*Full review to come*

This gets all the stars, it was beautifully done, story and art wise, and it handles the complicated truth of existing with curly hair (more specifically poc/black hair/anti-blackness) beautifully and delicately while not shying away from the negative social/historical points of curly hair and presentability

🌸Book Review🌸
Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega
Art by Rose Bousamra

This graphic novel is about a brave young girl name Marlene, that has a battle with her natural hair and todays beauty standards. (Curly hair versus straight hair) Marlene loves herself but it’s the people around her that challenge her. All Marlene wants is to be accepted for who she is. Unfortunately, everyone else has one way of thinking, when it comes to beauty. It’s completely opposite of Marlene’s beliefs.

This graphic novel was beautifully written and illustrated. The intended audience is for children but adults can find joy in it too. It has a strong message. Society has conditioned most people to think that straight hair is the standard of beauty. Unfortunately, it has been ingrained in our black heritage that being black with curly and kinky hair isn’t beautiful.

This book is both fun and educational. I’m African-American and I actually learned a couple new things about how to take care of my hair, thanks to Marlene’s Tìa😅. I now have a cart full of no poo shampoo and microfiber towels sitting in my Amazon cart!! Everybody needs to read this book especially POC! Although fiction this book was real to me. Although fictional it was real. I struggled in childhood with these same exact issues with my hair.

I love seeing the diversity in the book as well. The artist did a great job with texturizing the hair and balancing the skin tones.

I appreciated the length of the graphic novel. The reader gets the perfect balance of pictures and writing.

**It does briefly mention religion**

Rating
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Special Thank you to @Claribel_ortega and @netgalley for sending this advanced copy for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.

This book will be released on October 18,2022

QOTD: Do you think it’s a such thing as good hair and bad hair?

🏷 #blkbellereads #blackgirlsreadtoo
#blackbookstgrammer
#children #culture
#Frizzy #netgalley #claribelortega #rosebousamra
#diverseReads #BIPOC #dominican #antiblackness #hair #curlyhair #goodhair #afrolatino #black #graphicNovel #bookstagrammar @rosebousamra

claribel ortega's graphic novel frizzy is instantly immersive, following marlene, a middle grade student, whose very curly hair gets her in trouble with her mother, the mean kids at her school, and even the rest of her family, but whose cool aunt, tia ruby, whom she looks up to inspires and encourages her to let down her hair and go natural, just like her. and by instantly immersive, i felt like i *was* marlene. i felt like *i* had her mean cousin. i felt like *i* had her nice auntie. either way, i just wanted to jump into the book and give marlene a good hug, because of the things she goes through. god, marlene, that poor girl. the grown-ups in her life are so cruel to her that i could feel myself tearing up at some points. she is too young to feel so ostracized and bogged down by societal expectations all because her hair is seen as the 'bad' type of hair for its texture, but alas, this is the unfortunate reality for many girls her age in real life. it is a hurtful beauty standard that we can only really break once we stop passing them down to our children, and this does a lot in the way of encouraging young readers to break expectations adults have of them. this is the kind of book that the kids of today deserve, because it never talks down on its audience or bore them with too much detail, but is just challenging enough to really get them thinking about the issues that it tackles. it's short, but it packs a punch, and is intense, gripping and emotional. and its art... it has such gorgeous illustrations with immense attention to detail and pleasing color choices. look at that pretty pink cover! there is no such thing as perfect, but frizzy just might be close to it.

I love this book so much. I cried, I laughed, and I wanted to give Marlene a big hug. Hair seems like such a superficial thing to be concerned with and yet it's such a huge part of our lives. Our hair is one of the first things other people see on us. There is so much cultural, historical, and social baggage around hair. Aside from being a fun coming of age story where Marlene grows into herself and begins to be comfortable with her own natural hair, it's a fascinating glimpse into a life and culture that I have no personal experience with. This is the third book I've read from Claribel Ortega and I've loved everything from her.

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this, and think the combination of discussing family putting you down for something you can't help and the colorism and racism focus is really important. Both of these are important to bring to light, to show why certain hairstyles are viewed as better (or worse) than others. It was heartbreaking to follow the mc's story and all the insecurity that came from her hair. Would recommend it to anyone!

4.5⭐️

This felt so relatable! I love Marlene's journey to finding a hairstyle that makes her feel like herself and Marlene's relationship with her aunt is so sweet!

