Booklists

CCBC Review:

Imagine trying to fit in at middle school when you aren’t even human. Tommy Tomkins’s real name is Booger Lizk’t; he and his family are lizard people from far beneath the earth’s surface who escaped when their subterranean world was destroyed. Fearing how humans will react to them, they transform their appearance to pass as human. Despite looking like an ordinary boy, Tommy doesn’t feel like he fits in at his new school. Meeting Dung Tran helps. Dung is in Eagle Valley so his parents, Vietnamese scientists, can study a mysterious sinkhole (a remnant of Tommy’s family’s arrival). Dung seems able to ignore other kids’ taunts about his name and the food he eats, and he convinces Tommy to try out for the basketball team. Tommy eventually trusts Dung enough to reveal the truth to him. When they meet Scarlet, the custodian’s daughter, the three outsiders form a tightknit group … until Tommy sees Dung and Scarlet kiss. Worried they’ll have no space for him if they are a couple, Tommy betrays them both. Owning his mistakes and asking for forgiveness come with understanding that he must find a way forward, as there is no going back. This graphic novel examines the refugee experience, the importance of friendship, and the universal longing to fit in with humor and gravity both. A terrific author’s note connects the story to his own family’s experiences as Vietnamese immigrants. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Jonathan Hill

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-13
Age Range: Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10) Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format: Graphic Novel
Subjects: Asian Americans Extraterrestrials Forgiveness Friendship Humor Refugees Science and Scientists Science Fiction Trust Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans
Diversity subject: Asian

Publishers: Candlewick, Walker
Publish Year: 2022
Pages: 264
ISBN: 9781536216509
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Hill

Add To My List