A Year Without Mom by Dasha Tolstikova

A Year Without Mom by Dasha Tolstikova
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Hardcover, 176 pages
Published October 6th 2015 by Groundwood Books
Source: Received a print copy from the publisher for review

First, let's start by saying this isn't a graphic novel. The pictures do not tell a story they only illustrate what the text has already told. It's either an illustrated chapter book or a picture book with a lot of text. I'm not particular in pigeonholing books but the publisher's write up on the back calls this a "graphic novel" which is simply misleading and incorrect. I was on a graphic novel awards committee and everyone immediately dismissed this as *not* a graphic novel.With that out of the way, the book is simply very boring. Set during the 1991 coup d'etat against Gorbachev it could have had something very interesting to tell. Instead, a girl whose mother has gone to America to study for a year describes her daily life at school and staying with different relatives. Nothing more exciting than her having her first crush happens. I do like the art style, though, especially the faces.

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