In her graphic novel Frizzy, Claribel A Ortega provides a refreshing and insightful look at a who is nagged and bullied from family and classmates for her natural, big, frizzy hair. The story is fast-paced and fun but still touches on deep issues of racial prejudice, as well as the struggles to feel confident about one's appearance. The story reaches an unrealistically fast conclusion, and Marlene's mother is a little too clueless about her daughter's feelings to be believable, but otherwise the story is a fun, upbeat romp that will be relatable to anyone who has ever felt insecure about some part of their appearance. Follows in the tradition of titles like Brigit Young's The Prettiest and Carrie Firestone's Dress-Coded. Pairs well with newer releases Miss Quinces and Smaller Sister. 4 stars. 8-14.

Wow. This is a gorgeous graphic novel about a young girl coming to terms with her natural hair after spending every Sunday for years at the salon. It gave me all the feels. I love a book that puts you right into the world and experiences of someone else, especially if that person is different to me. Marlene‘s world, her culture, the discrimination she faces, her hair and her Neighbourhood weren’t familiar to me at all, and I loved learning about them. But the mother/daughter dynamic and the double standards of behavior between family members - these things are universal. I felt so deeply for her. The art is gorgeous, and as a parent it definitely made me aware of how often what we say to our children doesn’t add up at all with how we act. Full on heartwarming ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you NetGalley for the digital advanced review copy 😻

This is a wonderful example of how important and moving it is to see yourself represented in popular media. I wish that Frizzy had been available when I was a little girl but I'm so happy that it is here now for my daughters.

(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the eARC in exchange for a review)

I wasn't ready for the amount of emotions I was going to feel while reading Frizzy. Such a heartfelt tale.

I was really drawn to the cover and the description of book before reading it. We meet a young girl who hates going to the salon to straighten her hair every week. While her mother believes straight hair makes her beautiful, Marlene feels that she can still look good with her frizzy hair. Unfortunately, she also feels pressure from her classmates and other adults because her hair doesn't conform to what they view is acceptable or good.

I'm glad she had her best friend Camila and her aunt Tia who help Marlene feel comfortable with her hair. Although her mother is one of the reasons Marlene struggles with her self-esteem, I saw her as a human being who makes mistakes like all of us. No spoilers, but the ending of the book was truly special. You'll have to read it to find out!

Frizzy was written with a lot of heart and I highly recommend it! 5/5

I am super grateful for Netgalley and First Second Books for introducing me to such an amazing book.
Frizzy by Claribel A.Ortega is a graphic novel that showcases in the smoothest of ways the struggle of black women over generations to conform to the beauty standards built by a society that is clearly and irreparably biased. Our main character, though still a child, finds herself being untrue to herself on a daily basis in hopes of being accepted, seen and loved by people around her and so we follow her journey discovering what she really wants and who she really is. My favorite thing about this story is that it highlights the importance of representation in the media for young women like Marlene and how helpful that is for them to power through that social pressure and rebel against those baseless rules. Also, as a hijabi woman, I loved seeing a character wearing a headscarf in the same school Marlene goes to and that only makes the point of representation much more powerful and intentional. Besides, the graphics are amazing and the story is fast-paced and impactful at the same time. I Highly recommend it.

This was a wonderful read. It's so relatable--the family pressure, the bullying, the self image issues, the desire to simply be yourself and to be loved and accepted as yourself... it's all beautifully illustrated here in a journey to self love and care, to that acceptance by family especially. It's frustrating to see Marlene go through this and not be able to tell her yourself that she's beautiful and fine just as she is. I love the blatant social commentary and that it doesn't dance around the issue--this is about anti-Blackness racism and it's something that is multi-generational, internalized, and needs to be addressed. Tia Ruby explains it in a way that everyone reading this can easily understand and gives them (and Marlene) the know-how to start loving their authentic self and taking care of that authentic self.

The art is also just delightful. I found myself studying panels for several minutes just familiarizing myself with the lines and colors. It's one of those art styles that is inspiring and you want to learn from! I believe so many people can benefit from this book and it's absolutely going to be one I recommend.

4.5 ⭐

Gosh. I enjoyed this graphic novel too much, the message it gives you is too important and I liked how it was developed. All the characters contribute something and they aren't just there for nothing, which is great because they make the whole story build up better.

Definitely seeing Marlene go through the whole process of self -acceptance is complicated, but encouraging.

Marlene hates wash day, hates the salon, and hates that everyone, even family, tease her about her appearance. Marlene has "bad hair" - curly, unruly hair. But is straightening it for the rest of her life the only answer? Are her looks the only thing that matters?
This book is a must have for all children's collections: sometimes we have to break the chains of long held beliefs about fitting in and looking 'right' and accept who we really are.

