A new graphic novel that explores the idea of belonging and being unique. A young girl has two worlds - her Thai heritage and her American heritage and she struggles to find her place. She loves both worlds and is lucky enough to get the chance to live in both - Maine and Bangkok. As Kathy prepares to spend her summer in Maine she shares how excited she is to be near some of her favorite things - but she also worries about not fitting in. The script is so honest like a conversation with a child. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. The graphics are appealing in beautiful muted colors. I usually don't read graphic novels but this one was an enjoyable read.

This is a memoir about the author's experience being mixed race and trying to find her place between Thailand and the United States, specifically Maine in this story. Her father is older and her mother is his third marriage, so she spend a lot of time with her father, as he's a retired military man, but that at the same time disconnects her with her mother who works all the time. This made me feel really sad for her, as she always seemed to feel alone and left out of situations, especially while at summer camp in Maine when other children would ask questions about her and be ignorant with their responses. I can't say I really enjoyed reading this, but at the same time I can't fault it too much as it's the author's lived experiences and it represents often how people feel 'othered' if they do not have a community they fit into.

This middle grade graphic novel was filled with longing and loneliness… emotions that I feel would resonate with a lot of teens and tweens struggling to fit in. It’s sad, but not too sad… I would say poignant is the right word.

It’s also autobiographical, based on the author’s real experiences! And set in the nineties, a time everyone seems nostalgic about right now.

Kathy spends most of her time in Thailand, where she lives with her mom, dad, and older sister. She actually goes to an international school, though, where kids are from everywhere and mostly speak English. So, that is one environment where she sort of does fit in. Her neighborhood kids, on the other hand, are mostly Thai.

A bigger source of her loneliness, though, comes from her home life. Her parents are both older, and have adult kids from previous marriages. They are both very guarded about their pasts, and during the course of these ruminations, Kathy realizes how little she really knows about either of them.

Eventually, the action moves to Maine, where she spends the summer with her dad’s side of the family. They are warm and inviting, but the area at large has no other Asian-looking people… leaving Kathy to feel self-conscious at stores and restaurants she would otherwise enjoy.

This particular year, Kathy and her sister both attend a week of summer camp (albeit at different camps). She is so excited to go, figuring this would finally be her chance to make some American friends! But camp brings more hardship, as many of the local girls have never even heard of Thailand. She does meet one other Asian girl there, and her camp counselor is a source of encouragement and stability for her. She also finds some new activities she’s good at.

The entire story is told/drawn as if it’s in Kathy’s journal, which gives it a very personal feel. The colors are mostly cool, and the drawings simple-looking, which also sets the tone nicely for being a childhood narrative. The seaside scenes in Maine also make me feel ready for summer, so if that’s a vibe you’re looking for… this could be a perfect choice.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed it. I thought it captured how difficult it is to be torn between two places, to seek out that feeling of inclusion and home, really well. I loved all of the photos after the afterword. It really brought the story together.

*reviewed from uncorrected eARC via netgalley*

children's graphic autobiographical fiction loosely based on author's Luk khreung (half Thai, half white) childhood (224 pages, recommended ages 8-12) - takes place in Bangkok, Thailand (where Kathy lives with her parents and older sister Jennie) with occasional trips to Maine (where her white dad's family lives, plus a trip to the picturesque beach town of Damariscotta and another to the mall in Portland), in 1994, when Kathy is about ten/eleven years old.

Lovely storytelling (Kathy's anticipation for her trip to Maine is palpable!) with a relatable story as an outsider new kid in summer camp, with illustrations that will have lots of appeal to young readers.

In this graphic novel we follow Kathy as she tries to figure out how to fit into two different worlds - her Thai side and her American side.
I really enjoyed this. I think that anyone that's gone through your preteen years can really relate to this. The pacing of the book was really nicely done. I liked that it wasn't all crammed into one summer camp or something like that. We got to really see Kathy by the author taking time and giving us the full story over the course of about a year. The artwork was really well done too.

Continental Drifter is a snapshot of a summer in the life of the author when she was 11 years old. She grew up in Thailand with an American father and a Thai mother and attended an international school. She goes to America in the summer to visit her Dad's family in Maine. This is her struggle to fit in either place, to understand her family dynamics, and to find who she is and who she wants to be.

This book touched on so many topics and at such a vulnerable and questioning age. I really don't think that the author could have done a better job. I appreciated that she touched not only on the things that she disliked about her family and circumstances, but also what she did like. I loved the learning moments she had throughout the book and that she said that she still struggles with accepting herself. The visuals she put out there when the family members were keeping their feelings to themselves was spot on.

Continental Drifter is a fantastic middle grade graphic novel that will find a home with many readers. Everyone knows the struggling of feeling like you don't belong and trying to find your place. Readers will be able to relate Kathy's story and see a piece of themselves in this work.

Lovely graphic novel that resonated with this continental drifter. The author did a great job relaying the feelings of an 11-year-old girl who just doesn't fit in.

Thank you for the ARC.

While Kathy's childhood was much different from mine, there were so many relatable coming-of-age feelings and situations in this nonfiction graphic novel! I think pretty much everyone can find a piece of themselves in Kathy. Identity, family, sense of self, home, and connections play major roles in Kathy's story. The artwork is lovely and really had me wanting to visit both Maine and Bangkok at some point. I also really loved that the author included pictures with captions at the end. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

A poignant memoir of living in a world where you don't fit anywhere, perfect for kids and teens who may also feel similarities of "otherness".

We get to glimpse life in Thailand and Maine through the eyes of 11-year-old Kathy who doesn't feel like she's completely Thai or American and is reminded that she doesn't really fit the image the people around her have for either. She also wrestles with the differences between her family and the others she sees around her, trying to figure out why they are the way they are.

