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The Magic Fish
Tiến reads fairy tales aloud to his Vietnamese-immigrant mother to help her with English. Tiến’s mother has been saving money for a trip home to Vietnam to see her own mother. When her mother dies, Tiến’s mom finally makes the journey back to Vietnam. Three interconnected strands in this moving graphic novel—Tiến’s contemporary life, his mother’s trip home and the memories it inspires, and the fairy tales themselves—are delineated by storytelling in three separate color schemes (black on red, black on golden yellow, black on blue). Tiến is in secretly love with his friend Julian, facing homophobia from his Catholic school teachers, and thinking about how to come out to his parents (there isn’t a Vietnamese word for “gay”). His mother, who left Vietnam as a refugee, is burdened by both guilt and sadness—at leaving her mother behind, at not making it back before she died. The three fairy tales—The Little Mermaid and German and Vietnamese variants of Cinderella—connect thematically to both Tiến’s and his mother’s struggles. The overlapping elements from the fairy tales, Tiến’s life, and his mom’s story make for a rich and rewarding reading experience in this work illuminating how the immigrant experience impacts generations. The fairy tales also prove to be a bridge across generations, one that connects Tiến and his mom as he seeks a way to come out. The author/artist caps this exceptional work with extensive end notes providing insight into his creative process and considerations. ©2021 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 11 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Graphic Novel
Subjects:
Art and Artists
Asian Americans
Families
Folk and Fairy Tales
Friendship
Gays
Grief and Loss
Guilt and Remorse
Immigration and Immigrants
LGBTQ+ Persons
Mothers
Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans
Diversity subject:
Asian
LGBTQ Character/Topic
Publishers:
Random House, RH Graphic
Publish Year: 2020
Pages: 229
ISBN: 9780593125298
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Nguyen
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