¡Ay, Mija! : my bilingual summer in Mexico

Title:

Author:

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Christine takes their first solo trip to Mexico to spend a few weeks with their grandparents and tía. At first, Christine struggles to connect with family they don’t yet share a language with. Seeing the places their mom grew up—the school she went to, the café where she had her first date with their father—Christine becomes more and more aware of the generational differences in their family. Soon Christine settles into life in Mexico, eating pan dulce, drawing what they see, and growing more comfortable with Spanish. But when Mom joins their trip, Christine’s two worlds collide. They feel homesick for Texas, struggle against traditions, and miss being able to speak to their mom without translating. Eventually, through exploring the impacts of colonialism in both Mexico and themselves, they find their place in their family and start to feel comfortable with their mixed identity. -- Amazon.

Audience:

Ages 12 & up Little, Brown and Company.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

315 pages : color illustrations ; 21 cm

Genre:

Nonfiction comics.

Autobiographical comics.

Comics (Graphic works)

Graphic novels.

Personal Subject:

Suggs, Christine-Comic books, strips, etc.

Subject Term:

Teenagers -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Families -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Belonging (Social psychology) -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Mexican Americans -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Geographic Term:

Mexico -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Publisher:

Little, Brown and Company,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9780316591928

9780316591966

Publication Information:

New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2023.

Call Number:

YA SUGGS

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003672733	New Young Adult Graphic Novels	SUGGS	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"An absolutely heartwarming and vibrant story of belonging, family, and the meaning of home. This book is a treasure." - Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin'

In this bilingual, inventive, and heartfelt debut, graphic novel talent Christine Suggs explores a trip they took to Mexico to visit family, embracing and rebelling against their heritage and finding a sense of belonging.

Sixteen-year-old Christine takes their first solo trip to Mexico to spend a few weeks with their grandparents and tía. At first, Christine struggles to connect with family they don't yet share a language with. Seeing the places their mom grew up--the school she went to, the café where she had her first date with their father--Christine becomes more and more aware of the generational differences in their family.

Soon Christine settles into life in Mexico, eating pan dulce, drawing what they see, and growing more comfortable with Spanish. But when Mom joins their trip, Christine's two worlds collide. They feel homesick for Texas, struggle against traditions, and miss being able to speak to their mom without translating. Eventually, through exploring the impacts of colonialism in both Mexico and themselves, they find their place in their family and start to feel comfortable with their mixed identity.

Author Notes

Christine Suggs is an illustrator, designer, and comic artist. Their work explores the intersection of their identities, namely being a queer, fat, Latinx feminist who loves all things cute. They're also way too into Pokémon and cats. They're currently living in Dallas, TX with their super rad husband and insanely adorable pets.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 10 Uep--In this autobiographical graphic novel, teenager Chrístine travels from Texas to Mexico City after finishing 10th grade to spend the summer at the home of their maternal grandparents. The grandparents and aunt are loving and welcoming, but Chrístine does not speak Spanish well and struggles to connect with their Mexican heritage. This journey will help empower Christine to improve their Spanish while exploring and articulating how it feels to be a queer, fat, and white Mexican teen. Despite Chrístine's self-consciousness, they start capturing their experiences through drawing and soon appreciate the delicious Mexican cuisine and the historical buildings attesting to Mexico's rich history pre- and post-colonization. The text, mainly in English, is interspersed with paragraphs in Spanish driven by Suggs's Spanish-speaking family. The expressive illustrations, set mainly in shades of blue and brown, convey the plot with one artistic element providing a humorous tone and highlighting the main character's disposition: a mini-Christine character that reacts to the plot and acts as their conscience. Although Chrístine's intersectionality is always present, the main character openly discusses it halfway through the story to refer to the profound Roman Catholic background of their grandparents and Chrístine's fear of coming out to them. Chrístine's navigation of their identity will resonate with teens who feel insecure and find belonging difficult. VERDICT An accessible graphic novel for high schoolers seeking a character they can relate to and a safe space to read about mixed heritage and identity.--Kathia Ibacache

Publisher's Weekly Review

Sugg's debut, a warm and good-humored semi-autobiographical graphic novel, follows rising high school junior Suggs, who is Mexican and white, preparing to spend the summer in Mexico City with their maternal grandparents and tía. The creator inserts themself as the narrator, portrayed in miniature alongside their teenage self as they recount their first time traveling from Texas to Mexico without their bilingual mother, who usually acts as the teen's unofficial translator but is arriving two weeks later due to work. While Suggs's lack of confidence in their biracial identity, fatness, and Spanish-speaking skills makes them dread their trip, they eventually open up to new experiences. In Mexico, Suggs learns more about the country's history pre- and post-colonization, and gains a deeper understanding of their mother's life before she immigrated to the U.S. Joyful moments, such as Abuela digging up a cactus during a hike to take home, lend specificity and counterbalance wrenching moments of pathos, as when the protagonist's fear of ridicule over their body prompts them to cover up during a sweltering heat wave. Via a limited blue and orange color palette that mimics Mexican Talavera pottery traditions, Suggs tackles themes of sexuality, cultural identity, and body image with understanding and heart. Ages 12--up. Agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong Literary. (Apr.)