Mabuhay!: A Graphic Novel
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
An Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature (APALA) Honor Book
An Eisner Award Nominee
From rising star Zachary Sterling comes a humorous and heartwarming middle-grade graphic novel that celebrates food, family, and folklore.
Can two kids save the world and work their family food truck?
First-generation Filipino siblings JJ and Althea struggle to belong at school. JJ wants to fit in with the crowd, while Althea wants to be accepted as she is. To make matters worse, they have to help their parents run the family food truck by dressing up as a dancing pig and passing out samples. Ugh! And their mom is always pointing out lessons from Filipino folklore -- annoying tales they've heard again and again. But when witches, ogres, and other creatures from those same stories threaten their family, JJ and Althea realize that the folklore may be more real that they'd suspected. Can they embrace who they really are and save their family?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Tween siblings team up to save their family when childhood tales from Filipino folklore come to life in this adventuresome graphic novel by Sterling (Punch Up!). Middle schoolers JJ and Althea Bulan crave acceptance; JJ fervently tries to fit in, especially when it comes to impressing his crush, while Althea harbors frustrations about how no one seems to appreciate her for who she is. Constantly having their last name mispronounced, enduring the dreaded "lunchbox moment" at school, and working at their family food truck—which involves JJ donning a pig costume and Althea handing out free samples—don't help their endeavors. Their immigrant mother's seemingly never-ending repertoire of lessons from Filipino folktales adds to the tweens' ire, until the folkloric figures suddenly appear and threaten their family. Mom reveals a long-held secret: their family has magical roots, and they must now work together to keep the powerful entities at bay. In this quickly paced adventure, Sterling crafts an animated look into one immigrant family's experience navigating fantastical and real-life challenges via brightly hued, cartoon panels and plenty of upbeat humor. An adobo recipe, author's note, and glossary conclude. Ages 8–12.
