Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this. The art is beautiful. My only hangup is that I wish there was some real life story, but other than that, it is really excellent.

*reviewed from uncorrected ARC - via #netgalley

diverse middlegrade/teen graphic novel, #ownvoices bilingual Vietnamese-American family and LGBTQAI+ interest
Beautiful art tells the story of 13 y.o. Tiến, a sweet kid who is close with his parents but doesn't quite know how to tell them he's gay. The story alternates between fairy tales (including a Vietnamese Cinderella tale that is as grisly as the Grimm version), Tiến's secret crush on his friend, and his mother's experiences as a refugee and immigrant.
Don't miss the backmatter, "Between Words and Pictures," which explains why the princess illustrations appear to be so westernized at first (because that is probably how Tiến would have imagined them), as well as the real life inspirations behind Princess Alera's magnificent gowns (Callot Soeurs, Givenchy) and other decisions the author made with the art and story.

This was an incredible story. This is one of those times I wish I had better descriptive skills to adequately explain how much I loved this graphic novel. I’ll do my best.

Multiple stories, really. We get three different fairytales interwoven into the overall plot of Tien struggling with his sexuality and his mother, Helen, struggling with feeling like a fish out of water as an immigrant.

Firstly: the drawings are absolutely gorgeous. The color blocks made it easy to follow and the crisp, clear lines drew the eye to so much of the beauty of the illustrations without overloading. Honestly the author should make prints of these, especially Alera and the prince.

Secondly: Helen’s story hit hard. The immigrant story is such a prevalent one, especially in the US, and it feels like we are only just beginning to see the struggles they faced reflected in literature. Helen continuously felt apart from her family—thousands of miles away from her mother and her homeland, easily characterized by Vietnamese, and her new life in the US with her son who’s never met his grandmother. She struggles to meld the two worlds together in a way where she doesn’t feel lost. Honestly, some of her scenes had me crying.

Thirdly: Tien’s struggle to come to terms with his sexuality was heartbreaking. The author did a brilliant job of exposing both the true supporters of Tam’s life early on (with his friends) and the detractors (his teachers).

Fourthly: the way the fairytales are interweaved is honestly just perfect. Alera’s Cinderella story reflects the struggle of finding someone to accept you and embracing your own abilities to change your fate despite what you may have been forced into. Cam’s Cinderella to me felt like a parable of letting go of hate and jealousy. The Little Mermaid was about finding love wherever you may, and having the support of family. These are probably my new favorite versions of the classic tales.

I had to fight my kindle so hard just to read these book. Had to do a bunch of settings changes and updates and reading how-tos on the internet just to download the damn PDF.

It was totally worth it and I wholeheartedly recommend everyone read this. It’s gorgeous, it’s thought-provoking, heartfelt and generous. Loved every bit of it.

Full of gorgeous, detailed artwork and thoughtful dialogue, The Magic Fish is a touching story about communication, immigration and coming out.

Different tellings of fairytales interweave with a mother and son’s stories. Tiến and his parents read library books out loud to each other not only for the shared experience but so that his parents can practice English. With them struggling with their English and Tiến not sure if there are Vietnamese words for what he is going through, he and his mother fall back on the fairytales to communicate.

This was such a tender and touching story and I highly recommend it! Since I got an digital ARC through NetGalley and read it on my phone, I will definitely be picking up a copy when it is out so I can fully appreciate the art in all its glory.

The artwork is gorgeous in this book, some segments having an almost Sailor Moon transformation sequence vibe. I love the use of color to differentiate between the different story arcs. And it’s such a small detail, but I adore the stars that find themselves scattered throughout the pages.

#TheMagicFish was a sweet graphic novel of a young boy trying to find the words to explain to his mother that he is gay. Because he does not have the words in Vietnamese, they tell stories. This graphic novel beautifully intertwines several layers--some based in fairy tale, some based in family history, some based in retellings and adaptations of other stories, and more. The artwork for each story has a different style that adds additional layers to the story. Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for this advanced copy.

Loved the art and loved the fairy tales. Just gorgeous overall. Tien is not only dealing with being the English-speaking link for his Vietnamese family but also trying to come out to his family (and dealing with his terrible teacher, ugh). I also really liked that the author included the section in the end where he talks about his choices for the art and the stories.

This book is such a beautiful coming out story that shows both sides of the story, the person who is coming out, and the person who is receiving the news. I personally love the relationship between the mother and son throughout the whole book. The stories in the book were woven flawlessly into the main plot. Not to mention the art work was stunning. The designs for all the characters and outfits blew my mind. The book was in the shorter side but it still got what it needed to say across perfectly. Overall, it is such a touching and heart warming story.

