Title: Frizzy

Authors: Claribel A. Ortega (text) and Rose Bousamra (Illustrations) Kirk Benshoff (Cover Design)

Genre: Middle-Grade Contemporary Graphic Novel

Publication: October 18th, 2022

Rating:  ***** (5 stars) 

Rep: Latinx MC & Supporting characters 

Review

Characters

Frizzy is filled with characters that are lovely, and so sweet as you read the story. Marleen is a fantastic main character, who goes on a journey of self-acceptance and self-love. Cam is Marleen’s best friend and is one of my favorite characters because she supports Marleen. Frizzy has a sweet section with Marleen’s Tia Ruby, who was also one of my favorite characters. 

Plot

This story was one that was more vibes, and about the characters than the plot. The major story of Frizzy follows Marleen on her journey to love her hair, and her curls, no matter what her mother says. After some bullying at school about her hair, Marleen goes to spend the weekend with her Tia Ruby, who will take her through a traditional washday she does with her hair. I loved this because, as someone with curly hair, I related to Marleen when it comes to my hair being frizzy. The end of the novel was sweet because we saw Marleen’s mother, Paola, come around and embrace her natural curls again. 

Writing 

Frizzy is a story that has both fun and light-hearted scenes, as well as heavy scenes that guide Marleen on her journey of self-love and self-acceptance. A fun and light-hearted tone accompany the lighter scenes, and you can tell the characters are having fun just based on reading that scene. They handle heavy topics with care, and you can tell the characters are growing based on what is happening in the scene. 

Art

When it comes to a Graphic Novel, art is one of the ways you tell the story. Frizzy has art that was so cute, and so perfect for how the story should be told. The style was consistent throughout, but they used light tones colors in the light scenes, and they used darker tones in the dark scenes. 

Enjoyment/ Recommended for 

I really enjoyed this novel! If you’re a fan of graphic novels or Middle-Grade Contemporary Novels, you would love it as well.