I absolutely LOVED this book!!!!!!

A short synopsis :
It was a heart warming tale of a little girl Marlene, who wants nothing more but to be herself - even her frizzy hair, that no one seems to like even her mother. The story dives into Marlene's life & how she finds the strength to stand up for herself.

This story is a graphic novel, which I believe is the best format as this book is for children. The fact that even as an adult i loved this book, says it all. The art work is simply beautiful and the story is told in a fun way. There are instances when an entire page will display a simple background with Marlene in it, here we can see some of her world. There is no need for lengthy paragraphs, just this simple representation tells us all there is to know. This book discusses about the importance of self-love & the importance of accepting who you are. It also discusses how society influences our lives. The fact that Marlene loves her hair but has to change it for meeting the social norms itself speaks volumes..

As an adult, I just wished this book was there for me when i was a child.

This is now one of my all time favorite graphic novel.

Miigweetch NetGalley and First Second Books for giving me a copy of this to review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel about a young Dominican girl learning to love her curly hair. The book unpacks the tough topic of internalized anti-Blackness in an effective way, without being heavy-handed or saccharine.

I thought that the language and approach used to talk about racism in the book were appropriate for middle-grade readers. The cast of characters is diverse and the main character is relatable. Small details, such as how the friend of the protagonist lets her "hold" a special knitted cap, made the world believable for me.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a book on Black joy, learning to love yourself, and unpacking inter-generational traumas with a happy ending.

This is middle grade graphic novel, I really loved the art style it's was so beautiful and the book is definitely very important read for young girls with curly hair..
In school mostly people get bullied because of their curly hair, I loved Marlene, she love her natural curly hair and she don't salon, I loved how she was comfortable in her natural hair and she never liked straight hair,but she can't say this to her mom.
Her aunt lets her hair go natural, and so, when she is expelled from school for fighting (sort of about her hair), her tia teaches her how to take care of her hair, and to have pride in it.

Sweet middle grade graphic novel. Very relatable.

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

A cute and real story about beauty, professionalism, and what is acceptable.

Marlene hates going to the salon. Spending hours to get there and hours to be primped just to do it all over again. Marlene wishes she could wear her natural hair like her favorita Tia - aunt. But like most middle school reads the communication between the parent and child is very one-sided.

So despite her protests Marlene has to wear her hair in a way she does not like. Until an overnight trip with her Tia showed her the care that she is capable of when it comes to her hair and herself.

4.5 stars

Frizzy is a super cute Middle Grade novel!
I'm so happy I've read it, it really cheered me up :) Right what I needed before an exam.

The illustrations were some of the best graphics novel illustrations I've seen, I loved them and how colorful and warm they were!

The book is pretty much exactly what the bulb says: a young girl stating to love her natural curly hair.

It's a relatively short graphic novel (I read it in about 20 minutes) so of course there's not much happening plot wise. I would've loved to read more about why some people don't accept their own curly hair or put family members with white features on a pedestal (internalized racism was mentioned briefly). I just prefer books that talk about how bad society is, but as it's middle grade, I'll give it a pass.

I just finished this book and I really want to have the physical copy, cuase it was such an amazing books!
It’s a grafic novel so it was a quick read for me.

In the book they talk about self-confidence and to find yourself, follow your own heart and not care what other people thinks about you, and they also show bullying 😞
It’s such an amazing artwork too!

But this book is sooo good! I can really recommend ro read it when it comes out in 18 October! I need the physical copy!

This is a really cute, honest look at learning to love oneself. It's a nice portrayal of the feelings of a young girl coming to terms with her mother about her Afro-Latina experiences with hair. This is the book for every little girl whose mother has given them a rough brushing for their curls or taken them to a brutal beauty appointment.

For fans of Hair Love who want something a little older, this book is a must read.

Frizzy is a middle grade graphic novel that follows Marlene's journey to embrace her natural curly hair when she is told to straighten or style her hair that out does her natural complexion.

Frizzy is such an important and Informative story that delves on accepting your individuality and natural features that sometimes maybe perceived by society as "not beautiful" or "unprofessional". As much as I am not entirely relatable to Marlene's experience, it was such an Informative and touching story to read about.

I think this is a great middle grade novel that tackles such subjects especially directed to it's target audience, where teens are always pressured by parent's and society's expectations.

Also I really really loved the art style! The illustrations were so beautiful and the colours and words flowed really well ✨


Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with the e-arc!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4795020001?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

My 5th graders love a great story told in graphic novel and this one has both of these. I have a very diverse classroom in NJ and my 5th grade girls in particular would really enjoy Marlene's story. I could see many of them identifying with it. As a kid, I remember a boy telling me how ugly my curls were and that I should straighten them out. I couldn't see then what an issue that was, but reading her story, now I definitely see it. I challenge anyone to read this and tell me that graphic novels aren't books. My classroom would beg to differ.

A touching and much needed graphic novel about self-acceptance and hair positivity. I appreciated its nuanced handling of intergenerational trauma and racist beauty standards. My only criticism is that the story connected the dots too obviously and I would have loved more complexity and character development.

I wish I had this book growing up. I wasted countless years (literal years when you add up the hours as well) straightening my hair because I didn't feel beautiful. Learning to work with curls instead of against them, embracing my natural self instead of a contrived one, these lessons would have been easier to learn with encouraging stories like this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second for an eARC of Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega in exchange for an honest review.

