spare, straightforward language, the young narrator shares her experiences over the course of a year as her parents sell their possessions to fund their escape from a difficult life in which everyone was “hungry” and “afraid” and relatives went “missing” as punishment “for being on the losing side of the war.” Dao’s evocative digital illustrations, done mostly in brown, green, and gray, heighten the dangers as the family escapes into the jungle at night, then boards an over-crowded wooden boat. The titular sea threatens all passengers as they run out of food and water; when the pump gives out, the boat starts to sink. The family is rescued at the last moment and eventually resettles in the UK, but the protagonist remains haunted by their brush with death. An author’s note pays tribute to the hundreds of thousands of others who did not survive the journey. This moving, visually compelling story about one refugee family’s experiences is a powerful testament to fostering compassion and understanding.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(1) YA This graphic memoir, a sequel to The Genius Under the Table (rev. 9/21) but for a teen audience, picks up in 1980 Leningrad, with Yelchin’s early adulthood. Yevgeny (as he was then known), who’s obsessed with Americans, meets American student Libby while showing his art at an illegal exhibition and sneaks away with her during a raid by the KGB. Yevgeny starts out with some naiveté about the political and antisemitic danger around him, but that changes with the “accidental” death of a Jewish friend denied permission to emigrate. He and Libby agree to marry, both out of love and so Yevgeny can emigrate himself, but the long process of obtaining a marriage license and then an exit visa drags on through difficult years. Yevgeny avoids the draft by working as a theater designer in Siberia near a nuclear plant, is eventually drafted (not without putting up a fight), and finds himself in a psychiatric hospital, where he is injected with drugs that affect his memory. Tension builds throughout, with the varying degrees of sharpness in the black-and-white panel illustrations perfectly matching that mood and reflecting the murkiness of what Yevgeny understands. Though the stakes are high, this political and artistic coming-of-age story has plenty of broadly relatable moments of indecision, stubbornness, frustration, and (often dark) humor, as its young subject figures out who he is, where he wants to be, and how to get there.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Mercè López. This collection features twenty poems about real-life mistakes each of the poets made in childhood. The contributors include Linda Sue Park, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Lacresha Berry, Jaime Adoff, Margarita Engle, Vikram Madan, and Naomi Shihab Nye, along with thirteen others; the poems are organized into four categories: "Oopsie-Daisy!" "Stuff Happens," "Blessings in Disguise," and "What Have I Done?" The wide range of moments captured include scoring a soccer goal for the wrong team, publicly mispronouncing a word, succumbing to peer pressure, skipping school, spreading gossip, hurting someone's feelings -- many relatable experiences. Each poem is accompanied by a prose paragraph by the poet describing the consequences of their mistake and what they learned. The poems themselves are narrative snapshots, sometimes rhyming, often in free verse, and rich in emotion and introspection. Illustrator López creates entire, emotive scenes with expressive faces, poses, and repeating motifs in the mixed-media art

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) YA In a graphic memoir set in 1993, thirteen-year-old Chinese Canadian Ruth is apprehensive about her family's upcoming move from Toronto to Hong Kong. While her parents are thrilled (her mother is returning home after thirty years), Ruth loves her life in Toronto and doesn't want to leave. Her father tries to reassure her, telling her that "it's okay to be nervous about change and the unknown. Just remember that you'll be okay. The unknown is simply a part of life." But adjusting to the move is difficult. Ruth feels alienated from her extended family, struggling to communicate in Cantonese and often breaching Chinese etiquette. When a new friend begins ignoring her and her father's job takes him away from the family during the week, Ruth's emotions erupt over a double-page panel. She finds understanding when her mother shares her immigration story and when her father acknowledges her difficulties. Showing the courage, perseverance, and patience of her ancestors, Ruth gains confidence in herself and learns to thrive in her new home. Ruth's emotional world is active and relatable, and she is depicted with a range of facial expressions. Panels set in 1993 are shown in a soft, neutral color palette and reflect the bustle of her modern-day life in Hong Kong; flashbacks to her parents' stories are sepia-toned, evoking nostalgia about villages and farms. Sincere and engaging, Chen's memoir explores themes of cross-cultural family dynamics and finding a place to belong through human connection.

