 This beautiful slice-of-life, coming-of-age story told from the first-person perspective of 16-year-old Raquel takes place in a small town in Portugal. Her parents are divorced, and she has been suspended from school. She sees Pardalita, a senior art student who will be going away to school in the fall. They get to know each other as they are both working on a community theatre production. Raquel falls in love. This queer romance story is told in a unique blend of prose poetry, black and white illustrations, and graphic novel format. It is tender, war, and distinctive. mjw |
| Title: Pardalita Author: Joana Estrella Illustrator: Joana Estrella Publisher: Levine Querido Copyright: 2023 Original Language: Portuguese Translator: Lyn Miller-Lachman Original Title: Pardalita Original Publisher: Planeta Tangerina, Portugal Original Copyright: 2021 ISBN: 978-1-64614-255-2 Hardcover pages: 216 Age range: 12-18 Genre: Fiction, Graphic novel Book setting: Portugal Author’s ethnicity: Portuguese Author’s residence: Portugal Illustrator’s ethnicity: Portuguese Illustrator’s residence: Portugal Awards: 2024 Batchelder Award Subjects: Comic, Coming-of-age, Graphic Novels, LGBTQ+, Romance, Sexual awakening, Theatre |
Pardalita
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Vera and her family live on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, which seems like the edge of the world. A map of the peninsula includes geographical features and native animal life. Vera shares her most valuable things – her feather collections; her favorite book: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; her flashlight; and her favorite food – syrniki (cottage cheese and pancakes). She introduces her mom and her grandma but says that she doesn’t have any friends. She also describes her sekretik – a secret treasure of blue glass, Legos, and forget-me-nots. Lucas and his family live in a small town on the coast of Chile, which also seems like the edge of the world. A map of his country also includes geographical features and native animal life. Lucas shares his most valuable things – ammonite fossils, his soccer ball, his flashlight, his favorite food – a hamburger, and his favorite book: The Hobbit. He introduces his mom, dad, and his grandma. He, too, has no friends. One evening, both Vera and Lucas go to the beach, and blink their flashlights into the dark using the international language of Morse Code. “What if I had a friend over there, beyond the edge of the world?” If they look hard enough, they’ll find that we’re all so very similar, and connected to each other. One set of endpapers shows the Morse Code. The other endpapers present a map depicting Russia, Chile, and the 9942 miles of Pacific Ocean between the children’s homes. The interesting illustrations were created digitally in this unique flip-formatted, two-story picture book
Heidi, the Swiss classic, is one of the bestselling books of all time. This new picture book version tells about Heidi and her grandfather living in the Alps, Heidi’s difficult move to Frankfurt to live with wheelchair-bound Clara, and Heidi’s return home to the mountains and her grandfather, complete with Clara’s recovery. Thirty bold, handcrafted paper-cut and digital collage illustrations capture Heidi’s heartwarming story, which is as relevant today as ever. mjw
After her parents’ divorce, ten-year-old Electra (Ellie) moves to a new town with her mother and older brother. She is a spunky and stubborn girl who wants to make friends at her new school. Unfortunately, all of her new classmates are into sports and her mother pushes her to join a sports team. She is clumsy, fails at every sport, and consequently gets bullied. One night she attends a ballet performance with her family and discovers that what she really wants to do is dance. A new boy at school helps her to realize her dream. This positive graphic novel for middle graders is filled with humor and energetic cartoon illustrations that will make young readers smile. mjw
A duck with a limp and a blind chicken embark on an adventure. The duck will guide the chicken and the chicken will support the duck’s wonky leg. They search for a place where their most secret wishes will come true. They encounter a wild forest, a deep canyon, the highest mountain, and they experience many differences of opinion along the way. Their final destination is a hilarious surprise. The book’s philosophical tone and sophisticated vocabulary make the book ideal for a range of readers. Full-color illustrations with bold, dynamic lines and brush strokes are included. mjw
When the lighthouse keeper is rescued from the stormy sea by a whale, they become friends. Soon, Blue the whale gets into danger, too. Blue is sick with a stomach full of plastic bags. The lighthouse keeper cleans up the trash, so Blue will feel better. Charming simple text and beautiful watercolor paintings introduce young readers to the impact of plastic waste on our oceans and ocean life. An author’s note includes ways that readers can protect whales and their habitats. mjw
