This is beautiful graphic novel that packs a punch! When Binh fights a bully who is making fun of his Vietnamese heritage, the results are not what he expects. He's not the hero, but the bad guy. To make matters worse, he' now has to attend a silent mediation retreat. He has a difficult time remaining silent, and he misses his technology. But when a nun shares Jataka tales (the stories of the Buddha's past lives) , a change starts to take control over Binh as he begins to see himself in these stories. Will the lessons he learns translate to a new Binh outside of the retreat and back at school? The simple and beautifully illustrated lessons taught in this book are so important for my fifth graders and their ongoing friendship challenges!

Bình's father and mother take him and his brother and sister to a weekend meditation retreat in the country, where the participants are not allowed to speak. While it's hard for Bình to clear his mind, he's just as glad to not have to talk, because there have been trouble incidences with bullying at his school by kids who make fun of him because he is Vietnamese. He'd prefer to play video games, but does find some calm in meditating. When the children at the retreat are told stories about the life of Siddartha and also the Jataka tales about the Buddha's past lives, Bình envisions himself in the tales and reflects upon his experiences at school through these legends. Because the participants are not allowed to talk, there aren't too many family interactions, but there are still some tensions in Bình's family that come out through the drawings, which is pretty impressive. Bình's story about being bullied will resonate with young readers, but what I found most compelling were the stories about the Buddha. Connecting them to a video game type setting adds a lot of interest. Certainly a thought provoking and innovative book.
Strengths: This is an interesting graphic novel that reminded me a little of Brosgol's Be Prepared. The illustrations are gorgeous, especially the backgrounds, with the fall leaves in the country.
Weaknesses: As with many graphic novels, I had many questions that would have been better answered with a traditional novel. Why was the family on retreat? What are their practices at home? I was also a little confused about when this takes place, but looking at the graphics in the video game sequences, it might be set in the late 80s or early 90s.
What I really think: This was an interesting story, but I wanted more information! A good choice for readers who like graphic novels with cultural connections or who want to know more about Buddhism and the life of the Buddha.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC.

This was a short graphic novel based in the teachings of Buddha and how they can related to working towards reaching out "enlightenment".

As an educator, I often see students react to certain situations that end up making things worse for themselves and they can't figure out another way react. Some children will be able to take the three main lessons from this book to help make choices that can lead to a better life experience.

The lessons in this graphic novel aren't perfectly laid out, so children will need to be able to learn from stories and infer and apply those lessons to their own lives.

The artwork was very well done and easy to following along.