Introduction

It’s not my cousin’s fault, but I’m super mad at her for having a quince.

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Frizzy is an upcoming graphic novel written by Claribel A. Ortega and illustrated by Rose Bousamra. Coming this year on October 18th, main character Marlene struggles with what having “good hair” means and learns with the help of her friends and family. I was able to pick up a hard copy of the ARC for this book at ALA Annual 2022 after hearing Rose Bousamra speak, and wow am I glad I did.

The Good Stuff

I guess it’s Allie crying hours, because this book made me cry every time I read and re-read it. Although my background is not the same as the author’s or illustrator’s background, hair is really culturally important to me and I grew up with traditions surrounding how to love and care for it. My understanding of and relationship with my hair helped me to get into this story. Marlene is a loveable, wonderfully written character who I was rooting for the entire time, and she was only one of many who leapt off the page throughout. I genuinely can’t wait to share this with my library patrons when it’s published. (First Second, y’all are killing it with these graphic novels!)

The Story

As mentioned above, Marlene is a tween who is navigating what her relationship with her hair looks like. We start the novel off in a salon, where she’s getting her hair straightened with her mom for her cousin Diana’s quinceañera. Marlene is immediately uncomfortable throughout the entire time at the salon and complains, but goes through with straightening at the thought of all of the pictures that will be taken at Diana’s quince. Despite the messages from her mom and her extended family about what ‘good hair’ looks like, Marlene’s own feelings about her natural hair are reinforced and encouraged by her Tía Ruby and her best friend Camila.

Marlene’s journey to love and acceptance of her natural hair is shown beautifully throughout this book. Ortega’s writing is masterful and showing us Marlene’s inner world while she navigates external challenges. Following Marlene was like revisiting middle school all over again (which in this case is not a detriment, haha!). Her interactions with her friends, family, and peers at school are so real that you can’t help but get emotionally invested quickly. Without giving everything away, the ending culminates Marlene’s experiences throughout the book beautifully and is to blame for my increased usage of tear-catching tissues.

The Art

Bousamra’s art carries Ortega’s words beautifully. As mentioned above, I had the chance to hear Bousamra speak at ALA Annual 2022 – I wasn’t aware of their work until the panel I saw them on, and almost immediately after I ran to the Exhibit Hall to grab an ARC. I ended up having to come back because they ran out – YAY that other people are hopefully reading and falling in love with this book!

Bousamra’s expressions make the story hit home. Their use of paneling is particularly lovely – Marlene’s inner and outer worlds are expressed seamlessly. The expressions in this book are also spot on in that we don’t have to have the inner monologue of each character to understand what they’re feeling. Bousamra’s illustrations are alive in a way that’s tough to describe, so you’ll have to pick up the book yourself to see what I mean.

Or, naturally, you can ask your local library to buy a bazillion copies for you. I guarantee that this book will have a holds list miles long, so prepare yourselves now!

In Summary

Ortega and Bousamra are a dream team, and this graphic novel was a dream to read. I can’t even imagine how much kids, tweens, and teens on their own hair journeys will love this book, and I’m really excited to find out. This book is highly recommended.

Frizzy releases on October 18, 2022. Here is the link to the publisher’s site where you can pre-order it. Gichi miigwetch for reading!