Published: 2023
Genre: Graphic Novel, Realistic Fiction, Friendship, Family, Mental Health, Comics, Contemporary Fiction
Audience: Middle Grade
Content Warnings: loss of a loved one, addiction
Summary: When you’re named after a 250-year-old tortoise, you grow up believing life is full of possibilities and wonder. But ever since Addie’s family got turned upside down, those things have been harder for her to see. The last thing Addie wants to do is make a new friend, but when her dad’s summer job takes them across the country, she meets Mateo and finds herself caught up in an exciting project. With the help of a virtual reality headset, she’s suddenly scaling castle walls, dodging angry kittens, and seeing the world in whole new ways. Plus, she has an idea that could be bigger than anything she’s imagined before. But can she right some wrongs first . . . or is it too late?
Review: I went into this book without any idea what it was actually about, and I was so pleasantly surprised! What a cool idea to create a graphic novel about virtual reality and its many possibilities. The illustrations seamlessly transport the reader between “regular” life and scenes from various creative VR games and apps. This book completely opened my eyes to the incredible things VR can do. I had never before thought about it as a tool for socializing, building empathy, creating community, and more. I wasn’t expecting this book to pack such an emotional punch–I absolutely got misty-eyed on multiple occasions.
The plot line about Addie’s mother is well done. Right at the beginning there are hints of what happened, and we know it’s related to her extreme pain from getting in an accident, but the whole story isn’t totally clear to the reader yet. Did her mom just up and leave the family one day? Is there ever a hope of her returning? It’s not until the end that it’s clearly revealed her mother developed an addiction to prescription painkillers which led to criminal activity and incarceration. The final chapter wraps everything up in a happy ending, and the tone is never super dark or intense.
After the novel is wrapped up, there are brief vignettes from the author and illustrator that add a fun “behind-the-scenes” feel for any readers who are curious about how the ideas and artwork for this book came to be.
