Frizzy

by Claribel A. Ortega, Rose Bousamra (Illustrator)

Winner of the 2023 Pura Belpré Award for Children's Text
Winner of the 2023 Eisner for Best Publication for Kids
October 2022 Indie Bestseller

New York Times- bestselling author Claribel A. Ortega and star debut artist Rose Bousamra's Frizzy is about Marlene, a young Dominican girl whose greatest enemy is the hair salon! Through her struggles and triumphs, this heartwarming and gorgeous middle-grade graphic novel shows the radical power of accepting yourself as you are, frizzy curls and all.

Marlene loves three books, her cool Tía Ruby and hanging out with her best friend Camila. But according to her mother, Paola, the only thing she needs to focus on is school and "growing up." That means straightening her hair every weekend so she could have "presentable", "good hair".

But Marlene hates being in the salon and doesn't understand why her curls are not considered pretty by those around her. With a few hiccups, a dash of embarrassment, and the much-needed help of Camila and Tia Ruby―she slowly starts a journey to learn to appreciate and proudly wear her curly hair.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary, Family, Comics

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2022

About the author

New York Times Bestselling and award-winning author, Claribel A. Ortega is a former reporter who writes middle-grade and young adult fantasy inspired by her Dominican heritage. When she's not busy turning her obsession with eighties pop culture, magic, and video games into books, she’s co-hosting her podcast Bad Author Book Club. Claribel is a Marvel contributor and has been featured on Buzzfeed, Bustle, Good Morning America and Deadline.

Claribel’s NYT Bestselling debut middle grade novel Ghost Squad is being made into a feature film. Her latest book Witchlings (Scholastic) was an Instant NYT and #1 Indie Bestseller. Her graphic novel Frizzy with Rose Bousamra is out now from First Second and was an Indie Bestseller. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok @Claribel_Ortega and on her website at claribelortega.com.

Reviews

[aly ☆彡 · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the eARC in exchange for a review)

Frizzy is a middle-grade graphic novel that embarks on Marlene's journey to embrace and proudly wear her curly hair, with a few mishaps and a dash of embarrassment along the way.

"Adults are such weirdos. They say stuff like 'it's what on the inside that counts' but then the one thing they can't stop talking about is looks!"

"Be yourself, honesty is the best policy, and then don't be yourself, be what other people want"

I don't remember the last time a graphic novel made me teared up but Frizzy surely touched my soul with the message it tries to deliver. As much as I am not entirely in the same shoes as Marlene for not having a curly hair (what more when I'm wearing a hijab), it's also the kind of struggle I would understand. To accept your individuality while also not on par with what was supposed to be the standard is not an easy task, but this book shows that everyone is capable of independence and individuality — one just needs to be prepared to take whatever consequences their expression brings and it's the journey that I love to see Marlene discover.

I think it's fitting for its target audience to learn self-acceptance, especially at this crucial stage of adolescence as often, teens compare themselves to what society or their parents say they should be like. I love to see Marlene also getting all the support she could get to help her has an idea of who she is in the eyes of other people. It's just so emotional yet heartwarming.

Not to mention, the illustrations are equally stunning! It was done with such intricate dance between pictures and words, making this an exhilarating read. The fonts are easy to peruse and the wordings too, aren't cramping with one another. I personally think Frizzy is amazing!

Couldn't recommend it enough.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I just LOVED this. A sweet graphic novel about Marlene, a young latina girl, who has very curly hair, coming from the Black side of her family.


And this isn't seen as 'good hair' by her mother and so Marlene has to go to the hair salon every Sunday, to get her hair straightened through a thoroughly torturous process. It's no suprise that Marlene hates to got to the salon, but she feels she can't say this to her mother.


Throughout the book Marlene grapples with this problem - why has her hair have to be straight? Why isn't her natural hair seen as 'good hair'? And what about her aunt, who does wear her hair naturally?