Reviewer: Kristine Techavanich | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bea Jackson. This autobiographical picture book recounts the powerful story of Claudette Colvin, who, at age fifteen, refused to give up her bus seat, challenging segregation nine months before Rosa Parks. The text vividly captures her personal journey and the broader civil rights movement. Historically authentic illustrations in a vintage color palette depict both Colvin’s bravery and the emotional toll of her actions. A note by co-author Hoose is included. (For older readers, check out Hoose's 2009 title, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, a National Book Award winner and Newbery Honor Book.)

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Xinmei Liu. In this picture-book memoir, Compestine recounts her upbringing during China’s Cultural Revolution, which began in 1967 when she was three. Through audience-appropriate language, Compestine describes the terror her family experienced when her father was falsely arrested for being a spy. “Our door was kicked open. Comrade Li stormed inside.” Her story ends with hope as the Cultural Revolution is brought to a close and her father is released. Liu’s colorful ink illustrations convey the family’s anguish and despair along with moments of light. An author’s note is appended.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(3) YA This poignant, heart-wrenching graphic memoir follows a young boy struggling with his mother’s mental illness and his parents’ divorce. Corey grapples with confusion and his changing perception of his mother after she dramatically puts a stop to his father’s court-ordered parental visitations. The story skillfully portrays emotional turmoil, resilience, religious doubt, and the complexities of family. The muted, elegiac artwork beautifully complements the text, making this a powerful, empathetic read about trauma and survival.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight. A Native boy learns about the kinship between plants and humankind from his great-grandparents before his people's untouched lands are destroyed for urban development. He loses his “connection to spirit” as he grows older until a lone city flower inspires him to keep the voices of his human and plant relatives alive. Hummingbird's (Cahuilla/Apache) autobiographical account of his journey to becoming a Native plant expert/activist balances pathos and ethos, bolstered by Goodnight's (Chickasaw) gentle illustrations. Back matter includes plant conservation tips and further reading.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) YA Adapted by Andrew J. Rostan. Illustrated by Celia Jacobs. Jiménez's iconic, award-winning memoir -- an episodic collection of short stories published in 1997 -- receives a handsome graphic novel adaptation. Francisco's family leaves their small town on the outskirts of Guadalajara for the promise of a better life in California. Making their way to Mexicali, they dig under the wire fence to cross the border, finding employment in the southern part of the San Joaquin Valley as migrant farm workers. An early memory has a five-year-old Francisco watching his infant brother while his parents and older brother pick cotton. It's a hard life: constantly moving and uprooting themselves to find work; substandard housing, education, and medical care; and the entire family making sacrifices, both physical and emotional. Here, as in the original source material, Jiménez's plainspoken narration resonates with dignity, humility, and timelessness. The mixed-media illustrations convey both the time period and the mood of the piece with a limited color palette of olive green, lavender, and vermillion on a sepia background. (Francisco is drawn here with black hair and brown skin, rather than the fair skin and blond hair described in the original source and in the family picture that accompanies the author's note.) A glossary is also appended.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Ekua Holmes. Adapted from King's autobiography, this picture book offers a new generation the remarkable story of the activist, artist, wife, and mother whose grace in the face of unspeakable loss continued the momentum of a movement. Beginning with glimpses into her childhood in segregated Alabama, King (1927–2006) describes being the second Black student admitted to Antioch College (her older sister Edythe was the first) and her fight to teach in Ohio -- readers see that her pursuit of equality started long before she met and married Martin Luther King Jr. The first-person retelling of events such as the March on Washington is compellingly personal. Holmes's vibrant illustrations (in acrylic with elements of collage incorporating print and photos) saturate the pages with color. The illustrations also take great care in communicating the very human emotions that King and her family experienced in scenes including her surrounded by her young children at the piano; a phone receiver hanging from its cord at the news of MLK's death; and her speaking to a crowd despite her grief just hours after arriving in Memphis. Art and text bring this civil rights icon to life, reminding readers of a dream yet to be fully realized. Back matter includes a timeline of her life and major events.

