Each year YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) puts together a list of highly recommended graphic novels for teens, and this year they’ve included ALMOST AMERICAN GIRL by Robin Ha, which was published by Balzer & Bray. From the YALSA review:
“This is a fantastic memoir that has the reader truly feeling everything Robin is going through. Readers will identify with how difficult it is to transition and fit in, especially in a new country, and will root for Robin throughout the entire story. The illustrations beautifully back up the events in the story. The artwork is clean and makes each character distinct. Ha also does a great job showing conversations she and her mother would have in Korean versus English.”
Robin Ha grew up reading and drawing comics. At fourteen she moved to the United States from Seoul, Korea. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in illustration, she moved to New York City and started a career in the fashion industry. Her work has been published in independent comic anthologies including Secret Identities and The Strumpet, as well as in the pages of Marvel Comics and Heavy Metal Magazine. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling comic recipe book Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes. Robin is represented by Samantha Haywood.
To read the full review and see the other nominees, please visit: http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2020/04/16/great-graphic-novels-ggn2021-nominees-round-up-april-16-edition/