No matter what hand we are dealt, we survive them and wait for the next change to happen. It is our choice to be happy or miserable. But to be happy, we must forgive ourselves when we aren’t happy with our own behavior.

Cici didn’t remember much about her dad. She just knew she missed him and hurt deep in her heart.

This story tells us of her journey toward happiness and love.

This graphic memoir was impactful, well-drawn, and definitely will find its audience soon enough since it is so well-done.

This is a sweet story that touches on some important issues, family, friendship and grief. The art work is stunning. Highly recommend.

Cici's adventures continue in Books 3-5. I really loved Book #3 and Book #5. Book #4 was set in an old house with some really sad history. Did not enjoy that one as much. In Book #3, Cici and her friends follow a scavenger hunt at Christmas time and make some really meaningful connections. So well done. In Book #5 we learn more about Cici's past, see her work through the relationship problems with her mom, and set off on a new kind of adventure at the end. Beautiful artwork and a well-balanced mix of journaling, scrapbook photos, and graphic panels.

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

The first book in this series is very popular in our school library, so I was excited to read this next installment. It is sure to be just as popular!

The story is told between journal entries & graphic novel form. It is a heartwarming and charming book. Cici is a great character; complex and interesting and relatable. She solves mysteries and works through her own problems a well.

The artwork in the book is stunning and sure to draw in reluctant readers just for the beautiful artwork on its own.

The books are full of adventure, mystery and friendship. I'm looking forward to more in this series to read and share with students! Highly recommended.

This was a lovely second and concluding volume to Cici's story, although I felt that Book 5 didn't quite jive with rest so I took away one star for that. I wish the last one had still surrounded one of Cici's investigations and revealed their story along the way, instead of just being a conversation between her and her mom. But it was still a great reveal to their family secrets and their backstory and it made many questions/hints from the earlier chapters make sense! And the first two stories were just as delightful as those in volume 1! The first mystery followed a local bookbinder (at Christmastime!) and it tied all of the friends together in some way which I found lovely. The second had Cici and friends on vacation at a mysterious mansion (although to be totally honest this one might not live up to the glory of the others either. How they ended up at the mansion was a bit convoluted and IMO out of character for one particular person but again, the ending and all that story revealed was quite fun!)

Cici, young investigator, and her friends meet a bookbinder who invites them to her workshop. While there, the girls uncover an old scavenger hunt Sandra’s father set up that helps her deal with her memory issues and a past trauma. In her second adventure, Cici and her mom go on vacation and visit a mystery mansion where they have a clue to unravel. But their clue leads them to unexpected discoveries about real people. And in her third adventure, Cici’s experiences with Sandra and at the mansion have stirred up a lot of emotions about her father’s death and she has to find a way to work through them with her mom.

The first story in this volume is my favorite. It’s set during the holidays and has a very Hallmark-ish, feel-good vibe to it. It’s sweet, and brings joy to all involved. The second story stirs up things that Cici must deal with in the third story. I was a little upset at first because all of a sudden Cici’s mom is all jealous and angry for seemingly no reason. That gets further fleshed out in the third story and ends up eventually hopeful for a better resolution, but I wasn’t happy at all with how the second story ended on its own. I really like the art style for the graphic novel portions (some parts are presented like a journal); it’s very beautiful artwork. If you know a reader who likes mysteries that focus more on the characters than the mystery, hand them this series.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. The middle story talks about two ladies who are good friends and it is really left up to interpretation just what that means. There’s also a boy and girl who seem to have a crush, but they just look at each other meaningfully. The last story involves a man and lady who are engaged, nothing beyond a hug is shown on page. Deaths of parents/spouses and grief are talked about a lot.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic second book to really round out the stories of everyone in the first book. Was happy to revisit the zoo and was inspired to start a journal with my 11 year old to see if she would like to write to me too!

I just reviewed Cici's Journal: Lost and Found by Joris Chamblain, Thank you NetGalley! #NetGalley

The illustrations were gorgeous and this was a wonderful sequel to the first 2 books!!
◆The last of the five treasures◆
This story was beautiful, and the way the it builds up was wonderful!
The treasure hunt was described so beautifully it was as if the reader was there, and the illustrations helped alot too!
◆The Faceless Goddess◆
This was interesting!!
And the way mystery unravels itself was super fun, though the end was depressing :( .
◆From the first snowfall to the perseids◆
The letters between Cici and her mother were heart touching, and the sad story described in such a heartfelt manner that it can make you cry!

Overall, the graphics were like I mentioned before GORGEOUS!!!
And the writing style was wonderful!

5 out of 5 stars (Still wanna give it more)

I'm totally in love with this comic.

This one has 3 little stories, and I love how everything comes round in this one, seriously was an experience for me.

Some of the stories if not all, always have a hearth breaking quality but also so much joy, one thing I loved about the stories too is that helps cici and her mother grow as persons and to get help when they have a problem.

I did cried with cici's own story but it was so wholesome at the end and it actually made me reflect on things that we as people tend to do a lot and carry the baggage when we shouldn't and don't ask for help when we actually need it, it made me want to get all my problems out in any way and begin to heal my hearth and mind and feel happy again and just live and be good everyday, so in a way cici inspired me to want to be a better person and regain happiness for myself.

