Ughhhhh loveeeee. This graphic novel isn't out till October but I was lucky enough to get approved for an e arv on Netgalley. It's such an amazing book about accepting yourself as you are and not succumbing to beauty standards. I had never thought of the natural hair movement from the Afro Latinx perspective so this was a refreshing read and I LOVE that this was handled from the middle grade perspective. The aspects of school, family, friendship, and community are super great as well. I love the full color illustrations as well!

Marlene’s cousin is having her quinceañera, so Marlene is at the salon with her Mami to get her thick natural curls smoothed and straightened. It’s painful, time-consuming, and necessary to make Marlene “presentable” - even beautiful? - for the festivities. Deep down Marlene just wants people to see her true self, and that includes flaunting her natural curls like her Tía Ruby, but her first attempt doesn’t go so well (thanks, bullies). Will a special weekend with her Tía help Marlene to embrace her curl power? Find out when Frizzy arrives in October of 2022!! 📚 🎨 🖌 👩🏽‍🦱

As a curly haired girl, I grew up with all my role models fitting the Eurocentric narrative that straight hair was the standard of beauty, that curls were unkempt, unprofessional, the frizz that came with them a sign of laziness and disgustingness. Claribel Ortega has composed a graphic novel oozing with the journey to self- love and care, navigating the microaggressions and racism that underlies the curly hair hate in our world. I'd love to see more from Marlene's little world, as her journey is utterly heartwarming and what I would've loved to see and consume when I was her age, struggling with my hair and appearance and comparing to a standard that was not mine as a non-white little girl. The aesthetic and art for this graphic novel add to this beautiful feeling, and thus is an absolute win and recommendation from me :)

Delightful middle grade read featuring an engaging, heartfelt topic, HAIR, and it’s role in building self confidence, self worth, community and self esteem.

It was a pleasure to read this well-written graphic novel. The colors chosen were rich and the illustrations matched the text. The author put a lot of thought into the message that the story was going to convey to the reader.

This is a delightful story about a young teen girl learning to embrace her natural hair and gently confronting her mother about the myth of "good hair," all with the support of an amazing best friend and badass "cool tia." It's got a great message, some seemingly truly excellent representation, and a kickass and sweet protagonist who loves drawing comics. I do think the mother character comes around a bit too quickly for someone who's insisted her daughter go to the salon with her EVERY Sunday for years, to "tame" her frizzy hair, but this is a book for younger kids, so I get it. It's got an incredibly sweet resolution, and the artwork throughout is absolutely stunning and beautiful, as is the color palette. Can't wait to carry this in the store I work in and recommend it to as many people as possible. If only for this reason alone, October can't get here quickly enough!!

I loved this sweet story about a girl coming to terms with her natural hair. The artwork was beautiful and the characters stole my heart. Highly recommended!

Empowering, heartfelt, emotional, and beautiful - Frizzy is a story about coming of age and handling generational trauma, pushing against harmful traditions while embracing culture and history. I definitely cried while reading this and hope that this book makes its way into everyone's hands. Even if the character's stories are different from one's own history, the impact and messages this story carries are important for everyone to hear. Beautifully illustrated and powerfully written, Frizzy is absolutely a must-read story for all ages!

really love to see an explanation of intergenerational trauma and antiblackness exchanged between differently aged folks, in a comic, for children. cute artwork and character design. 5/5

This is a wonderful graphic novel! An empowering story that demonstrates the importance of self-love and helps kiddos understand how conventional beauty standards impact their lives. I thought the author did an excellent job explaining complex topics like ingrained ideas, intergenerational beliefs, and anti-blackness at a middle-grade level.

Marlene spends every Sunday at the salon getting her hair straightened and hates every second of it. She’s been told her whole life that there’s good (straight) hair and bad (curly) hair, and she’s fed up with fighting her curls and being made fun of by kids at school. Fortunately, her Tia Ruby is looking out for her and shows Marlene how to care for her curls and feel good about herself — inside and out.

Frizzy was a sweet, heartfelt, and funny coming-of-age and self-acceptance story that will be relatable for many kids. The artwork was bright and fun. This will be a great addition to elementary & middle school libraries and classrooms!

I loved this book! The art is gorgeous and the story brings a necessary message.
This book is excellent for teaching children about loving their hair and themself, internalized anti-blackness in black and mixed communities, generational trauma and traditions rooted in colonialism, bullying, friendship, and mother-daughter relationships.

I absolutely ADORE this graphic novel! It was an excellent story about the kind of social abuse we inflict on our children over racist ideas of beauty, as well as how to love and take care of natural, beautiful, curly hair.
This book would do well in both Youth and Teen.