BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ying, Victoria. 2023. HUNGRY GHOST. New York. First Second. ISBN 979-83-687-0768-6
PLOT SUMMARY
Valerie, a high school girl, tries to be the good daughter her parents expect her to be, but struggles with her mother’s way of loving her. She struggles with body issues and does what she thinks is necessary to please her mother and to keep thin. Her image of being thin blinds her of true happiness. An accident leaves her family mourning her father’s death and Valerie struggles to continue being the perfect daughter as she struggles with problems of her own. Through conversations with friends and family she finds it in herself to seek help and ultimately be truly happy with her body and herself.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The main characters are very relatable as we see Valerie struggling with an eating disorder and envying her best friend who finds happiness in life itself. The graphic novel follows a sequential order that is easy to read with language relevant to that of the young adult audience. The illustrations are very accurate in representing the setting following the characters across the world to Paris and facial expressions which show Val’s feelings. Words in French followed by conversation bubbles to give context to the words give the story a unique style that allows the reader to challenge their knowledge of pronouncing the french language. The story immediately begins with Valerie's eating disorder and her constant struggle to find the right time to empty her stomach while with friends, during family gatherings and on her trip to Paris, the only exception was when she was grieving for her father and her mother was not emotionally well to constantly bombard her with her consumption of food.
With the help of her aunt, she learns that her mothers way of loving her will not change and she needs to find a way to be good for her mother. This will mean she needs to be good to herself first. As she fixes her relationship with her eating disorder she fixes her relationships with her mother and best friend, who she body shamed out of jealousy for her self-love. This coming of age, fiction, graphic novel leads the reader through the difficulties faced by young girls who deal with the pressure of society to be thin causing health problems and relationship strains. Readers will enjoy a happy ending to a rough journey of an eating disorder.
EXCERPTS/ AWARDS
Booklist, 03/15/23
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, 03/01/23
Horn Book Magazine, 09/01/23
Kirkus Reviews starred, 03/01/23
Publishers Weekly, 02/13/23
School Library Journal, 02/01/23
Booklist (March 15, 2023 (Vol. 119, No.14)): “Ying’s soft artwork, colored in pastel pinks and blues, nicely evokes Val’s emotional journey through facial expressions and body language.”
Horn Book Magazine (July/August, 2023): “The story shows how Valerie’s condition prevents her from enjoying such activities as Lunar New Year feast or a Paris class trip while her curvy best friend helps model healthier body image.”
Kirkus Reviews starred (March 1, 2023): “A gorgeously wrought, therapeutic story filled with tenderness and honesty.”
CONNECTIONS
This story is a great read and appropriate for the young adult audience. I enjoyed how the story was very straightforward, simple language, soft colors and accurate illustrations. The father’s death was not too emotional but the mother’s grieving process was very impactful.
Integrating self-love journaling after reading this story can give students the opportunity to get their thoughts on paper and remind them of what they don’t tell themselves on a daily basis.
Providing students with a list such as “Everything BUT Social Media” to give themselves a break from the endless scrolling will get them outside and detox their minds from the unrealistic expectations most young adults are influenced by.
Fung, Rosena. AGE 16. ISBN 978-1-77321-833-5
Tamaki, Mariko. THIS ONE SUMMER. 978-1-46685-852-7
Spears, Katarina. THE TRAGEDY OF DANE RILEY. ISBN 978-1-25012-480-7
No comments:
Post a Comment