Life has been hard for Ash. Ash can’t find a community in school, their family hasn’t fully accepted their identity, and they aren’t visiting the family ranch this year. Reaching a breaking point, Ash decides to runaway to their grandfathers cabin isolated in Northern California just a short hike from the ranch. This isn’t a rash decision. Ash reads, plans, packs, and prepares for this journey to a new life. But will it be as life-saving of a move as they are banking on?

Jen Wang writes compelling stories but I feel she says so much more through her illustrations. Besides being beautifully crafted, Wang uses shapes, lines, and colors to tell a much deeper story. Her characters are always powerfully realistic, specifically with Ash. This will satisfy a bit of the urge to escape to the woods you may also have. My heart ached (in the best way) by the end.

It's so funny because, immediately before picking this one up, I'd been kinda craving a nameless new queer graphic novel to read. And, after having loved The Prince and the Dressmaker, I knew I couldn't pass this one up.

This one is part coming of age story, part wilderness survival story and part finding out how the world doesn't get better if the one you're running from is yourself story.

Maybe that last one was also just encompassed by 'coming of age' story.

Ash is a nonbinary kid who feels like no one in their life listens to them. They fondly remember their late grandfather and the cabin he once used to tell Ash about. And so it's possible that they have an overreaction to hearing it when the cousins who live in their grandfather's old house are planning on selling.

Ash ends up with one goal only, and that's to find the cabin his grandfather made and run away to live there.

Armed with only a backpack full of items, his dog and knowledge gleaned from dozens of youtube how to videos, Ash actually does make a pretty good go of it. And the graphic novel basically makes for a visual journal of what they've done to get as far as they did.

this was a beautiful, devastating story about identity and agency. the story is pretty simplistic--rebellious teen decides to rehab their late grandpa's cabin and survive alone in the woods--but it showed a lot of complex emotions and also taught me some pretty cool survival tips. pacing was a bit fast and the journal format made it a little exhibition heavy, but it was still a really touching story.

Ash’s cabin is sad but also encouraging. I remember being 15 and confused about my place in the world, thinking I’d be better off without all the people and I could handle it much better on my own. Ash’s desire to escape society is not a new concept but the way it was presented made me feel educated and empathetic. At every turn, even though they didn’t realize it right away, Ash was learning from other people, using their help, and, as they said, never truly alone. One note: I really hated that ash left the dog outside alone without making sure someone found him. It terrified me more than anything in the story and made me really dislike Ash for a while.

Thank you so much for letting me read this graphic novel. I liked the story but not as much as i wanted to. the artwork, though, is soo pretty.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for providing me a copy through Netgalley!

This graphic novel was beautiful, devastating, and haunting. One of survival, self-discovery, and finding belonging. The illustrations were beautiful, and carried the story along well. Ash's story may ring true to many teens, and I believe this would be fine addition to any library's graphic novel collection.
Readers who have enjoyed other survival stories such as "Hatchet" and "Alone" would also enjoy this book.

Ash spends all year looking forward to time in the country with his family. Ash feels most at home out in nature, so when their parents tell them the family is selling the farm and this year, they will go to Disney as a vacation, Ash is crushed. Things haven't been the same since their grandpa died - he was the only person who seemed to understant Ash. So when Ash convinces their parents to let them spend one last summer at the farm with their cousin, Ash knows this may be their last chance. But no one knows Ash plans to stay out there, in a cabin in the woods that their grandfather built before he died.

This was totally devastating and absolutely beautiful.

I was worried sick about the dog though, why would you dump him in the middle of the woods; "hoping the search team would find him?" I don't think so because the dog would have lead them back to you. "Hoping he would get away? or be safe from the fire?" Again, I think not. Chase was injured, scared alone and you left him. For a character so concerned with nature, I found this a strange move.

This is a wonderful story about finding yourself, learning to love yourself and learning to love others and open up to others, to see the beauty in every thing, even utter destruction.

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a lovely and thought provoking graphic novel that will speak to a lot of youth and young adults. All of the wilderness survival lends the book a Hatchet like air, but Wang also addresses sexuality, loss, self-exploration, and maturity among other topics. I read it straight through and thoroughly enjoyed it. I cna think of a few kids who will really benefit from it, as well.

I really enjoyed this new graphic novel from Jen Wang. A mix of Hatchet and Into the Wild, Ash's Cabin explores the isolation felt in the company of others who seemingly focus on solely material things. Ash struggles to connect with those around them, and decides to escape to their grandfather's abandoned cabin in the Californian wilderness. There, they struggle to learn at a pace necessary to survive, but luckily happen upon a kindred spirit who teaches them a thing or two about foraging.

While the sentiment shone through, I did feel that the ending was a little patchy, in that Ash's disappearance was unspoken about, and their life returned almost to normal after spending nearly 50 days in the wilderness and almost being taken out by a wildfire. I guess my disbelief could only be suspended so much... Either way, an enjoyable read

Ash is struggling. They just don't feel like they belong, either at home or at school. When they are all alone and able to dream, they dream of finding their grandfather's cabin, of which they have only heard about through stories and family legend. Through some careful planning and convincing, Ash is able to leave their family and seek an opportunity to go and find the cabin in the woods. Part survival, part self-discovery, this graphic novel is one that will entertain and inform readers on multiple levels.