The illustrations are breathtaking so recommended for anyone who just want to learn how to be more happy or just read something beautiful.

Like the first collection, this was a sweet set of stories with a good amount of adventure. I really enjoyed the development of Cici as a character, and the development and strengthening of Cici's relationships with her family and friends.

Told in three sections, this graphic novel presents white Cici, an imaginative twelve-year old and her two close friends, Latinx(?) Lena and African American Erica. Cici's father died when she was around six years old and she lives with her mother. The first journal leads up to Christmas and focuses on Sandra, a bookbinder who teaches the girls about bookbinding on a series of Saturdays and also is the cause of the girls' uncovering clues in a treasure hunt. The second journal brings Cici and her mother to a haunted mansion on a seaside holiday. Lena and Erica soon join them there and the trio try to unravel the identity of the "faceless goddess" on a painting at the mansion. The third journal deals with Cici's regret for not realizing how sick her father was and her grief. Cici's mother introduces her daughter to her boyfriend and his son and the new family plan a trip around the world.

The inclusion of mystery into the journals is compelling, and the graphic novel aspect of this text will peak students' interest, but I was not won over by Cici and the plot of each journal seemed contrived (examples, Sandra turns out to be the childhood friend of Cici's mother; Cici's mother feels the elderly next door neighbor is stealing her daughter, etc.). Also the characters seemed one dimensional, especially the two friends, but also Cici.

This is a diary journal, graphic novel that though it is written for middle grade readers, is very detailed, and very thoughtful, as although this is the second book in the series, it is possible o read this as a stand alone, just realizing that there are some clues that you would have read in the first book that might be missed.

Cici doesn't remember her father well. He died when she was quite young. But she thinks everything is fine, and there is nothing to worry about. She and her friends like to solve mysteries, and each section of this this book, which is divided into three main chapters, there is a mystery to be solved.

Very detailed, very real characters, we go through each mystery that brings us closer to solving the story behind Cici and her mother. And along the way, they help other people come together, and discover things that they thought were missing.

Not a light story, by any means, very detailed, but interesting to read and help Cici solve the problems that are presented to her.


<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book avalaible for an honest review. </em>

Three lovely detective stories set during Cici's first year of middle school, as she struggles a little to stay close to her best friends despite being in different clubs and classes.

Not having read the first book, I have to admit I was a little confused at times, but overall I thought these were enjoyable stories, with heartwarming messages. The characters are well introduced and the relationship between the three best friends feels genuine.

I absolutely adore Cici's Journal! The two illustration styles are beautiful and the writing is superb. The story is poignant and so important. It teaches so many important lessons about humanity and relationships of all kinds. I can't even describe how much I loved the ending with all of the main characters looking at the stars. I laughed and cried along with the characters, and I think everyone who reads it will too.

This series is so sweet, colorful and emotional. The plot is simple yet complex and with several layers of social interaction and different topics like friendship, loss, family, community, sense of wonder... A great option for young readers that enjoy adventure books and investigation stories.

I had to go back and read the first Cici book to follow along, so it's not exactly a "you can pick this one up and read it out of order" series. I personally enjoyed the story and found Cici to be refreshingly bold and daring - but I can see where some parents may not like her attitude. However, it's a good read and keeps you turning the pages.
The art is GREAT, and very detailed. At first I assumed it was going to be along the veins of Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Dork Diaries, but it is definitely a graphic novel with a heavy story element.

Loved this graphic novel. Book one got me back into graphic novels and was amazing, book two definitely did not disappoint!

I received an advanced digital copy of this via NetGalley.
The story is told through a mix of diary entries and graphic novel, which works really well. It follows Cici in her investigations to solve the mystery of some secret parcels, which in turn lead her to some secrets about her own past. There then follows a turn of events that enable Cici to find out more about her past and what happened to her father and her discovery that her memory is not as reliable as she thinks it is. It also portrays the changing relationship between Cici and her mother.
Through Cici’s friendships and relationships with her family, especially her mother, we see her grow and learn about herself.

I absolutely love Cici. I devoured the first book in a short time and hoped for a second so when it came available on Netgalley, I pressed request quickly.
Cici is now 12 and we learn more about her with each passing mystery she involves herself within. We also learn more about her family and her friends. Familiar characters return in each of the three stories within this book, Lena and Erica, Mrs Ronsin, Mrs Flores and some new faces are introduced.
The book begins with Cici helping a local girl, a bookbinder, solve a scavenger hunt left by her father. This starts to get Cici thinking and feeling different things about her own past and family. In the second mystery, Mrs Flores sends Cici and her mom on a trip that proves to break their relationship and causes more trust issues to appear.
Knowing they need to work together to repair this, a new notebook is started with an investigation into Cici’s past and her emotions. A clever way for mom and daughter to ask those hard questions and to understand the other’s perspective.

All of these stories are heartfelt, emotive and enthralling. Cici is a true detective at heart and tends to get overexcited when a mystery presents itself. When the mystery involves her own emotions, it is harder to express herself. Fans of Cici will not be disappointed with this new release.


Beautifully told and illustrated, this will be added to my own personal bookshelves as well as those as school.