Zenobia

August 15, 2018
A young Syrian refugee tries to flee the horrors of war in this Danish import. In this nearly wordless graphic novel, Amina is a young Syrian girl living in the midst of violent conflict. Instructed by her parents to wait as they venture out for help, she remains home for days when they don't come back, as the tanks and fighter planes thunder around her small home. An uncle arrives to inform her that her parents will not be returning and she must leave immediately. With only enough money for a single passage, Amina finds herself alone on an overcrowded boat. In one heart-stopping moment, the congested vessel capsizes, throwing her overboard. While descending into the waves, she recalls happy memories of her parents, playing hide-and-seek and making sarmas with her mother. She also remembers their stories of Zenobia, an ancient Syrian queen who defeated the Romans, and the strength that she signifies. Amina's journey is tragic and will leave readers with much to reflect upon and discuss. Horneman's large, compelling, and evocative panels brilliantly portray Amina's struggles, infusing recollections of joy into moments of terror. Panels alternate between past and present, with the past rendered in a two-color earth-toned scheme and the present depicted in vivid full color. Deceptively spare, this timely and important offering is a must-read, helping bring greater understanding and empathy to a situation that for many feels far away. Graphic storytelling at its most powerful. (Graphic fiction. 8-14)

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September 1, 2018

Gr 6-8-As Amina, a young Syrian refugee journeying by sea, is thrown off a boat by a huge wave and sinks into the deep water, she reflects on what brought her here. She remembers playing hide-and-seek and making dolmas with her mother. Her parents left, saying they would be home soon, and her mother reminded her to be strong like Zenobia, the queen of Syria in the old days. When her parents didn't return, her uncle took her away. Scenes of Amina in the water are illustrated in full color, while her memories are depicted in sepia tones, and striking hues of peach and indigo are used for the story of Zenobia. The comic alternates between large panels and full-page illustrations and is paired with spare text, making it a quick read. Owing to the difference in lengths between the Danish and English translations, some text boxes contain extra white space. Readers may not feel that invested in this moving but slight narrative. There's little context about the war in Syria, but educators might want to use the book as a jumping-off point for a more detailed discussion. The tale ends on a hopeless note that may be upsetting to sensitive readers. VERDICT Pair with Eoin Colfer's Illegal to start a dialogue on refugees and immigration.-Jenna Friebel, Oak Park Public Library, IL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2019
Grades 6-9 Vast open water. An overcrowded boat. A horrific storm. A girl plunges backwards into the violent waves. Wishing, dreaming of rescue, Amina conjures happier moments playing hide-and-seek. "I am right here, Mama," she thinks. She remembers making dolmas, salty like seawater?and tears. She recalls the inspiring adventures of Syrian warrior queen Zenobia. She relives the dangerous journey with her uncle to the sea, while Zenobia's invincible spirit buoys her. D�rr, an award-winning Danish writer of more than 50 titles, makes his North American debut here, and his sparse, sharp text is wondrously visualized by prodigious compatriot Horneman. Horneman's palettes are especially effective, with blue and blue-greens bookending Amina's watery fall and browns and black to capture an already quickly fading past. Only Zenobia's panels glow in a saturated salmon, as if trying to keep hope alive. Wrenchingly compelling is Horneman's use of separated panels: for example, Amina in her mother's arms is sliced into three boxes. Inevitably, tragedy looms. An award-winner in Denmark, its creators' homeland, Zenobia? will undoubtedly find empathetic stateside audiences.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
Alternating between past and present, this spare, haunting graphic novel, translated from the Danish, follows child Amina from her war-torn Syrian village to the refugee boat she boards without her uncle (they could afford only one ticket). Amina's memories merge with the present as the boat capsizes and she drowns. Silhouettes and shadows add texture and tone to Horneman's clear line work, while large panels and cinematic angles control reading pace.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2018
Intense, heartbreaking, and haunting, this graphic novel opens with a boat capsizing and a child (a Syrian girl named Amina, we later learn) being thrown into the sea. The text, translated from Danish, is spare, calm, and emotive? It is big and empty here. No one can find me here ?as the girl sinks down. The color palette then shifts from bright colors to subdued dull oranges as the text shifts to the past to reveal one of Amina's memories: playing hide-and-seek with her loving mother. For the rest of the book, the narrative alternates between past and present. In one flashback, Amina is encouraged to Remember Zenobia! ?the strong, courageous Syrian queen whose empire once reached from Egypt to Turkey. After war strikes Amina's village and her parents disappear, she travels with her uncle through destruction, hardship, and danger, and to the boat of refugees Amina boards alone (they could afford only one ticket). Amina's memories merge with the present as her boat hits the hurtling waves and Amina is thrown overboard and, at book's end, drowns. Horneman's line work is clear, bold, and steady, and the use of silhouettes and shadows adds texture and tone. Large panels and cinematic angles function to speed up and/or slow down reading pace, to intertwine text and image, and to connect the story's beginning and end. The final text reads, in an echo of the beginning, It is big and empty here. I whisper: Find me! But I only whisper it inside myself. A difficult, raw, and unforgettable story. elisa gall

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)