I expected a much longer work when initially picking up this book. Even so, I enjoyed this 32 page short graphic story about a visit to the main character's grandparents. Nhia, a quiet, introverted second generation Hmong immigrant, dreads a visit with her grandparents, not because she doesn't like them but because she feels self-conscious about her inability to speak fluently in Hmong to her grandparents, thus severely limiting her ability to communicate with them. I found this story well-told and perfectly encapsulated in those 32 pages. I will likely seek out more books in this series.

This was a beautiful representation of how love can grow and be nurtured even when you can't communicate verbally. There are so many ways to show your care for the people around you and I think this book is a perfect example of that to its intended demographic. I enjoyed learning bits and pieces of an otherwise foreign culture and seeing how that is woven into the characters. Overall, this was an outstanding read that I absolutely would have bought for my kids when they were younger.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Losing it in Translation is a short graphic novel from a series The Nhia Normal. Nhia suffers from anxiety, and her family is going to visit her hmong grandparents on their farm. Nhia is very anxious for several reasons; she's not seen them since she was little, she can't speak their language as she's grown up in America speaking English and her grandparents don't speak English. When she gets there, she realises her grandparents love her very much and discovers different ways to show love and appreciation, such as through food and common interests.
The illustrations are cute and fit the story type perfectly, and I enjoyed the colour palet used. At the back of the book, there are tips for ways to handle anxiety. I'll be getting this series for my daughter, who's the same age as Nhia, and suffers badly with anxiety as I really think she will enjoy this and relate to it.

This short and relatable story about a girl with anxiety – told as a graphic novel – has beautiful art and the story, although not delving deep, is a good one. Especially if you are a teen who happens to have crippling anxiety too and feel like no one out there ever knows what it’s like – then this book is here to fill that space.

This is a very short story about a girl of Hmong heritage who has anxiety. She’s nervous to visit her grandparents because she doesn’t speak Hmong. There was not much character or plot development. I’m not sure what age this is for as the text is very simple but the girl appears about 12. The graphics are good.

It was a sweet book about a grand daughter and her grandparents connecting despite the language barriers on both sides. It was really cute.

I came for the wordplay in the title, stayed for the themes and their executions
This book was short and sweet and managed to pack so many different themes (family, language barriers, anxiety and insecurity) in just a few pages, in a way that felt accessible to the intended audience. I also don't think I've ever come across any book discussing Hmong heritage before, and it was certainly a welcome surprise.
I wasn't particularly drawn to the art style, but that's just a matter of taste.

Nhia visits her grandparents farm. This just goes to prove that you don't need to understand the same language if you truly wish to communicate. Nhia grows a respect for her loving grandparents. Despite its short length, it was a lovely story, beautiful artwork, and brilliant colors. I look forward to going back to read the first comic in the series and the next two. I hope the author plans to create a full-length graphic novel based on this character - I loved her!

This is a quick graphic novel about a girl who is living with anxiety and this weekend it is triggered by trying to talk to her grandparents in Hmong as well as having her picture taken.
This didn't delve deeply into either of those issues, they were brought up and resolved unreasonably fast. However, I think the way it was shown was relatable for a young girl and it has more inspirational value than realism. I also loved how unique the graphic novel felt in terms of the art style as well as the paneling and flow. I would recommend this to young people.

I was shocked to see that this book was only 34 pages (on ebook). I wished it was longer as I find it refreshing to read about a character of Hmong heritage, something you don't normally see in books. I also wonder if the author will go further into the reason maybe Nhia did not learn the Hmong language (is it because she is more entwined with the Western culture growing up?) or why Nhia feels almost uncomfortable with her mother (seeing that she was very upset with when her mother tried to take a picture with her polaroid camera).

Overall, I enjoyed the read and look forward to reading more books about Nhia!

Thank you to NetGallery for providing me with a digital copy for review!

A cute, sweet, short story, discussing family bonds and tackling the more serious topic of anxiety. I liked the elements related to culture but I wish that the Hmong words were explained more clearly somewhere in the book. The glossary at the end was also a nice addition and the artwork was cute, even though it was not totally my kind of style. I might check out more books from this series!

It felt really short. I would've loved some more growth and story. I also thought it would be nice to have an explanation of how the Hmong words are pronounced. I felt disconnected from the Hmong part. I don't know. It feels like it could've applied to any generic family if the Hmong language was taken out.

This was a cute and fun read. The story was beautifully illustrated. However, the story was so very very short. Perhaps in combination with the rest of the series the reader will get more from it, but on its own it seems like it is missing the next part.

3.75 stars
🌕🌕🌕🌖

🧠 My thoughts
I really books that introduce me to new cultures or teach me new knowledge. This graphic novel was a very good example of that. It was concise, heart-warming, and meaningful. The artwork was very cute and the texts were easy to read. I appreciated that the book had a glossary at the end to explain the terms if the readers didn’t understand what they meant. However, I wish that the author explained some Hmong terms right when they appeared. For example, the grandpa and grandma words.

Thanks NetGalley, Capstone publisher, and the authors for a great advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

I get it's part of a series but it's so short!! The illustrations are so pretty and I loved Nhia and her family. It was such a warm and wholesome comic. I also liked the Hmong representation. I feel this ethnic group is often overlooked when we talk about Asia.

Thank you Capstone, Stone Arch Books, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This compact graphic novel is about a girl who deals with a lot of anxiety, partially because she has to interact with her grandparents without having a good grasp on her family’s heritage language. Great graphics bring the story alive, but the story feels somewhat abrupt due to its length. There are anxiety related resources provided at the end of the book.

We all feel anxious when facing uncertainty or something new, this is normal and each and every one of us experiences it sometimes. This short graphic story reassures us by being with Nhia as she visits grandparents for the first time in a long time.
The illustrations by Karen Donnelly are easy to understand even without words, fun, simple, and delightful.
Well suited for reading alone or WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone aged 8-111, but especially to a school, church library, or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected proof e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Capstone | Stone Arch Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Expected publication Aug 01, 2024. #Hmong #Multicultural #MaintainingMentalHealth #Series #Anxiety

Cute and short.

About an anxious girl visiting her Hmong grandparents and fearing that she might not be able to communicate well with them. The comic is peppered with a few Hmong words and (one) food culture. Being a language lover and a home cook, I appreciate these.

Nhia is super nervous about visiting her Hmong grandparents. She loves them and they love her, but they barely speak the same language. Nhia has to conquer her anxiety, one step at a time, to appreciate the visit and her family.

4/5 stars

this was really nice!

this coming-of-age middle grade graphic novel was about a young hmong-american girl named nhia. her mother’s family immigrated to america, so she mostly speaks english- but her grandparents do not. she faces anxiety about communicating when she visits them. to nhia's surprise, she finds that communication and connection can come in many forms.

i do think there were some gaps here and there that left me a bit confused on why a character did something specific; but i also learned that “the nhia normal” is a series, one that you can likely, technically read in any order. i think i jumped into the middle for this book, so the things that confused me were probably further elucidated in other the books. specifically, (and maybe i missed something) i was confused about why nhia didn't want her picture taken and that whole side journey. if it's not in the other books, i think it could have been a bit more fleshed out to give a higher impact at the end.

anyways, this book reflects a common but underrepresented experience that so many kids in america have. the exploration of how nhia views her heritage, family, language, and her place in it all was well done. overall, this short and sweet effort in normalizing cross-cultural anxieties is a much needed addition to kidlit.

i will update my review with a link to where i post it closer to the publishing date :)