Both the art and the story work together well to convey the world and relationships through the eyes of an 11-year-old. While the memoir doesn't wrap itself up in a neat bow, it is a satisfying and thoughtful read for anyone seeking to understand or see similarities to themselves and feel understood.

Cute book! I think my kids would like it and it would be a nice salve for kids who have had to move.

Continental Drifter is a heartwarming graphic memoir about Kathy, whose Dad is from Maine and Mom is from Bangkok, and how she navigates the feeling of not belonging to either side entirely. We follow Kathy over the course of a year as she's living in Thailand and counting down the days, as she continuously does, until her family's annual summer trip to Maine. This year, Kathy gets to attend a sleep-away camp for the first time, and she's thrilled to escape the suffocating loneliness she feels. Unfortunately for Kathy, those feelings follow her and we see how she learns to accept more parts of herself. This is a great read for all who enjoy graphic novels, and anyone from a mixed background. Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for an eARC in trade for my honest review.

Excellent middle grade graphic novel exploring one family’s journey moving between cultures and learning more about themselves. This title could fit with the NEA Big Read theme as well.

Kathy MacLeod has written such a compelling graphic novel memoir of identity, fitting in, and reliving her childhood summers in Maine in the 80s and 90s. This was so novel to me in that she lived in Bangkok, Thailand, and had an interracial family, yet her summers in the US were so relatable to me. I could definitely recall the joy of shopping at the mall and the fun of summers spent in nature.

I was surprised that in some ways she felt like she didn't belong in either culture, but has since grown to love all the parts of her upbringing. I think this book will be so relatable for children who are caught between two cultures and possibly feel like they don't fit in either one. I highly recommend this book for libraries and schools!

Trying to find your place in the world…what kid or adult doesn’t go through this? Kathy, who is half Thai/half American is just trying to figure out where she belongs. Is she more American than Thai or vice versa? She travels with her family back to her father’s home town in Maine with the hopes of discovering where she belongs. The discomfort she has about how her family may be perceived by others comes across in both the dialogue and the illustrations. This graphic novel memoir was a solid representation of a bi-racial/bi-cultural AAPI tween trying to navigate to very different worlds. Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC.

In Bangkok, Kathy, half Thai, half white American, is used to feeling alone. Even when they are together, her older sister and parents lead separate lives, not at all like the American sitcom families Kathy longs to emulate. At eleven, a rare summer vacation to her dad’s home state of Maine, complete with sleep away camp, offers the promise of finally fitting in. Lined paper chapter headings, and faux stickers, compliment polished, childlike cartoon panels, immersing readers in a visceral reimagining of Kathy’s childhood struggle to feel ‘normal’ and belong. The depth of detail, truly helpful advice from a wise camp counselor and Kathy’s evolving and mature introspection distinguish this story from the legion of other graphic memoirs about bi-cultural kids. Readers who follow Kathy’s journey may come away with a shift in perspective that offers healing insight. Thanks to First Second and NetGalley for an Advance Readers Copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks to #netgalley for an advanced reader copy! I'm always looking for high-interest books for my high school students. And when they have authentic biracial/bi-cultural/AAPI representation? Even better. This book was so good at illustrating (figuratively and literally) the struggle of biracial and bi-cultural children. As the parent of a biracial child, I try to find representation of this wherever I can. This book was funny, sad, frustrating, and beautiful. I just recommended it to our librarian for purchase.

Solid art that keeps the eye moving and the reader engaged. A fun but moving family story that will resonate with kids whose identity lies in two heritages and separate locations, as well as with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider to peers who don't seem to have to try.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this graphic novel memoir, we get insights into the life of the author, who was born in 1984. Her parents were older; her mother, the founder of a chain of salons in Thailand, and her father, a retired military man from Maine. Both had children from other marriages. The family lives in Bangkok, where Kathy and her older sister Jennie attend an international school where many of the children are multiracial. Kathy sometimes doesn't feel that she is Thai enough because she doesn't speak the language well or like spicy food. She looks forward to the family trips to Maine. When she is middle school aged, not only does she get to go to Maine to spend time with family, but she gets to go to summer camp, which makes her think that she will finally get to experience US life the way she sees it on television shows. She loves seeing her father's family, and her aunts Barbie and Louise are talkative and fun, interacting with their families in a warm, casual way that the MacLeods don't interact in Thailand. Even though she feels out of place in Maine, worrying that people question where the family is from, she loves going to the mall and Old Country Buffet and hanging out with cousins. Camp is a little more stressful, because people assume she's from Taiwan instead of Thailand, and make fun of her for not knowing current talk show hosts and having paper underwear that her mother packs for emergency laundry situations. Kathy says "There will always be something not right about me," and gets only the most minimal support from her camp counselor, Bri. The family returns to Thailand even though they all seem happier in Maine; the author now lives in Germany.
Strengths: I liked the illustration style of this, and the pale blue and white give way to the more vibrant blues and greens of Maine in an effective way. Kathy's unhappiness is so apparent. It's good to see that she does have a small outlet in diary keeping and drawing, and she doesn't have a bad relationship with her sister; it's just that she's five years olf and that's a lot during middle school. The family scenes are wonderful, and she does get to meet her 40-year-old half brother Scott for the first time. The family photos at the end of the book tie this up nicely.
Weaknesses:This was sad in a way that makes me worry that the author is still not happy. I know this is based on real life experiences, but I wished that young Kathy had had more support than just one camp counselor.
What I really think: This is a good choice for fans of Telgemeier's introspective graphic novels, Waka Brown's While I Was Away, or Matula's The Not-So-Perfect-Life of Holly Mei.