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A review by happylilkt
Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega
3.0
OBOB 2025 (Grades 3-5) 3 stars
This was mostly just okay for me, maybe 2.5 stars for the writing/story and 4 stars for the artwork?
Obviously from the cover alone you know that the hair in this book is GLORIOUS.
But sadly that's just not enough for me... The entire time I was reading this I couldn't forget that there was an author—I couldn't really get lost in the story / characters. Because, frankly, there wasn't much. This book felt like an assignment to "write a story that helps a girl accept her natural hair" (extra credit if she also brings intergenerational healing to her family!) instead of what I hoped it would be—a character-driven story about a girl with awesome natural hair. And I really hoped the title of the book was her sassy nickname. Spoiler alert: it's not.
So, it's FINE. I'm disappointed, but it's fine. I just feel like that uptight parent/coach/teacher/authority figure who knows the potential/ capability of the MC and expects more from them. (Any chance this muddled metaphor is working...?) So even though it is a graphic novel for middle grade readers and it's probably not fair to have such a high standard, I do. I just want the BEST for kids every time. So, I admit it: I'm too harsh and judgy. So you should probably not join me in my stick-in-the-mud opinion, but instead opt to be the fun aunt/babysitter/authority figure who accepts this book for what it is and the healing it brings. Just excuse me while I sulk in the corner.
Note: This graphic novel has a very strong narrative throughout and would probably work better than most GNs for an audiobook adaptation.
This was mostly just okay for me, maybe 2.5 stars for the writing/story and 4 stars for the artwork?
Obviously from the cover alone you know that the hair in this book is GLORIOUS.
But sadly that's just not enough for me... The entire time I was reading this I couldn't forget that there was an author—I couldn't really get lost in the story / characters. Because, frankly, there wasn't much. This book felt like an assignment to "write a story that helps a girl accept her natural hair" (extra credit if she also brings intergenerational healing to her family!) instead of what I hoped it would be—a character-driven story about a girl with awesome natural hair. And I really hoped the title of the book was her sassy nickname. Spoiler alert: it's not.
So, it's FINE. I'm disappointed, but it's fine. I just feel like that uptight parent/coach/teacher/authority figure who knows the potential/ capability of the MC and expects more from them. (Any chance this muddled metaphor is working...?) So even though it is a graphic novel for middle grade readers and it's probably not fair to have such a high standard, I do. I just want the BEST for kids every time. So, I admit it: I'm too harsh and judgy. So you should probably not join me in my stick-in-the-mud opinion, but instead opt to be the fun aunt/babysitter/authority figure who accepts this book for what it is and the healing it brings. Just excuse me while I sulk in the corner.
Note: This graphic novel has a very strong narrative throughout and would probably work better than most GNs for an audiobook adaptation.