Gosh, this book tackled so much, especially for a graphic novel— and it pulled it off so well. You don’t find many YA stories that deeply examine the adult characters as well as the teens, so this was a breath of fresh air. I really felt for Tien and his mother and their personal struggles; the fact that they connect with one another over library books/Vietnamese fairytales is so heartwarming. The fairytales were also interesting, and I loved the parallels between them and the real world struggles. The art style was phenomenal! It ended a bit too suddenly for me, but it also ended on a high note, so I can’t complain too much! Also, it walks the line between YA and middle grade, and I personally think this leans a little more toward being MG than YA. 5/5 stars and a new favorite graphic novel.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’ve been trying to get more into graphic novels this year and I so glad when I got an advanced copy of The Magic Fish.

I loved the coloring of the panels, the red and purple to separate reality from fairytales. I really loved the fairytales interlaced throughout the story. They’re so different from the fairytales I know and it was nice to read different, but amazing versions of them.

This story also is a sweet coming out journey. His friends are so accepting and encouraging to him. They’re was a part where I was holding my breathe for Tiêń and hoping he would get to feel loved and accepted by his family. Small spoiler alert, thank goodness for happy endings.

Such a lovely and sweet story!

Magic Fish is a warm story within a story of acceptance, friendship, family, tradition, and love. The art was beautiful and the story was endlessly touching. It was wonderful to see this culture highlighted in such a touching way. Tién's struggles are not unique, but the parallel between his story and the fairytales is something unique.

Fairy tales meet contemporary coming out stories in this enchanting, heart-warming graphic novel. The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen is going to be a great addition to collections everywhere this fall! I read an uncolored ARC from the publisher, but I an already tell it's going to look stunning in full color.

Tein is a 13-year old Vietnamese-American boy struggling with his own sexuality and communicating with his mother, who came from Vietnam and has struggles of her own. They bond over fairy tales, stories that Tein reads aloud to her of princesses and magic fish and stories we recognize as Americans but with interesting twists and turns. This is, as the author says, a "small story" but it is poignant and touching and explores different cultures and how fairy tales cross culture and time and space. Some of the illustrations reminded me of Prince and the Dressmaker, my legit fave, so I loved to see that and think it's going to be stellar in full color!

If you want a good, easy graphic novel that you'll fall into, I cannot recommend this enough.

An easy thing to do would be to rely on the pun that lets me say that this book is utterly magical and just leave it at that.
However, there is so much heart and wonder inside the pages of The Magic Fish that I can't let myself do that. I want to shout from the rooftops about how the downright gorgeous art is a feast for the eyes, the storytelling an emotional love letter to the magic of reading and sharing, and the plot a poignant look at immigrant life for two generations.
It's not often that a book for younger readers will take the time to fully develop and explore the emotional story for an adult. But one thing Trungles does spectacularly well in this story is not only showing the mother's backstory and emotional journey but linking it back beautifully to the fairytales that she reads with her son.
Overall, there is so much great emotion in what both Tiến and his mother are experiencing with art just does wonders in conveying it that you'll be sure to walk away loving this book. There are several levels at which one can enjoy it, you can dig as deep as all the glimpses allow or just skim the surface of the beautifully drawn fairytales. Whichever way, it's a gorgeously illustrated story that tells an enchanting tale.

I really enjoyed the illustration style of this graphic novel. The colors and pictures flowed wonderfully with the storyline. The reader really gets to form an attachment with both the main character, Tien, and his mother. The mixing of contemporary story with fairy tale retelling elements was very unique.

The Magic Fish is a stunning graphic novel that is sure to leave a mark on its readers in the best possible way. The son of Vietnamese immigrants, Tiến struggles to accurately communicate with his parents through language and cultural barriers. Likewise, his mother struggles with her own sense of identity that continues to evolve day by day as she lives separately from her native culture. It is in such characters' shared love for fairytales that Tiến and his mother find the perfect method of communication to bridge the gap between them. Interweaving these revamped fairytales and the character's modern struggles, Nguyen highlights not only the power of sharing stories but also the beauty of utilizing such stories to demonstrate acceptance and understanding. Paired with the absolutely extraordinary artwork of its author, The Magic Fish is sure to leave readers with their hearts full and, if they are anything like me, bawling like an absolute baby.

This is a gorgeous graphic novel about a young boy named Tién who is struggling to bridge the gap between English and Vietnamese in order to come out to his family. His story is interwoven with traditional fairy tales, and the tales take lessons from one another, illustrating the power that stories can have.