AWOL

August 1, 2022
Moving is hard, but so is staying still while others move on. Middle schooler Leah lives in an Army neighborhood, where one of the signs of spring near the base is the appearance of for-sale signs in front of houses. Eleven-year-old Leah has already moved five times, but this year, she gets to stay put. Instead her best friend, Sam, is leaving for Edmonton, and Leah's summer and upcoming birthday look bleak. Her father has come back on leave, but the family knows to tread carefully when he's around. His moods are unpredictable: Sometimes he seems fine, sometimes he's withdrawn, and sometimes his temper is explosive. Leah is nervous since her mom and older sister will both be away--her sister working as a camp counselor and her mom in Army Reserve training. The only interesting thing to occur is a camper parked in a nearby driveway belonging to a girl named Cecilia who is housesitting with her mom. This graphic novel explores some tough realities for Army families, though many readers will be able to identify with friends' moving away. The portrayal of Leah's relationship with her father is nuanced, although the abrupt conclusion does it a disservice. His PTSD symptoms manifest as shouting and breaking objects. The inviting art is classic comic-strip style with sturdy lines and soft color washes. Leah's family is White; Sam's reads White and Black, and Cecilia and her mom are Wolastoqiyik. Thoughtful slice-of-life realness. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)

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October 14, 2022

Gr 4-7-Lesage captures the complex challenges of children of military families in her subdued but powerful new graphic novel. Leah lives on base, and her friendships and family life are often in flux. As summer arrives, she finds herself home alone, with only her unpredictably emotional father as company. A military careerist, he vacillates between loving, sullen, and rageful, and Leah's own feelings of loss and isolation are compounded by anticipating his outbursts. For a graphic novel about having a family member with PTSD, this is a remarkably gentle book, offering a sense of hope for repair without easy answers. Lesage's illustrations are simple, in a pale color palette, and slightly static, capturing the dull aches of a quiet summer in early adolescence. Though written to an audience with a similar story, many kids may see themselves in Leah's relationship with a volatile parent. VERDICT A sparse slice-of-life that provides an emotionally affecting read.-Emilia Packard

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