What can I say? This is BEAUTIFUL.

I wish I had a comic, book or characters of any kind like Marlene and Tía Ruby back in my childhood. I used to hate my curly hair, just because every girl and woman I thought of as pretty had stunning straight hair and cool haricuts. Mine was funny, frizzy, odd, uncool.

Marlene made me cry a bunch of times! I loved her journey. And Tía Ruby is the best of the best. We all need a tía like her!

The illustrations and the colouring are amazing, sweet and cosy like the story. I think this is one of my new comfort reads. I will have to get a physical copy!

Thank you immensely for the opportunity to NetGalley and the publisher!

I absolutely love this book! What a beautiful exploration of anti-Blackness and the harm it can cause, intermingled with a young girl's self discovery and journey to become her true self. The artwork is beautiful, and I loved the family plotline throughout. The cast of powerful female characters filled my heart so much. I will absolutely be purchasing this for my classroom library for my 3rd graders.

Frizzy is an upcoming graphic novel written by Claribel A. Ortega and illustrated by Rose Bousamra. Coming this year on October 18th, main character Marlene struggles with what having “good hair” means and learns with the help of her friends and family. I was able to pick up a hard copy of the ARC for this book at ALA Annual 2022 after hearing Rose Bousamra speak, and wow am I glad I did.

Marlene’s journey to love and acceptance of her natural hair is shown beautifully throughout this book. Ortega’s writing is masterful and showing us Marlene’s inner world while she navigates external challenges. Following Marlene was like revisiting middle school all over again (which in this case is not a detriment, haha!). Her interactions with her friends, family, and peers at school are so real that you can’t help but get emotionally invested quickly. Without giving everything away, the ending culminates Marlene’s experiences throughout the book beautifully and is to blame for my increased usage of tear-catching tissues.

Bousamra’s expressions make the story hit home. Their use of paneling is particularly lovely – Marlene’s inner and outer worlds are expressed seamlessly. The expressions in this book are also spot on in that we don’t have to have the inner monologue of each character to understand what they’re feeling. Bousamra’s illustrations are alive in a way that’s tough to describe, so you’ll have to pick up the book yourself to see what I mean.

Ortega and Bousamra are a dream team, and this graphic novel was a dream to read. I can’t even imagine how much kids, tweens, and teens on their own hair journeys will love this book, and I’m really excited to find out. This book is highly recommended.

What an informative and important story with gorgeous art and a wonderfully message. I can’t believe how heartwarming AND heartbreaking this story was, every single chapter was so well written and well thought out.

I absolutely adored this and hope that this will help many people with curly hair realize that their natural selves are enough, that they’re beautiful as they are and that they should rock their hair however they choose to wear it.

Also great to read about how adults constant commenting and obsession when it comes to looks really affects children.

A really great graphic novel that should be read by all ages.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Even though this was sent to me as a review copy and therefor for free my thoughts about this book was wholly mine and not affected by anyone else.

Frizzy is a beautiful story about Marlene who has curly hair. Every week her mom takes her to the salon to have her hair done and every week she’s absolutely miserable during the appointment. She’s constantly hearing about how she should strive to keep her hair maintained - the goal being “good hair”. But everything she does seems to work against keeping her hairstyles maintained and she immediately is made to feel bad when they get messed up. She just wants to go back to being a kid before anyone cared about her hair. This story is her journey to figuring out how to embrace her natural hair and get everyone else in her world to embrace it too.

I adored this story. Geared towards middle school kids, I think it helps to demonstrate how micro aggressions can make people, especially children, feel. I loved that it wasn’t just Marlene overcoming bullies at school, but also helping those who she loved most see that they were harming her with their comments on her hair. I thought her Tía Ruby was a wonderful role model and I loved their relationship. I also enjoyed how it explored how her mom’s behavior was fueled by her past experiences, showing that even well intentioned people who love us can do harm.

It is easy to identify with Marlene and her experiences with her mom, but as a mom myself, it’s also easy to take some lessons in how even good intentions can harm our children. Trying to get them to fit in boxes deemed right by society can do so much harm. I had to sit with this book for a bit. I’d highly recommend for kids, but adults can take away lessons too.

Always check content warnings (I use StoryGraph): bullying, racism, body shaming (specifically texturism), death of a parent, and grief.

Thank you Net Galley and First Second Books for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.