Marlene learns that the idea of 'good hair' (read: caucasian-style straight hair), is a form of anti-Blackness, of internalised racism by part of her community. And so she decides she has to confront her mother.


The writing is light and beautiful, the art is exactly right for the story it's telling. This'll be a great book for boys and girls who don't have a nice aunt who can help them.

Excellent.



(Thanks to First Second Books for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley)

[Bookishrealm · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO GOOD! Claribel Ortega does not miss AT ALL. Honestly, I don't know how people miss out on the opportunity to check out middle grade graphic novels because they are so damn good.

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Young Middle Grade Graphic Novel. I really loved all the drama with the main character's hair. I loved the message in this book. The pictures are cute in this graphic novel. I do think this book is on the young side of Middle Grade. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children’s books in which authority figures perpetuate hurtful beauty standards are becoming increasingly common these days. From the colorism of Genesis Begins Again to the fatphobia of Starfish, it’s not just that parents don’t understand. It’s that a kid can’t take comfort in a parental figure since it’s that very figure that’s making them feel miserable all the time. And in this respect Frizzy may outshine them all. It’s a collaboration of Claribel Ortega and Rose Bousamra and somehow manages to be deeply realistic and magical all at once. You don’t just identify with Marlene, the main character of this book. You are her. Balancing its messaging with great storytelling, character development, and the magic trick of making a mother character both the antagonist and loving, Frizzy is a roller coaster ride of emotions in a single, simple, quick to read little package. I like my moralizing not to feel like moralizing. As such, this is my new favorite book.

Torture. Sheer unmitigated torture. That’s how Marlene feels about going to the salon with her mother every Sunday to have her naturally curly hair straightened and styled. It’s a battle she can never win, no matter how much she begs. After her cousin’s quinceanera, this rebellion is matched only by her mother’s determination to control her daughter’s hair. An incident at school where Marlene releases her hair from braids and kids start sticking things in her frizz causes the girl to reach her boiling point. Fortunately, her Tia Ruby is there to help. With hair as curly as Marlene’s she explains why their family have always equated straight hair with “good hair” and teaches her niece how to take care of her own. But will they be able to convince Marlene’s mom? Can curly hair truly be beautiful?

I love books about process and they don’t get much process-ier than Frizzy. There aren’t all that many children’s books about attitudes about how “good hair” means white hair, though there are a few. As I read Frizzy I was reminded of the remarkable picture book by Cozbi A. Cabrera, My Hair is a Garden, which at the time took a incredibly deep dive into hair love and hair recovery. In Cabrera’s case is focuses on precisely what it takes to heal and grow beautiful Black hair. In Frizzy there’s a similar sequence of self-care but with the extra added advantage of panels that really show you the step-by-step process. In a way, Ortega and Bousamra have taken all the best aspects of a Tiktok How To video on hair care and formatted it into a highly readable book. A warning though: This book is about to make a bunch of straight-haired kids very very jealous.

My husband’s an author of books that explain how to engage audiences with your writing. When it comes to creating compelling characters, there are a number of tips and tricks he offers. For example, when we meet Marlene, Ms. Ortega does a number of things to get you on her side right from the start. She’s insulted by the hair stylist, who continually tsks and puts her down, while praising her mother’s hair. She’s in pain. She’s hungry. And then, when she goes to her cousin’s quince, she’s continually picked on by her relatives. This all happens within the first 42 pages and the combination is hugely successful. You aren’t just in Marlene’s court now. You would fight for her. You wanna grab that snotty blond cousin of hers and give her a good strong shake. You want someone to snap some sense into Marlene’s mom. Of course, the book runs the danger of heaping too much misery on poor Marlene. Readers have a limit at which they’ll be able to take all this depressing information and at times Ms. Ortega comes dangerously close to overtipping the balance. Fortunately for all parties involved, there's a good ebb and flow of feelings. You're never overwhelmed by her misery. Just pumped up to see her situation change.

