Scan barcode
booksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Please anyone and everyone of any age read this graphic novel!
It follows Marlene’s journey to loving her curly hair. It discusses grief, anti-blackness, deconstructing inter generational traditions, and so much more. I absolutely loved the mother-daughter relationship in this book. Being so close to my mom myself.
Frizzy is relatable to anyone who doesn’t have the “in” or most wanted look. As someone who grew up with very curly hair I always straightened my hair because it’s what Al the “popular” girls did. Ortega does a beautiful job of showing how to love yourself, your body and your hair in this phenomenal graphic novel. Rose Bousamra knocks it out of the park with these gorgeous illustrations
It follows Marlene’s journey to loving her curly hair. It discusses grief, anti-blackness, deconstructing inter generational traditions, and so much more. I absolutely loved the mother-daughter relationship in this book. Being so close to my mom myself.
Frizzy is relatable to anyone who doesn’t have the “in” or most wanted look. As someone who grew up with very curly hair I always straightened my hair because it’s what Al the “popular” girls did. Ortega does a beautiful job of showing how to love yourself, your body and your hair in this phenomenal graphic novel. Rose Bousamra knocks it out of the park with these gorgeous illustrations
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Grief
betweentheshelves's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What an important, beautiful, endearing middle grade graphic novel. There are so many middle grade readers who will relate to Marlene. All of her life, she is constantly told that she has "bad hair." That she needs to go weekly to get it straightened in order to fit in with society. But all she wants is to wear her curly hair, to be herself.
Everything about this book works so well together, from the art style to the writing to the characters. The emotion comes through so well, not just through the illustrations, but through the writing as well. My favorite scene was definitely when Marlene was at her aunt's house, learning about her hair and why so many people said her hair was "bad." The fact that she eventually gets to just be herself is so heartwarming; I loved it so much.
There are some lovely side characters as well. Marlene's best friend always has her back, even trying to help her figure out how to wear her hair naturally. Of course, her aunt is amazing, and we get to see Marlene's relationship with her mom evolve throughout the book as well. All of these relationships help Marlene on her journey in learning to be herself, and I can see so many kids being drawn to her story.
All in all, if you're looking for a good, heartwarming graphic novel to read this October, definitely pick this one up!
Everything about this book works so well together, from the art style to the writing to the characters. The emotion comes through so well, not just through the illustrations, but through the writing as well. My favorite scene was definitely when Marlene was at her aunt's house, learning about her hair and why so many people said her hair was "bad." The fact that she eventually gets to just be herself is so heartwarming; I loved it so much.
There are some lovely side characters as well. Marlene's best friend always has her back, even trying to help her figure out how to wear her hair naturally. Of course, her aunt is amazing, and we get to see Marlene's relationship with her mom evolve throughout the book as well. All of these relationships help Marlene on her journey in learning to be herself, and I can see so many kids being drawn to her story.
All in all, if you're looking for a good, heartwarming graphic novel to read this October, definitely pick this one up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, and Racism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
purplepenning's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Incredibly good graphic novel debut from author and artist! Gorgeous, vibrant art captures the sweetness and the pain in this story of a Dominican American family coming to terms with personal grief and inherited racist ideas about beauty. Marlene is an absolute delight — a good kid and talented young artist who is questioning hair politics, growing into her authentic self, and finding the courage to bring others with her. And three cheers for tia Ruby and her chicken!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Racism
onceandfuturereaders's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Frizzy is a beautiful story about Marlene who has curly hair. Every week her mom takes her to the salon to have her hair done and every week she’s absolutely miserable during the appointment. She’s constantly hearing about how she should strive to keep her hair maintained - the goal being “good hair”. But everything she does seems to work against keeping her hairstyles maintained and she immediately is made to feel bad when they get messed up. She just wants to go back to being a kid before anyone cared about her hair. This story is her journey to figuring out how to embrace her natural hair and get everyone else in her world to embrace it too.
I adored this story. Geared towards middle school kids, I think it helps to demonstrate how micro aggressions can make people, especially children, feel. I loved that it wasn’t just Marlene overcoming bullies at school, but also helping those who she loved most see that they were harming her with their comments on her hair. I thought her Tía Ruby was a wonderful role model and I loved their relationship. I also enjoyed how it explored how her mom’s behavior was fueled by her past experiences, showing that even well intentioned people who love us can do harm.
It is easy to identify with Marlene and her experiences with her mom, but as a mom myself, it’s also easy to take some lessons in how even good intentions can harm our children. Trying to get them to fit in boxes deemed right by society can do so much harm. I had to sit with this book for a bit. I’d highly recommend for kids, but adults can take away lessons too.
Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I adored this story. Geared towards middle school kids, I think it helps to demonstrate how micro aggressions can make people, especially children, feel. I loved that it wasn’t just Marlene overcoming bullies at school, but also helping those who she loved most see that they were harming her with their comments on her hair. I thought her Tía Ruby was a wonderful role model and I loved their relationship. I also enjoyed how it explored how her mom’s behavior was fueled by her past experiences, showing that even well intentioned people who love us can do harm.
It is easy to identify with Marlene and her experiences with her mom, but as a mom myself, it’s also easy to take some lessons in how even good intentions can harm our children. Trying to get them to fit in boxes deemed right by society can do so much harm. I had to sit with this book for a bit. I’d highly recommend for kids, but adults can take away lessons too.
Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Racism
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Death of parent and Grief
howlinglibraries's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Well, this was adorable and precious, and a very necessary story to be told! Frizzy follows Marlene, a young Dominican girl whose mother makes her get her hair straightened every week, but all Marlene wants is to wear her natural curls and be herself. It's an incredibly uplifting, family-oriented story of how much of an impact our family members' unkind and shallow commentary can have on our lives, as well as focusing on colorism, anti-Blackness, and the pain that comes with being told your natural appearance isn't "good enough", professional enough, etc.
The art is gorgeous, Marlene is such a lovable protagonist, and I really enjoyed her Tía Ruby, her best friend Camila, and even her mother (she has room to grow, but luckily we get to see that progress in the end!). I'm so happy that this book exists and highly recommend it to any young reader, but especially young readers who will be able to relate to Marlene's feelings about her hair and how society views it.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
✨ Representation: Marlene and her family are Dominican
The art is gorgeous, Marlene is such a lovable protagonist, and I really enjoyed her Tía Ruby, her best friend Camila, and even her mother (she has room to grow, but luckily we get to see that progress in the end!). I'm so happy that this book exists and highly recommend it to any young reader, but especially young readers who will be able to relate to Marlene's feelings about her hair and how society views it.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
✨ Representation: Marlene and her family are Dominican
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Body shaming, and Bullying
Minor: Death of parent and Grief
More...