23 Nov / Living with Viola by Rosena Fung [in Booklist]
When new kid Livy enters middle school, she doesn’t yet have friends, but she’s not exactly alone. Viola, her identical blue shadow no one else can see, never leaves her, but she voices every poisonous thought, insisting Livy is a “total disaster” doomed to be “forever alone.” Viola disdains Livy’s Chinese lunches, dismisses her art, insists she can’t compare to her doctor-to-be cousin, deems her immigrant parents and their home embarrassments. Livy’s sadness overwhelms, but confiding in her parents finally provides much needed hope – and help.
Rosena Fung presents her affecting debut in vibrant, full-color panels overflowing with energy and motion, not unlike Livy’s attempts to cope alone with destructive Viola. Fung reveals in her author’s note that the story is semi-autobiographical; her acknowledgment of her own panic attacks that started, like Livy’s, in sixth grade, reads like an empathic balm to her intended middle-grade audience that they’re not alone.
In a world of growing distancing and isolation, especially for youth, Livy provides a gentle but solid reminder that change and happiness are indeed possible.
Review: “Graphic Novels,” Booklist, November 1, 2021
Readers: Middle Grade
Published: 2021