Identification in Frizzy isn’t reserved for the main character alone, though. Sometimes I’ll read a comic with my daughter and she’ll start decrying how “evil” one person or another is. We haven’t read Frizzy together yet, but if I know her she’ll point a finger at the mom early on and pin that same label to her. But what separates a book of this sort from other, more simple, comics is how it treats its baddies. Now admittedly Marlene’s cousin Diana is without so much as a hint of human feeling or empathy. She's fairly one-dimensional. Marlene’s mother, the arbitrator of her woes, is a different story. While she’s the one primarily responsible for her daughter’s misery, we see through Tia Ruby how, in a way, she’s also a victim of bad attitudes towards curly hair, passed down through generations. Ortega cleverly front-ends that right at the beginning of the book when Marlene is expected to simply take the mean things her relatives say about her. Tia Ruby is the saving grace here, and is able to humanize her own sister so that while I’m sure there will be plenty of kids that have hardened their hearts to the woman for her sins, others will see the part of her that simply chalks up salon visits to being a good mom.

I guess if we can credit Smile by Raina Telgemeier with anything at all, it may be that it popularized the idea that serious realistic fiction stories about real life problems can not only be successful in a graphic novel form, but alluring to kids in a whole different way than a novel or memoir might be. Let us now raise a glass to the art of Rose Bousamra then. Creating sequential art is a rough gig. In recent years (in part thanks to the aforementioned Telgemeier) we’ve seen the publisher's comic book output for kids finally beginning to meet the demand. At the same time, though, that means that there’s a lot of schlock getting produced. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is more frustrating than reading a graphic novel, only to find that you simply cannot follow the action. The artist has to be able to lead the eye of the reader from panel to panel so seamlessly than you never stop and think, “Wait. I think I missed something. I need to go back.” That reaction never once came up with Bousamra’s art. On top of that, these characters come alive under their pen. They take up space in the world. They sweat and breathe and move and clunk about. They have weight and balance. More please.

Is it all perfect? Nothing in life in perfect. When pressed I can say that there may be a bit of a deux ex auntina element to this story. I mean, it’s very lucky indeed that Marlene not only has a sympathetic aunt but also one that shares her kind of hair AND is willing to share hair care tips and tricks. Still and all, without Tia Ruby this would be an incredibly depressing story OR the hero of the day would be some social media influencer and that doesn’t make for good storytelling. Good storytelling engages and wraps you up in the life of someone else. And this year (2022) I’ve seen loads of comics where the protagonist struggles with something. OCD, ADHD, sexuality, drugs, etc. They don’t all stand out like Frizzy does. Without moralizing or preaching, Ortega has given us a glimpse into a different kind of generational trauma and shows how it is our children that can break the cycle at last. Necessary storytelling in a format we can all enjoy.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This middle grade graphic novel is a vibrant, sweet, and compelling story about being true to who you are even when there are pressures not to be. The artwork was awesome and I loved the panels including the main character’s vision of herself as a super hero. Marlene is a young Dominican girl who has thick, curly hair. Every week her mother makes her go to the salon to get it straightened so she can look more professional and “look her best”. Marlene hates every second of it and doesn’t feel like herself with the straight hair. She goes through a lot to try to figure out how to please her mother, not be bullied, and feel comfortable with herself. The messaging in this story is so beautiful, and one I think more people need to hear. Even well intentioned adults who focus too much on physical beauty standards can cause harm in the children around them.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this was adorable and precious, and a very necessary story to be told! Frizzy follows Marlene, a young Dominican girl whose mother makes her get her hair straightened every week, but all Marlene wants is to wear her natural curls and be herself. It's an incredibly uplifting, family-oriented story of how much of an impact our family members' unkind and shallow commentary can have on our lives, as well as focusing on colorism, anti-Blackness, and the pain that comes with being told your natural appearance isn't "good enough", professional enough, etc.