Reviewer: Monique Harris | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) 4-6 This introspective graphic memoir explores bicultural identity and the path toward self-acceptance. Like many students at her international school in Bangkok, Thailand, eleven-year-old Kathy is "luk khrueng," or "half child." Her father is American, and her mother is Thai, but Kathy identifies more as American and, though she appreciates Thai culture, she feels that she's not Thai enough. She looks forward to summers with her father's family in Maine, but this year she's acutely aware of how her family stands out there. She's also excited to spend three weeks away from her family at summer camp, but once there she struggles to fit in as campers ask rude questions about her heritage. ("Where is that?" "Do you mean Taiwan?") Kathy learns to embrace the unique qualities that connect her to both sides of her family and to her own mixed identity. Sprinkled throughout are elements of Thai culture and Thai language, depicted in Thai text with English translation, adding depth and cultural context. The pastel-toned panels, black-and-white flashback scenes, and cleanly drawn and expressively detailed characters complement the youthful, gentle tone of Kathy's internal dialogue. In an afterword, MacLeod shares her process making the book, comics she wrote as a child, and family photos.

Reviewer: Kristine Techavanich | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) YA A Japanese American author-illustrator describes her inner journey to find herself while taking an actual journey to Japan. With an Asian mother and a white father, nineteen-year-old Christine has never felt as if she fit in anywhere and hopes that a year living in the country of her birth will make her feel like a whole person instead of just "half." Initially excited, Christine soon finds fitting in just as hard in Japan -- she's exoticized for being biracial, and her lack of fluency in the language makes her feel awkward and lonely. Her range of emotions is well expressed in the illustrations, which are tinted in various shades of purple that manage to suit both her upbeat outlook and her eventual depression. Pops of pink (neon and pastel) add interest, and the book's only full-color scene (a single-page illustration of a blooming cherry tree) highlights Christine's crucial realization that the blossoms' beauty lies not in their short life but in their resilient return year after year. With support from her Japanese grandparents and through regular conversations with a therapist, Christine slowly and believably regains hope and learns it's okay to be uncertain about what life holds for her. Biracial identity, mental health, and Japanese culture are explored in this deeply personal graphic memoir.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Yas Imamura. When her family must flee their beloved home in Kurdistan, young Mevan's status as a refugee makes her feel smaller and smaller until she makes herself invisible. The family travels from Azerbaijan to Russia to the Netherlands, where a kind man sees her, despite her ability to hide herself, and gives her the perfect gift -- a red bicycle -- making her feel "a hundred feet tall." This true story, gently told in the third person and coauthored by Babakar herself, is brought to life through evocative mixed-media illustrations, which capture the deep loneliness of leaving a home full of friends and family. The illustrations shift from the lush greenery of Kurdistan to the stark concrete of Soviet Bloc apartments to a colorful and joyous double-page spread when Mevan first rides her bicycle. An epilogue and author's note describe more of Babakar's experience as a young refugee and tell her story of returning to the Netherlands as an adult and reuniting with the kind apartment manager who gave her the bike. A reflective story about the isolation of life as a child refugee and about the enduring effects of an act of kindness.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(1) K-3 Illustrated by S. D. Nelson. Born on the Oglala Lakota Nation's Pine Ridge Reservation and orphaned at a young age, a grieving Billy Mills focuses on his father's advice: "The pursuit of a dream will heal you." Mills's dream is to follow in the footsteps of Native athletes Jim Thorpe and Buster Charles. That dream takes him to the University of Kansas's track team and eventually the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Mills confronts racism and health challenges (he is hypoglycemic) at every turn, but his belief in his dream pushes him to overcome all obstacles. Mills becomes one of only two Indigenous American Olympic track-and-field gold medalists when he beats the odds and wins gold in the 10,000-meter event. Written in propulsive and inspiring first-person free verse, this picture-book autobiography is a celebration of Mills, his legacy, and the power of inspiration. Nelson's acrylic illustrations capture Mills's Lakota upbringing, athletic pursuits, determination, and Olympic triumphs with grace and kinetic energy. Sun-drenched pages feature symbolic textures that imbue the art with a visual representation of the ancestral support the text references throughout. Additional information about Mills's life and charitable work off the track, photographs, a timeline, and notes from the three creators complete this stunning package, an essential addition for all sports fans.