CW: racism

Marlene has curly hair. Hair so curly and frizzy that the people around her don't know what to do with it, and she certainly hasn't been equipped to care for it herself. Marlene is constantly being compared to her perfect older cousin with her straight, blond hair. Marlene is grappling with the turmoil of growing up and comparing herself to others. Her aunt helps her to develop a hair routine that works for her, allows her to feel like herself, and encourages her to be honest with her mom about how she really feels about those horrible trips to the salon.

I loved this! The color scheme of the graphics was just gorgeous! This story was heartwarming and all about living as your authentic self. Marlene faces unique prejudices and difficulties being mixed race, and her aunt teaches her about internalized racism that has kept her mom from accepting her own hair, let alone her daughter's. I was so glad to see a depiction of older family members coming together to support a child in their identity and solve conflicts with honesty and understanding. A quick and lovely read.

I loved everything about Frizzy by Claribel A Ortega. From the theme to the message and the illustrations it all hit the mark for me. Representation matters, and I think this book should have a place in every elementary school library.

This is a Young Middle Grade Graphic Novel. I really loved all the drama with the main character's hair. I loved the message in this book. The pictures are cute in this graphic novel. I do think this book is on the young side of Middle Grade. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

Frizzy is perfect for middle school girls struggling with their appearance - struggling to accept that what matters most is on the inside. The illustrations enhance the story. This book is a good reminder to advocate for yourself and speak up to trusted adults around you.

First of all thank you to the author Claribel A. Ortega and art illustrator Rise Bousamra of Frizzy. Thank you to netgalley and First Second Books publishing for providing me the opportunity to read this wonder story. Publication date is on Tuesday October 18th, 2022.

I loved this graphic novel! This is a story about a young girl named Marlene. It describes her experience of having frizzy hair. What makes this interesting is that she is expected go to the salon every week to have her hair straightened so she could be "presentable" by society standards and expectations. There seem to be a sense of shame of having Marlene and her mother hair natural curly or frizzy. There's a generational component where parents have passed down to each other that they need to straighten their hair out to be accepted, respected and to be considered beautiful. For Marlene it's a very confusing notion because she doesn't feel that way. She wants to wear her hair freely. I don't want to give away much more away. But this is a story about diversity, society expectations, bullying, racism, beauty standards, culture and even grief of a loved one. The issues with how Marlene wears her hair is all tied into those topics. The illustrations were bright and colorful. The author did an amazing job illustrating the characters and their experiences and their challenges that Marlene and her family faced. I hope the author continues this as a series. I think it would do extremely well. It is certainly needed for a young audience and their families. Not only those who identify with Marlene and her experiences with hair. But to those such as myself that have no experience and understanding what people face when they're judged by their hair, what it really means and how it affects they're self esteem.

thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review!!

I NEED THIS BOOK TO BE IN EVERY SINGLE MIDDLE GRADE SCHOOL AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT!!! 😍😍😍 this has been one of the few graphic novels I've given it five starts not only because of the cuteness, but because of the way it made me feel and the themes it brought up in only 200 pages. like for real, I couldn't stop swooing of cuteness and screaming at the injustices people with super curly hair have to face daily. I wanted to jump in and hug Mariane all the time because of it 😭 every single kid should read this, it shows the power of friendship and true support a loved one can make, and how we can be the ones to break with stupid old traditions that don't make sense anymore and we don't need in this world because the way I've heard my own family say stupid stuff like the ones I've read made me want to punch something.
so yeah, a super powerful graphic novel and yet so simple at the same time. and I think Claribel A. Ortega is becoming an author I want to read absolutely everything from because her way of telling stories just *cheff's kiss*💜

flew through this book and loved every page. The raw emotions about hair love made me keep reading to find out what would happen - and I loved the ending so much. Thank you NetGalley and First Second for sharing a copy with me.

Before anything l would like to say thank you. This graphic novel was amazing. The story was to the point, crisp, and enjoyable. The vibrant colours and heartwarming ending all made for an awesome read. I finished this in about an hour, but it was worth it. A sweet spark that could make your day.

However only one thing bothered me and i think its personal but i dont like when kids hide things from their parents, and by putting that in the book and not making her mother talk to her about keeping secrets and how thats wrong, or complaining about your mom to relatives isnt really a good lesson for teens this generation.

Other than that i loved this book and cant wait for more!!!

'Frizzy' is a graphic novel written by Claribel A. Ortega and illustrated by Rose Bousamra. It tells the story of Marlene, a middle grade girl, who is struggling with some big questions tied to her, and society’s, feelings about her looks and more specifically, her hair.
What I love most about this middle grade graphic novel is that it models real and healthy conversations between friends, aunt/niece, and mother/ daughter. The main character asks some really tough questions after making observations like: 

I wonder if being beautiful was the only thing that mattered.
I don’t even want to see my family sometimes because I’m worried they’ll make fun of me….and I don’t think
that is the way I’m supposed to feel.
An example of a healthy response is her friend’s response to her questioning: “But it doesn’t matter what you look like- I just want you to be happy.” What a great model of female friendship!! We need more of this in books. As Marlene thinks about the contradictions adults are speaking in her life (it is what is on the inside that counts vs you need to look right and professional) she beings to question if being herself is enough. What I love is that she then looks to the positive role models in her life to figure out how to tackle these big questions- and EVERYONE, adults and kids, are better for it. I especially love her conversation with her aunt who explains in a very gentle and appropriate way that this is a problem that has been brought on by many generations.

I will absolutely be purchasing this graphic novel for my library. The bright, fun, colorful illustrations paired with a topic students can relate to will make this one fly off the shelves!