The art is gorgeous, Marlene is such a lovable protagonist, and I really enjoyed her Tía Ruby, her best friend Camila, and even her mother (she has room to grow, but luckily we get to see that progress in the end!). I'm so happy that this book exists and highly recommend it to any young reader, but especially young readers who will be able to relate to Marlene's feelings about her hair and how society views it.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.

✨ Representation: Marlene and her family are Dominican

✨ Content warnings for: anti-Blackness, colorism, hair-shaming, misogyny, bullying, mentions of a deceased parent, grief

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[Ms. Woc Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frizzy is the story of Marlene, a young Dominican girl with big curly hair. Her mother drags her to the salon every Sunday to "tame" her curls by blowing them out. But Marlene secrets hates the salon days and she hates how her family always compares her to her perfect cousin. She dreams of the day she can let her curls be free and forms and plan to copy a hairstyle from Youtube.

The artwork truly does the heavy lifting here. It immediately sets the tone. Having grown up in a very Catholic Caribbean household the pictures of Jesus on the walls in the house reminded me so much of my mother's house growing up. I especially got a laugh out of Judging Jesus.

A lot of us have gone through this experience. I remember my mother insisting my hair needed relaxers because I didn't know how to take care of it. It was supposed to make it easier to manage. I remember Dominicans girls from the cosmetology class offering to give me a blow out. The days I fried it with the flat iron only to try and make curls with the curling iron to give my flat lifeless curls some body. That cousin with the "good" hair who made you feel bad about yours.

I liked that the text pointed out that the anti-Blackness and push for straight hair as acceptable was something passed through generations. And I loved the full circle moment at the end which reminded me so much of my own natural hair journey. I only wish I had an auntie as cool as Tia Ruby to help me through the trial and error of finding products that work.

[Kadi P · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

An emotional and educational graphic novel that was centred around hard-hitting questions that every person, young and old, finds themselves asking at some point in their lives.

The exploration of tough topics such as anti-Blackism, bullying, grief and miscommunication between mother and child were exceedingly well done. The growth for the protagonist was lovely to see; she started out frustratingly quiet about her inner turmoil but finally found the courage to voice her concerns.

However, I did find the aftermath of the confrontation with her mother was on the unrealistic side. For a graphic novel that had hit on so many home-truths that lots of people would relate to, it was odd to see it taking the easy way out by just having the mother simply accept everything the protagonist said and immediately try to change herself. In reality the mother would’ve likely been in denial and continued in her ways, and it would’ve been interesting to see how the protagonist would’ve handled that and what societal commentary the reader could’ve lifted from that. But, likely due to page constraints, that did not occur and the story ended rather abruptly after the build up to the confrontation. It was a shame because the foundation for that was built well and with great art too. Still, it snagged 4 stars and that’s no small feat!

[Dona's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found FRIZZY by Claribel A. Ortega and Rose Bousamra on the Libby app. Check for your local library on the app and read great books for free!📚

Sweet, beautiful art work, and tells a story about being brave in the face of what scares us, what hurts us, and even what loves us, in order to remain true to our own spirits. This is a great book for little people and big people alike, and teaches about deeply important topics like antiblackness and racism. A truly beautiful book, I wish I could read it again for the first time💜

"All hair is good hair. Don't forget that." p162

Rating: 🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢 / 5 hats to cover hair
Recommend? You need this book
Finished: May 31 2023
Format: Digital, Libby

[Claude's Bookzone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved this middle school graphic novel about embracing yourself. My heart hurt in some parts as Marlene is repeatedly told how ugly her hair is by kids at school. She is also indirectly told this by her mother when she takes her every Sunday to get her hair straightened so it will actually look "nice", unlike how it is in its natural frizzy state. Her mother's aggressive attitude to having "nice" hair is borderline abusive and hard to read. When tragedy strikes the family comes together in what it ultimately a heartwarming story about love and acceptance. Illustrations were incredible!

[Diana N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome graphic novel about a girl expressing her independence and individuality.

