Hey, Kiddo
Ratings30
Average rating4.4
The epilogue had me crying a little. I also love his mentality that one can make their own family, that friends can become family. I am lucky to have family that is not bound by blood or marriage.
Very engaging, well-paced and plotted. I wasn't a fan of the muted palette throughout; different colour choices for different eras would have made artistic sense and given a stronger feeling of time passing.
Beautiful art and an equal parts heartwarming and heart-wrenching story. Jarrett J. Krosoczka is a treasure. 4/5 stars.
I will always have a tremendous appreciation for graphic memoirs. I love being able to visualize the creator's story through their own art. This might be one of the most effective ones I've read yet. The little personal details throughout were wonderful — the inclusion of actual letters between him and his mom, snippets of his art over time, and how he used his grandmother's favorite pineapple wallpaper and the burnt orange of his grandfather's pocket squares — amazing. And I'm hardly ever a cryer when reading, unless we are revisiting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, or, apparently, this book. The love Jarrett has for his grandparents is so palpable, and even after all the stuff he went through as a child with his mother, you could feel his love for her too. I can't say enough how amazingly well crafted and full of love this book is. If you've ever wanted to try reading a graphic memoir, this is a great place to start!
3.5 stars I really enjoyed the way he told the story of his childhood, but the art style wasn't my favourite.
Surprised this was published by Scholastic's Graphix, becuase it is solidly YA and not MG. Really apprecited how his art told the story as much or more than the text and his adding in explanations of how he conceived of the art and his choices. He's brutally honest with his family, and you fall in love with a grandmother that's an alcoholic and abusive but also incredibly loving and caring. His is a complicated story and I appreciate his sharing it with readers.
Wow!
I need time to process this amazing graphic memoir, but will be following up with a review soon.