The Art of Reading

I really enjoyed this debut graphic novel! It follows a boy named Mateo as he braves the dangerous journey through the Sonoran desert back home to the United States. For being such a short book the story was very well developed and I liked how it was structured, with flashbacks slowly revealing more to the reader about Mateo’s past and also touching on the Bracero project while still conveying the high stakes and emotions that came with his journey. I would definitely recommend this one, especially to schools, as it opens the door for some great discussion on the subjects of deportation and immigration.

First off, what a cute cover! That’s definitely what originally drew me to this book as well as the fact that it looked like the perfect summer read and I’m happy to say that it delivered on that second one! I thought that the story wasn’t the most original (aside from the online/offline dynamic which was pretty cool!) and the dialogue was kind of cheesy, but overall it was still a fun read with great messages on gentrification and empathy. The romance is also clean which I really appreciated! Not super memorable but I’m glad I read it and if you’re looking for a light romance to read out by the pool it might be one to check out. Happy Reading!