It shows some great themes about wanting to style hair differently than being told how it was supposed to be. Marline is a strong willed girl and a good role model for young girls to shine and show who they are. The format of this book helps even reluctant readers get into the story and has some pretty awesome graphics.

A touching story that is great for elementary school kids (especially girls). My daughter really liked this book!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equal parts charming and infuriating story about a young girl who is told by everyone around her: family, schoolmates, beauty ads, that her natural hair is wrong and bad. She suffers through weekly visits to the salon to get it painfully straightened, and suffers through the scolding and condemnation of those around her during the week if she dares to sweat or get her hair wet. She had "bad hair," she is told, but how is that her fault? And how is it bad just because it's . . . not white people hair, to be blunt?

I was rooting for this darling heroine all. the. way.

Also, her cousin really is SUCH A BITCH, and I would not have apologized, either!

[Maia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sweet, short story of a pre-teen wrestling with beauty standards and family pressure to conform to lady-like behavior. Marlene loves running around, playing with her best friend, and looks up to her cool Tía Ruby. She does not love the weekly salon sessions her mom insists on every Sunday. Her Tía Ruby wears her hair natural- can Marlene figure out a way to tell her mom she wants do the same? I got to read an ARC of this comic and loved the nuanced conversations of anti-blackness in beauty standards and how well they were woven in to a very warm, loving, coming of age tale. The art is very charming, with a lot of soft pinks, golds, and browns. It gave the book the feel of a summer sunset.

[Chantaal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This made me fucking cry.

To 14 year old me, who spent hours blow drying and flat ironing her hair, who had everyone say how pretty it was when it was straight but basically ignored the curls, who felt that straight was better until she discovered the curly girl method at age 23, you should never have been made to feel that way. Ever.

[Toya (thereadingchemist) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frizzy is a middle grade, graphic novel that follows Marlene who is Latinx and is tired of her weekly trips to the salon to straighten her curls. She wants nothing more to be like her cool Tía Ruby who embraces her curls and fights back against European beauty standards.

Y’all this book is the book that I desperately wish that I had as a kid. This book discusses the whole “having good hair” conversation that happens way too often in families as well as the inherent anti-Blackness of thinking that natural curly hair can’t be beautiful.

This reminded me so much of my own upbringing. I was constantly told that I had “nappy hair” and was always in my sister’s shadow because she had “beautiful ringlet curls”. It took so many years to unlearn that trauma, and I am so happy that kids with curly hair can see themselves reflected in stories and be told that their hair is absolutely beautiful.

I loved all of the scenes where Marlene got to just be herself with her Tía Ruby. These scenes really showed Marlene gaining confidence to voice her concerns over her hair with her mom. Also, while I found Marlene’s mom frustrating at times, I completely understand why she fought back against curly hair especially in the context of corporate America.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Pub for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

[Kristie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this through Bookish First today. I was surprised and happy to find it in my mailbox and read it immediately. It is a quick graphic novel that can be read in one sitting and you'll probably want to do so.

Marlene is a young girl being raised by her mother. Her mother wants her to be "presentable" and brings her to the salon every Sunday (plus for special events) to get her hair straightened. Marlene has been told that straight hair is good and curly hair is bad, but Marlene just wants to be herself and keep her hair curly.

I really felt for Marlene. She deals with kids picking on her at school, but doesn't feel like she can really talk to her mother about it because it involves her hair. She is a very insightful little girl and recognizes the discrepancy between telling a child that beauty is on the inside, then judging them for how they look. She is very fortunate to have an amazing best friend and a smart, caring aunt to support her. As the story goes on, you learn why her mother feels the way she does about Marlene's hair and you watch the characters learn and grow.

I thought some of the quick-switch attitudes towards the end were a bit unrealistic, but overall I thought this was a wonderful and beautiful story. I really loved Marlene. She makes some mistakes trying to figure out how to be her best self, but she is a great character.

