Mock Printz 2026 discussion

Discuss...

Still trying to get my hands on this one... I'll come back and review.

Tien, whose parents are Vietnamese immigrants to the U.S., brings books home to read with his mother as she learns English. He longs to share a newly-realized piece of his identity with her:
he is gay.
This graphic novel felt a little younger than the books the Printz generally honors. I love the interwoven stories of Tien in middle school, his mother missing family in Vietnam, and the fairy tales Tien and his mother read together as she learns English. The fairy tales are all just a little skewed from versions I've heard, always a pleasure. And the illustrations are lush and gorgeous.

Finally got to read it. I love this book. The story is complex but approachable and the illustrations are gorgeous! It would be great to see this be honored or win.

I also really enjoyed this and found it complex and moving, but wondered if it might be a bit young.

Really liked this one, but not sure if this is complex enough in comparison with other graphic novels that were acknowledged by Printz.

The 3-4 storylines are expertly handled, and I love that we get such a peek into the mother's inner life and her struggle to honor her birth culture and embrace the opportunity her chosed country had to offer her family--I appreciated that aspect that is often missing from many other immigrant parent/child stories. I know it's in YA for the content, but I also wonder if the MC being in 7th grade is going to be too big a mark against it. The storytelling unity between the art and text makes me hope it gets an Eisner at least.