Faiza Is a Fighter

by Debasmita Dasgupta

Faiza wants to win the biggest boxing tournament in town. When the odds are stacked against her, will she be able to achieve her dream without the presence of her biggest supporter?

Life in hilly northern India is not easy. Every day, Faiza has to scale the mountains to reach her school or to fetch water from the stream. Faiza doesn't have many friends or relatives who believe in her, but her dream of being a world champion boxer and the support of her only parent, her dad, and her grandma keeps her going.

When her dad's travel is delayed due to a landslide, she has to enter the boxing tournament without her coach and support system. Will she give up or forge out on her own? Sometimes your biggest cheerleader is the voice inside of you. Fight, Faiza, fight!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Sports, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Juvenile, Fiction, Nature

72 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2025

Reviews

[Ness (Vynexa) · Rating 3 out of 5]

a super cute story about Faiza, a little girl from a small village in north India, who is a fighter through and through.

super short and easy to digest. I think it is a perfect read for little ones to let them know/remind them that they can do anything they feel in their heart is their own.

[Teacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faiza (age 7-9) wants to box!

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the Himalayas in India, a young girl overcomes many obstacles to enter a boxing tournament. I love how her father is also her coach and encourages her in this non-traditional sport. I do with this middle grade graphic novel had a bit of back matter to give cultural context for readers from outside of India. I definitely want to share this book with global libraries I work with!

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very simplistic with one-dimensional antagonists.

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faiza wants to be a boxer and prove to the world that she can fight. Living in the hilly Himalayas makes this difficult, and she doesn’t have any friends to encourage her. Only her Daadi (grandmother) and her Baba (father) support her, especially Baba as he teaches Faiza everything he knows about boxing, keeping her dream alive. But when he gets stranded by a landslide and is gone for days, Faiza is devastated and lost. Can she still find the courage to compete and win her first boxing tournament? 

Faiza is a Fighter is a sweet and encouraging graphic novel about finding the inner strength to follow your dreams, despite everything around you. It’s a simple story of a girl learning to deal with harsh reality and not letting it drag her down. Faiza goes though the emotional journey of losing her Baba, being belittled, and feeling alone to eventually taking a stand and feeling confident. The art is bright and colorful, with greens, yellows, and reds popping off the page to create a consistent tone. Dark outlines surround the characters so they stand out from the paint-like environments. The cartoon-esque style is clean, adding just enough detail to portray character expressions, cultural items, and the lush landscape of northern India. Overall, a pleasant story of determination and fighting spirit. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Kirin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are engaging, and the picture book size graphic novel is a unique read for middle grade readers, but honestly the story is not polished. We don't know why Faiza is a fighter, or loves boxing. She hasn't been dreaming of this tournament we learn about it with her when she reads about it in an ad in the paper. She is awful to her Dadi, we don't see her fight at the tournament, and the kids at school tease her, but for a variety of things, not really connecting to her boxing and fighting spirit or desire to be loved. There is no religion really, there is a shrine and a ghost like conversation in the middle, there are Hindu and Urdu words, and is set in Northern India.

Before reading I thought it was going to be about a girl wanting to box and having to break gender and societal norms to be able to, and was briefly excited that it wasn't a predictable story. Unfortunately, the lack of connection to Faiza or the sport, left me reluctantly wishing that at least there was something to fight against, something to motivate her moving forward, and something to cheer her on to prove, sigh, at least the pictures are well done.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faiza, who lives in the mountainous portion of India with her father and grandmother, takes a lot of flack from classmates because of her passion for boxing. She trains hard with her father and dreams of winning a tournament in the city. But when her father fails to return after a trip, she feels disheartened about training without her coach, and considers giving up. But after a surprising encounter with someone with the same name and encouragement from her grandmother, she rededicates herself to the sport and heads to the tournament. Even though she has money with her for the bus, bullies from her class attack her along the way, stealing the money and necessitating a long walk to town. She channels her inner strength and fights as hard as she can. While she doesn't win the bout, she gains confidence and knows that she should continue boxing. The colors in this inspiring graphic novel are quite bright, pulsing with energy and depicting beautiful terrain. Faiza is a groundbreaker, but she's also someone carrying some heavy burdens.

[Christine Lucia Asha · Rating 4 out of 5]

MUST READ BOOKS in every genre:
Thriller Say Goodbye
Memoir The Yellow House
SciFi Murder by Memory
Romance Time Loops & Meet Cutes

Cute story if a little foreign to most of us! A strong girl with a strong father wants to learn to box.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel tells the story of a young girl named Faiza who lives in a small town in northern India. She and her dad often box together and Faiza wants to win a boxing tournament that is coming up. However, when it is time for the tournament, her dad is delayed by a landslide, bullies steal her bus money, so she doesn't have her coach or a lot of support. She will need to be her own strongest fan.
The countryside is beautifully depicted in the greens, yellows, oranges, and reds of the color palette used in this GN. However, I feel like there is a lot of the story itself lacking - like we never see Faiza's competition bout. It's also a bit disjointed.

[Mackenzie Walton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this! The idea is great and the art is charming. But it's lacking enough backstory or stakes, there's an abrupt deus ex machina, a number of plot holes, and worst of all, we don't even get to see Faiza really box! This feels like a promising first draft but needs some serious fleshing out.

[Alyssa DeLeon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like the rough draft of a very promising story. So many plot holes (her dad was buried in the landslide for days and days and came straight to her match?) and I didn't feel like I understood why she boxed. The mystical girl also felt like it didn't quiitttee fit. Like it had promise but didn't quite jive.

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faiza dreams of being a fighter, but there are a lot of obstacles in her way. When she discovers a tournament is being held nearby she thinks it could be her shot. But her father is away from home and cannot get back. Will he be lost to her like her mother?

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a gorgeous book.

[Cyrtodactylus australotitiwangsaensis]

The concept of the story is really cute, but the execution was hollow

[Chelsea DiCicco · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational story about resilience. Beautifully illustrated and touches the heart!

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Himalayas

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I’m missing some chunks of the story. I like short but it’s gotta be more complete. Great potential!