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Sammy Savos. At the start of this compelling graphic memoir, four-year-old Enia Feld lives a seemingly carefree life with her loving extended family in 1939 Borek, Poland. Though they are "very, very poor" -- and there are hints of antisemitism and violence to come -- Enia feels safe, secure, and well cared for, her voice constantly lifted in song. "And I thought we would be this happy forever." On September 1, though, Germany invades. The family's rights are continually eroded ("Things changed over the next two years. Slowly") until, inevitably, they are forced to flee for their lives. In five dramatic parts -- Innocence, Hidden, Liberation, A New Beginning, The Girl Who Sang -- this harrowing story is told and shown in clear sequential art that reflects the terror and grief of Enia's experiences in contrast with her early, pastoral-set days. When liberation finally occurs, after years of whispers in hiding, the once-vivacious girl has gone nearly silent, but it's in finding her voice that she is able to begin a new life in America. The history is deeply personal, as related by Nadel (who passed away in November 2023), and her intent is made clear in her concluding note: "I'm not going to be here forever. Someday there will no longer be Holocaust survivors still living...I want you, the young people, the next generation, to carry our stories on." An afterword, family photos, additional resources, an illustrator's note, and details about comics are appended.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) YA Illustrated by Markia Jenai. In this graphic memoir, brilliant Jay Jay enjoys solving the puzzles and equations her incarcerated father, Antoine, sends her in handwritten letters -- though they take a long time to arrive. Jay Jay is elated when her father is released from prison, but the joy is short lived when she discovers the family will have to move from their beloved Buffalo, New York, to Florida. Life away from friends and extended family is rough, and Jay Jay is unsure how much she can trust her new classmates with information about her father. The adjustment to their new life brings new challenges for both Jay Jay and Antoine, but their shared love of mathematics allows them to find logical solutions to their relationship issues, and more. While in prison, Antoine earned a degree in computer programming; as he teaches her how to code, they work together to develop the Photo Patch app when Jay Jay is just twelve years old. The app will allow families to more easily communicate with their loved ones in prison. Now twenty, Patton recounts her journey with equal parts directness and humor. Panels vary in size and color to create movement, with some illustrations utilizing the entire page and breaking through margins. Interspersed boxes in a standout gold express the author's memories and thoughts. Back matter (some pages unseen) includes information regarding parents in the penal system and about Photo Patch.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) 4-6 After eleven-year-old Amra's brother's death from complications of Marfan syndrome, her mother's remedy for Amra's grief is to arrange for her cousin Zana to spend summers with Amra in Bihac, Bosnia. This vividly told and moving memoir takes place over three consecutive summers in the years leading up to the Bosnian Genocide (preceding the events of The Cat I Never Named, rev. 1/21). The first summer of romantic crushes and days spent lazing on the banks of the River Una helps Amra to heal. "I am ancient in the ways of trauma...but [Zana] shows me another way of being." A sense of impending violence, however, undergirds the book's carefree summer setting as simmering political and sectarian tensions slowly heat up. Tata (her father) is detained, interrogated, and loses his job, while anti-Muslim sentiments become more freely voiced. An author's note provides a timeline for the Bosnian Genocide along with a "where they are now" update. The book smartly contrasts more lighthearted preteen drama with looming ethnic and religious tensions, resulting in an engaging reflection on disability and ethnic difference.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024