hereistheend's review against another edition
4.0
Cute middle grade comic about a Vietnamese surfer girl, her grandfather, and her cat, who discovers a mermaid realm in the ocean. The story is clearly for kids, and the art is beautiful.
delicatewatkins's review against another edition
3.0
The story is a little light but the art is beautiful.
halschrieve's review against another edition
5.0
Look at the cover and TELL me this book isn't gorgeous. Delicious, bright sea-washed watercolor (digital watercolor?) and delightfully detailed creature-focused inkwork inspired by the early 20th century Arts and Crafts movement (lots of lanterns and flowers and twisting fishy bodies) make this fun to curl up with even if you're just looking at the pictures-- but it also offers a fantastical, out-of-this-world narrative arc perfect for mermaid fans, adventure-lovers, and cat fanatics.
Trot is a young Vietnamese-American kid in SoCal who loves to surf with her cat Capn Bill (yes, he surfs). She's at the beach every day after school, half-babysitting her granddad, who loves to fish but is frequently forgetful; his dementia often makes him believe he is still in Vietnam, or forget familiar people or settings for periods of time. When her grandfather wanders off one day while Trot is in the water, Mom bans surfing trips-- but independent Trot races to the beach anyway, with Granddad not far behind. When a big wave comes along, however, she and her cat are knocked far down into the ocean, right into the middle of a skirmish between the Serpents and the Sirens (the sirens resemble mermaids, with curling, seahorselike tails and immaculate, excitingly decorated hair). Cats terrify snakes, and so the serpents scatter, leaving Capn Bill a hero -- the sirens grant both land creatures the ability to breathe beneath the water, and invite them for a feast. The queen of their kingdom isn't especially pleased that they have been given the power to breathe underwater, but recognizes their right to stay as guests-- but things get more complicated when it turns out that Granddad has wound up in their city, too. When he ventures off on his own on the bottom of the sea, he is quickly captured by serpents who hold him captive.
The story is inventive, compelling, and fast-moving enough to capture the attention of middle-grade readers, and its dreamlike qualities don't really need to make sense for the story to work. Trot is plucky, smart, and makes friends quickly with Clia, who has her own problems with strict mothers. She also banters amusingly with Cap'n Bill, who, it turns out, can talk but not be understood by humans without magic (he likes mackerel). While little of the story relates to Vietnamese heritage specifically, the passages where Trot's grandfather speaks in Vietnamese root the story in his immigrant experience, and Trot's respect and love of her grandfather references (Chu and Lee say) the creators' own relationship to family and heritage. As it turns out, the king of the serpents is also an immigrant, sunk by pirates some hundred-plus years ago on his way to California, and interpreted by snakes as the new king, after the old king (a dragon) passes away. The narrative is, Chu says, influenced by Frank Baum's The Sea Fairies-- and a twist at the end references Oz as well.
It's hard to get a graphic novel that will appeal simultaneously to pirate-story fans and to sensitive children with dreams of secret, beautiful, detailed worlds beneath the ocean; this does it. G-d, it's so pretty.
Trot is a young Vietnamese-American kid in SoCal who loves to surf with her cat Capn Bill (yes, he surfs). She's at the beach every day after school, half-babysitting her granddad, who loves to fish but is frequently forgetful; his dementia often makes him believe he is still in Vietnam, or forget familiar people or settings for periods of time. When her grandfather wanders off one day while Trot is in the water, Mom bans surfing trips-- but independent Trot races to the beach anyway, with Granddad not far behind. When a big wave comes along, however, she and her cat are knocked far down into the ocean, right into the middle of a skirmish between the Serpents and the Sirens (the sirens resemble mermaids, with curling, seahorselike tails and immaculate, excitingly decorated hair). Cats terrify snakes, and so the serpents scatter, leaving Capn Bill a hero -- the sirens grant both land creatures the ability to breathe beneath the water, and invite them for a feast. The queen of their kingdom isn't especially pleased that they have been given the power to breathe underwater, but recognizes their right to stay as guests-- but things get more complicated when it turns out that Granddad has wound up in their city, too. When he ventures off on his own on the bottom of the sea, he is quickly captured by serpents who hold him captive.
The story is inventive, compelling, and fast-moving enough to capture the attention of middle-grade readers, and its dreamlike qualities don't really need to make sense for the story to work. Trot is plucky, smart, and makes friends quickly with Clia, who has her own problems with strict mothers. She also banters amusingly with Cap'n Bill, who, it turns out, can talk but not be understood by humans without magic (he likes mackerel). While little of the story relates to Vietnamese heritage specifically, the passages where Trot's grandfather speaks in Vietnamese root the story in his immigrant experience, and Trot's respect and love of her grandfather references (Chu and Lee say) the creators' own relationship to family and heritage. As it turns out, the king of the serpents is also an immigrant, sunk by pirates some hundred-plus years ago on his way to California, and interpreted by snakes as the new king, after the old king (a dragon) passes away. The narrative is, Chu says, influenced by Frank Baum's The Sea Fairies-- and a twist at the end references Oz as well.
It's hard to get a graphic novel that will appeal simultaneously to pirate-story fans and to sensitive children with dreams of secret, beautiful, detailed worlds beneath the ocean; this does it. G-d, it's so pretty.
cwinningham's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the illustrations but wanted more depth to the story!
thesaltiestlibrarian's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0