I grew up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, home of the U.S. Army War College. It seemed as though, every year from middle school to senior high, my favorite new friend would turn out to be one of the kids whose father was temporarily assigned to the base. We'd enjoy each other's company for nine months, knowing that in June, they would be moving to another base somewhere else, and I would be staying right there in the town of my birth.

At the time, I never really thought about what it was like for these smart, interesting, and resilient "army brats" to be constantly on the move, settling into a new town, starting a new school, and making new friends every year.

In this book we meet 11-year-old, Leah, the child of two army parents. She's dealing with a lot at the moment. While her mom is off for training, she's left with her dad, a man suffering from PTSD, whose wild mood swings can be scary for young Leah. She's also facing the fact that it's almost time for her best friend to move away while this time, Leah stays put.

This bittersweet graphic, aimed at the middle-grade readers and up, would be a great addition to any school library, and would probably appeal to fans of the "Berrybrook Middle School" series.

PTSD from a kid's perspective is something that is VERY needed. The resources shown are fantastic and should be noted by all readers, whether you have kids in your life or not.

AWOL is powerful and much-needed storytelling in comics form. I would gladly add this book to my classroom shelf and teaching material.

Miigweetch to Netgalley and Orca Book Publishers for the DRC.

The story revolves around Leah, a Canadian military kid who is either always moving or losing friends to a move. It’s no secret that being a military family comes with hardship, and I appreciate that the story avoids veering into cliched territory. Leah’s father has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related to his military service, and the author explores how this impacts Leah and their family. I think the story would have been stronger if there had been an epilogue exploring what it looked like for the family once Leah’s father finally got treatment for his PTSD.

The art style is simple and soft; I think it works well in contrast to the sometimes heavy-hitting material the author tackles. I really liked that the book includes kid-friendly mental health resources. I recommend this title to military families and other readers interested in mental health or family dynamic stories.

This is such a sweet little graphic novel. It does a great job of showing the struggles of being in a military family with the moving all the time, and always having to make new friends. It also shows how PTSD impacts not only the person with it but also the entire family. I have PTSD, not from being in the military, but from trauma that has happened to my family that was very hard on me. Mine is mild compared to a lot of other people and I can't imagine the pain them and their family go through. It is so difficult and can hit you at any time. It's often embarrassing, like hearing the sounds of a cash register in the middle of the store and having a panic attack, or like the book showed, the sounds of fireworks or cars backfiring. This book is a great way to show kids that things do get better and that the person in your life suffering with PTSD can get the help they need.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this digital copy of this graphic novel for free in exchange for an honest review.

I recieved an eARC of this book so I could review it. Thank you for the opportunity to do so. Please note that the final version may not exactly match this review.

Leah is a military kid. At age 11, she's moved five times, and while she doesn't have to move this year, her best friend does. Furthermore, her oldee sister has a camp counseling job and her mother is in the reserves and has annual summer training, leaving Leah with her dad. Her Dad is sometimes OK, sometimes moody, and sometimes can be explosive or overreact,

AWOL is true to the experince of many military kids. While it is based on the Canadian military, the experiences are true to life for US kids as well. This is a short graphic novel which is likely to be relatable. It also opens a door for a discussion of PTSD in parents, something that is Also true to life for many kids. My one complaint is that the book ends with Leah's dad saying he was getting help, but doesn't progress long enough to sjhow the up and down nature of treatment and recovery for PTSD. While that may be appropriate for a children's book, it does mean that this book should be used in conjunction with discussion and other resources. Overall, a valiant effort, and a well needed resource.

Thank you for the advance copy!

AWOL is a really touching story that gives you a peek in to the behind the scenes life of an Army family. The story follows through the youngest daughters eyes and really lets us see the impact of the things around her. While not a military child myself I am very familiar with the tip-toeing around a family member with a short and dangerous fuse so this was a good little story to read.

Im glad it ended the way it did and the dad acknowledged he is in need of help.

This was a simple and easy to read while complex graphic novel perfect for its middle school audience. While it tackles life with not one but two military parents including one with mental health troubles that we get to see. As Leah is turning 12, dealing with another friend moving away, her dad is home, and both her mom and sister are gone, we see how much all of these affect her. This was an emotional story that will definitely connect to other kids with military parents.

Perfectly crafted for a middle grade audience.

While I am certainly not the target audience for this book, I did enjoy the simplicity of the artwork and the ease of storytelling.

I think my 7th graders would love it.

What?! Parents aren’t perfect?!

This is a wonderfully unique graphic novel about military life, living with a parent dealing with their mental health and handle the struggles of being a child of a parent with mental health issues. As a parent, I saw this as a great opportunity to talk with your children about how parents are far from perfect, that we struggle with challenging life situations and with our own mental health. It is a great way to start a conversation about what to do and where to go if young people need support or help with their home, school or just life in general. The illustrations were fun and gave a fun visual to a very difficult situation.

As a parent I really appreciated being given the chance to not be perfect, as a child I think it is important to understand that parents are doing their best. And for readers of ALL ages- it is imperative to know there is always help and to ask for it when you need it.

Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley & Orca Book Publishers

This is a really great middle grade graphic novel that looks at military family life and PTSD.
I liked the illustrations and the expressions of the characters.
I am not from a military family but my husband is and I have seen how his dad's PTSD has affected him and their family.
I think this is a good look at anxiety in kids too.
Deals with some tough stuff but a good all around graphic novel.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

I related do much to this graphic novel growing up in a military family and moving every 1 to 2 years. My favorite quote in the book was how it is easy to make friends, but a lot harder to keep them. I never had to keep friends for very long because either I was moving or they moved. I liked how realistic the PTSD symptoms were, but it wasn’t made the main focus. Excellent book overall that I wish I had growing up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good graphic novel for kids, especially those who have family in the military. This is good to help kids understand PTSD.

Wow, AWOL is a much-needed book about a girl's perspective on the realities of PTSD and the hardships that come along with being a child of military family. My elementary school is a Purple Star School which means that we are committed to supporting the unique educational and social-emotional needs of military-connected children and I think that AWOL would be a great resource for both teachers and students.

We follow along Leah who has many changes going on in her life. Her best friend is leaving to another base while Leah and her family have to stay. Her mom is going through training, leaving her alone with her dad who has PTSD and undergoes constant mood swings. And Leah is trying to make a new friend but has difficulty navigating this relationship with everything going on. I learned a lot through this book. Thank you NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

When I get a book, and read it in one sitting, even though I am in the middle of several other books, then I know it is a good one. This book, about a tween, is about life with army parents, and how hard it is to constantly move. But beyond that, is the story of her father, who has PTSD, and she feels like she has to walk on eggshells around him.

What I liked about it was that it wasn’t pushing the PTSD. It was actually a side note of Leah’s problem of losing her best friend, because her family had been reassigned to another base. She meets a new girl, but because she is also leaving in about two weeks, she wonders if it is worth the trouble. She learns that it is.

And during all this friendship stuff, we see her father blow up, and it frightens her enough that she leaves home, thus the AWOL of the title (Absent Without Officer’s Leave, an army term for leaving when you don’t have permission.)

Very relatable story. Well done.

<em> Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>