Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Waterstones and Amazon.

Beautiful illustrations, wonderful plot and loveable characters. Great story with diversity and how to love our differences.

This book was so sweet and the illustrations were fantastic. A perfect middle grade book but also so accessible for any age group. I highly recommend giving this a read!

I loved this and it was a perfect edition to my multicultural primary classroom. The themes and messages in this book were extremely relevant and suitable for today’s kids.

Fantastic. We need more latinx authors talking about the difference between race and ethnicity and how this plays out in everyday situations in latino households!

Frizzy is a heartwarming but subtle book that speaks on a bigger issue that I think greatly effects communities of color, colorism within the culture in regards to our hair. This is a great way to start that conversation because this generation has more freedom to experience and experiment with their hair and that plays a large part in self esteem. Frizzy hair isn't bad hair and that needs to be talked about significantly more. This book is great for older elementary and middle graders and I did purchase the book for my library after reading this egalley.

Aside from the gorgeous illustrations, I really loved how the story is appropriate to the intended reader, is very relatable, but is one that is not shy in calling out the ills of generational molds we are indoctrined to conform to.

Beautifully drawn, amazing concepts, and brilliantly executed. It calls for self-love and how to accept yourself. I thought that the author did a great job in talking about generational trauma and talking about something so significantly cultural as hair.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Fizzy by Claribel A. Ortega is a middle grade graphic novel successor of Good Hair. Exuberant, charismatic Marlene daydreams of superheroes, superstardom, and usually her beautiful curls. Unfortunately for her every Sunday, her curls are straightened, so that she can have “good hair” like her cousin. Another wonderful tale of being more than okay with who you are and standing out as your own person regardless of what you’ve been told.

I feel many students will relate to this book about culture, hair and how mainstream society views both.

This book did shocked me, never expected the story would be like this. And THIS BOOK IS GREAT!! Can relate so well with the heroine, where she has to follow rules, her feelings be damned. When the society dictate us to be like "this", outside of "this" is wrong. Those who have "it" can be pompous stupid a** and we can't utter our opinion. This is a slap to older generation, I wish my parents read this before having me, and could be considerate to my feelings.

"Frizzy" by Claribel A. Ortega is a relatable and heartwarming graphic novel that resonates with middle-grade readers as it explores themes of self-acceptance, friendship, and the ups and downs of growing up. Ortega's storytelling and artistic talents shine as she crafts a tale of identity, humor, and the journey to embracing one's unique qualities. The graphic novel's vibrant illustrations and engaging plot create an immersive reading experience that captures the challenges and triumphs of middle school life. Ortega skillfully navigates the emotions of self-discovery and the complexities of relationships, adding depth to the narrative. "Frizzy" is an empowering reminder that everyone's journey is filled with moments of growth and self-confidence, leaving readers with a sense of camaraderie and a warm appreciation for the power of self-expression and friendship in navigating the adventures of middle school.

Frizzy is a beautiful story of that illustrates the power of self acceptance and being turn to your self. This book needs to be added to every middle school classroom and library!

I loooooove it! Such a good book I wish I had had when I was younger! Would hand this to many kids in my life for sure

So lovely and heartwarming. It really captures middle school feelings, and it was beautiful to see Marlene grow into herself.

I absolutely loved this diverse book about hair. It was a graphic novel I really really related to, since I am of the frizzy hair variety. This book really got into the nitty gritty of pleasing your parents and staying true to who you are. This is a really really important graphic novel for middle school students.

Marlene actually loves her curls. She thinks they are pretty and simply cannot understand why her mum has to torture her every week by dragging her to the salon to have her hair straightened. She not even sure that her mum likes straightening her hair either. Her tia Ruby is more natural and seems to worry less that Marlene's mum.

This is an excellent book about how to embrace who you are and not worry about fitting into to what other people see as expected norms. Marlene struggles to argue with her mum Paola over her hair, but perhaps Paola is hiding hew own reasons for the weekly salon visits and needs to confront her own demons and insecurities.

After a bumpy ride, everything turns out well in the end and all serves a reminder to be yourself and to give others the space to be themselves too.

I loved this graphic novel! It is an amazing story about figuring out how to showcase yourself to the world. Children reach a certain age where they don't want to wear the clothes their parents bought them or they want to wear their hair a different way then how they've always worn it. Our physical selves in a display for everyone around us. It shows people, first look, who we are and what we want people to know about us. Not only is this graphic novel about self discovery but it is also a lesson on race - our young heroine doesn't want to hide her curls, she wants to learn about how to take care of them. However, her mother wants her to straighten them, so people maybe people won't notice her as too black. Simply beautiful!

Frizzy is a middle-grade graphic novel that takes you through Marlene's journey to embrace and proudly wear her curly hair, with a few mishaps, no matter who says what.


Marlene is a Latina girl, who has curly hair, but this isn’t believed to be good hair by her mother so she has to visit the salon every week to get her hair straight. But Marlene is not ok with all this, feels tortured.

She learns a lot about this from her aunt and changes herself accordingly, which sorts everything out. She is a strong-willed girl and a good role model for young girls to shine and show who they are.

The writing is light and beautiful, the illustrations are to the point. I learned to accept my insecurities and go with the flow.

THIS BOOK IS SO IMPORTANT. So many young girls ESPECIALLY are told in a LOT of cultures how they need to look in order to be taken seriously and hair is right at the top of the list, so this one is really important for a lot of young girls to read. It’s important to unlearn things and read that it’s OKAY to want to unlearn things. There’s nothing wrong with that. Being comfortable in your own skin is so important. I’m so glad she wrote this book.