I think this will be a good story for young girls. There is a lot of discussion around not judging hair as "good" or "bad" as well as how to be yourself and why people make the decisions they do. I really enjoyed this one.

[Ray M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for this advanced copy!

As a Latina with very curly hair, I can't say how much I related to this book. I was speechless and sobbing throughout the entire read. Marlene, our main character, is a girl who has to get her hair done every weekend to look "presentable" but longs to let her natural curls shine. She's in love with her curls even when society and her family view curly hair as "bad" or "messy."

Throughout the book, we see Marlene struggle with her self-expression as she wants to keep her mother happy but also wants to decide to embrace her curls and, with that, herself. I felt like I was Marlene when reading this story as many of her thoughts of feeling "ugly" when her curly hair didn't turn out the way she wanted it translated to my own experiences as a child when I was doing my own experiments. Curly hair is like a trial and error experience, and Ortega did a fantastic job presenting that within Marlene's story.

And despite not receiving support from the majority of her family, Marlene has support from her best friend, Camilla, and her aunt, Tia Ruby, which help Marlene gain the resolve to start expressing her desires to her mother.

Lastly, my favorite scene from Frizzy is when Marlene is at Tia Ruby's house doing the curly hair routine. Marlene finally got to experience how beautiful her natural hair can be and understood how easy it can be to style her own hair.

Ortega did amazing with this book; my final rating is 5 stars. Whenever you have a chance, please read this story as it touches upon family, fighting back against beauty standards, and, most importantly, self-acceptance!

[jocelyn]

It's simple: Claribel writes a book and I immediately want to read it.

[Eva B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO CUTE!!

[Emily higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It was so adorable and I think it’s great for young girls who are insecure about their hair or anything else about them.As someone with pretty curly hair, I loved all the positivity about accepting yourself and your hair even if you’re having a bad hair day.
I also loved all the illustrations and pictures. They were really well done and pretty accurately portrayed what it’s like to have curly hair.I thought the main character was super relatable and pretty funny. I also loved her aunt since she was actually really helpful and supportive. The storyline was also pretty good and overall just really cute.
I really wish I had this book to read when I was younger cause I could’ve really used it since I was always insecure about my hair as a kid. Overall it was a great book and definitely something I would recommend for younger girls.

[Amalfi Disla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro es tan hermoso, OMG!
Es un libro muy lindo con un gran mensaje sobre ser uno mismo y a ferrarnos a eso que nos hace unicos, aun teniendo que romper la barrera de lo tradicional o cultural. Tambien es un libro sobre la felicidad, el sanar, la incidencia de la cultura y lo importante de desaprender aquello que no nos hace bien pero que hacemos por complacer a los demas, de darnos la oportunidad de probar algo nuevo y hablar las cosas.

Las ilustraciones estan hermosas, tiene una paleta de colores super linda y fue hermoso poder ver tantos elementos de la cultura dominicana incluidos y las palabras en español, fue una excelente representacion. Espero que este libro puede llegar a las manos de muchas niñas, jóvenes y otras personas para que puedan ser impactadas con este mensaje de aceptación.
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This book is so beautiful, OMG!

It is a very nice book with a great message about being oneself and clinging to what makes us unique, even having to break the traditional or cultural barrier. It is also a book about happiness, healing, the influence of culture and the importance of unlearning what is not good for us but what we do to please others, to give ourselves the opportunity to try something new and talk about things.

The illustrations are beautiful, it has a super nice color palette and it was beautiful to be able to see so many elements of the Dominican culture included and the words in Spanish, it was an excellent representation. I hope that this book can reach the hands of many girls, young people and other people so that they can be impacted with this message of acceptance. I am so grateful to be able to have this book and share it with my daughter.

[Kaylani Gallardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Thank you to Netgally for the approved E-ARC for in exchange for an honest review)
4.5 Stars...
This was such a cute middle grade graphic novel. This really has some wonderful lessons to be learning especially for a younger reader. The themes of self acceptance and self love was beautiful to watch. I know that as a black woman I have always struggled to love my natural hair. I wish that I would have a had a book like this growing up.

