Description
Drawing on the experiences of his Vietnamese American family and his love of ’80s sci-fi shows, Jonathan Hill crafts a funny, insightful graphic novel about the immigrant experience and the perils of middle school.
Threatened with diminishing resources, Booger Lizk’t and his family flee their lizard community deep below Earth’s crust to survive above among humans. The Lizk’t family of Elberon now passes as the Tomkins family of Eagle Valley. “Tommy Tomkins” wears a human face to school but can’t seem to fit in no matter how he looks. The basketball team becomes a pipe dream when bullies label him a bug eater, and only Dung Tran, an immigrant from Vietnam and fellow outsider, sees Tommy for who he is inside, which is nothing like the outer-space lizard invaders on TV’s hottest series. Can their friendship survive the truth? In his first solo middle-grade book, award-winning creator Jonathan Hill perfectly captures the sometimes dystopian drama of middle school while reminding readers of the universal need for belonging.
Review
This is a terrific graphic novel about wanting to feel like you belong.
This is difficult for Tommy, aka Booger Lizk’t, whose lizard family had to flee their underground world due to severely diminishing resources, all caused by greed.
Tommy puts on a human face, but he finds it difficult to fit in until he befriends Dung, a Vietnamese immigrant facing similar problems. They then open their group to fellow misfit, Scarlett, aka Garbage Girl, but a kiss between Dung and Scarlett places Tommy back on the outside… or so he thinks.
A great story about accepting people for who they are (lizard and all!) and the importance of friendship. It tackles bullying and other toxic behaviours, but also shows how your situation can improve, especially with the help of caring teachers and good adult role models, and your friends.
Perfect for fans of graphic novels, aged 10—15.
Reviewed by Rob