I personally enjoyed this book very much. I'm a fan of Wang's artwork, and that definitely didn't disappoint. There was a little bit of disconnect for me which may have been partly due to the fact that I am not the target audience. As a parent, I couldn't help but feel extreme disappointment and frustration with Ash's attitude and lack of apology towards their parents. While their parents may not have understood them, they did love and provide for Ash and, as a librarian in a Title I district, that is more than a lot of kids can say. I just felt a little apology or even just a knowing look between Ash and their mom could have gone a long way.

The Prince and the Dressmaker left me a little obsessed with Jen Wang's storytelling — her slightly cartoony character design, the humor inherent in her scripts, but above all, how little I could predict any of the details of where she was going within the larger beats of the self-acceptance narrative. I was pretty excited to see a new book of hers on the docket. Ash's Cabin is both a very different book, and visibly from the same creator. The art is more painterly and realistic, especially where it relates to the natural world, and actual plants or outdoor survival tips. The tone is much more serious and grounded, more Julie of the Wolves or My Side of the Mountain than a fairy tale. But it's still an unconventional self-acceptance narrative, again with a well-realized character navigating some deep personal doubts and some well-meaning but stifling family concerns. And it still has that airy feeling, where the lightness of the art and the strong use of open space on the page helps balance out some of the heavier emotions and keeps the story from feeling crowded or cramped.

This reminded me a lot of the kinds of YA books that were in vogue when I was a kid, before YA was a genre name. Back when nominally realistic, detailed survival stories like Island of the Blue Dolphins or The Cay were a big subgenre, usually built around some traumatic tragedy. Ash's Cabin feels like the very modern equivalent of those books, one built more around personal identity, which the Ash of the title is figuring out, and about a person's place in and responsibility to a community. I love that Ash isn't facing some huge, ginned-up drama — just figuring out who they are and who they want to be. I love that there isn't some dark, ugly over-the-top ending here, nor a sentimental, feel-good chunk of uplift. This one feels real and relatable in a lot of ways, both a teaching book about surviving in the wilds and like a book for younger people to read with fascination for what it says about self-exploration and different ways of living in the world.

Ash's Cabin is a beautifully written and illustrated YA graphic novel. This book contains important themes about identity, respect, mental health and climate change. Teens will find a lot to love in this story. Recommended for all YA collections.

Ash's Cabin was a good mix of story, science and interpersonal development. At times it was a little too straightforward with it's message, but I think that will help a lot of people that are going through what Ash feels and experiences. I love how Jen Wang mixes science and survival skills into the story.

Thank you for this ARC.
Ash, a relatable character, on a journey through loneliness and alienation to the California wilderness. Discovering creativity, self-reliance, and determination. The art is beautiful. The writing made the character feel real and relatable to a middle school life. The pages kept turning as the journey kept me engaged.
I just reviewed Ash’s Cabin by Jen Wang. #AshsCabin #NetGalley

Ash doesn't feel like they belong at their high school nor with their family. With summer vacation coming up, Ash is excited to go to their late grandpa's ranch, but Mom surprises the family with a plan to go to an amusement park instead. Environmentally-conscious Ash can't think of a worse vacation, but the parents finally relent but accidentally deadname Ash in the process. It's too much, so Ash decides to find a place they can belong: Grandpa's fabled cabin. Sure it'll take some survival skills, and no one knows where Grandpa's cabin is, or if it really exists, but being alone has got to be better than being lonely, right?

This book poignantly demonstrates the desperation that I've also felt as I try to be honest with myself and the people around me. Sometimes it's stifling. I love that Ash considers environmental concerns and Native history as they research and continue with their survival plans. I don't think Mom ever quite understands, but at least Ash is able to realize what that means and grasp how to deal with it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

A graphic novel about surviving in the wilderness and finding yourself, this book is perfect for fans of survival literature like "Hatchet" and "My Side of the Mountain". 16 year old Ash is fed up with life in the city, and with a family and school who doesn't seem to understand their identity or how they are feeling. Ash then decides to take their dog Chase with them on a journey to find their grandfather's secret cabin in the woods, and to live there permanently. I loved the art in the book, I feel like Jen Wang has really hit her stride and did such a beautiful job with this novel. I also have never read a graphic novel that takes on a diary format, and I loved how Wang wove in illustrations with the diary entries. The reader learns a lot about survival tips, camping, and indigenous methods of surviving off the land, which I found very educational. There are also book recommendations in the back of the book for further reading on survival and environmentalism. I highly recommend this book for tweens and teens of all ages.

What a sad, gorgeous story with equally beautiful art. I think there's a place for this book in every middle grade graphic novel collection.

I loved the survival elements to the story and felt for Ash that they just wanted to get away. The end wrapped up a bit to quickly for me, especially with their return to society, really deemphasizing the impact on their family.

Thank you NetGalley, First Second and Jen Wang for this advance copy. This book was beautifully written and drawn. Ash’s journey through loneliness and alienation brings them to the California wilderness in search of a semi-mythical cabin that their grandfather allegedly built. Along the way, they discover that they are creative and self-reliant, as well as determined. At the end, Ash seems to be finding a way in their world, as well as finding people who they can relate to and be themselves around.