Other than the awful family members and kids at her school this book was so great and absolute perfection. Some part of me just couldn't get over how mean they were to the main character and kept taking me out of the story so that is why it is not a full five stars. That being said I would 100% recommend this book and might even purchase a copy for my younger sister when the book does come out.

[Richelle Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Bookish First & First Second books for my free book.

My 💭:

“ I wonder why our best meant not ourselves and why adults always told me so many things that did add up.”

“ Be yourself, honesty is the best policy, and then don’t be yourself, be what other people want.”

Good hair = Straight hair.

“All hair is good hair.”

Phew. 😮‍💨

Growing up my mom relaxed my hair
religiously and I HATED it so I can definitely relate to this story. Having good hair was a phrase I heard growing up a lot as well.

Loved that this story also touched on anti-Blackness when it comes to hair in certain communities. This graphic novel tackled sensitive topics such as racism, colorism, bullying and grief all in a realistic way. Frizzy has made my top reads for 2022 and I highly recommend you check out this story.

[Vanessa Riveros · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

Desde que vi este libro supe que tenía que leerlo, pues pasé por lo mismo que Marlene. Crecí escuchando que el cabello crespo no era elegante y que me veía más bonita cuando me lo alisaba. Tuvieron que pasar 24 años y una pandemia para que yo comenzara a aceptar mis crespos, a amarlos y cuidarlos. No tuve una Tía Ruby que me enseñara cómo hacerlo, ni libros que me acompañaran en ese viaje de aceptación, pero me alegra que ahora existan.

Frizzy es una historia simple pero linda, con unas ilustraciones hermosas y un mensaje muy importante.

[Grapie Deltaco · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet and emotional middle grade graphic novel that explores identity, sense of self, and the layers of insecurities a child can develop from one’s family after years of unexplored comments that break that child down over time.

On top of the important messages it focuses on it’s also beautifully illustrated with vibrancy and life breathed into every page.


CW: dead loved one, grief, bullying, internalized racism, texturism

[itselv:#&309;]

“We learn things from our parents, who learn things from their parents, who learned that from their parents. It doesn't make those things okay to believe, but it does take time to unlearn them and be better.”

Resonated with me more than I expected. Wish I had a supportive person to be by my side when my environment repeatedly told me my hair was far from beautiful. It’s hard to unravel and leave the shame behind, but it is just as freeing.

[Anniek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great story, tailored exactly to a middlegrade audience, and I think it's going to be a very needed one for many kids. It's an incredibly heartfelt story about a topic that's so necessary to discuss but which I can't say I've read too much about. It was especially amazing to see the main character have a wash day with her tía and learn how to take care of her natural hair.

[Elizabeth Aguilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

Beautiful art, great voice, insightful. I almost teared up a few times.

[Bryan L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hay historias que aunque sean simples, su mensaje terminará siendo algo poderoso y con este libro pasó eso.

Para los que tenemos cabello rizado, crespo y afro nos cuesta entender que tener el cabello así está bien. Que nuestro cabello no es feo ni es poco profesional ni es un cabello malo. Solo es distinto al resto y merece un tratamiento diferente al de los demás, más tiempo y más amor.
Por todo lo qué pasó la protagonista es algo que me sucedió a mí también (y a muchas personas igual), y fue grandioso verlo representado (y aunque fue un proceso que descubrí solo, cada quien lo hace a su manera y a su ritmo). Aparte que aunque la novela gráfica es corta, no te deja indiferente y se logra evidenciar y demostrar por muchas cosas que sufren las personas con cabellos rizados.

Lo único que no me gustó es que suceden cosas al inicio con unos chicos y realmente no hay una solución a uno en específico (ojalá lo hubiera empujado más fuerte). De resto las ilustraciones, la historia, lo que representa me encantó un montón.