The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

Review by Shyamala Parthasarathy

When sixteen-year-old Nishat comes out to her Bengali and Bangladeshi immigrant parents as a lesbian, she is met with stony silence. Things get worse when her childhood friend-turned-business rival, Flávia, sets up a henna stall for their school project. Nishat must untangle her complicated feelings about Flávia while grappling with what it means to be Muslim and gay—two identity markers that everyone tells her do not go together. … More The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks

Review by Sara Francoeur

Miriam “Mir” Kendrick seems more aware of what she doesn’t have that what she really wants for her life. When her artist grandfather co-created the comic series The TomorrowMen in his youth and then sold the rights to his partner, he had no way of knowing it was destined to be a multi-million-dollar empire. … More Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks

Over the Shop by JonArno Lawson, illus. by Qin Leng

Review by Logaine Navascués

The beauty of wordless picture books lies not only in the images they show, but also in the hidden narratives left for readers to discover. At first glance, Over the Shop is a simple and linear story about a little girl and her grandparent, and their intent to find renters for the second floor of the tattered building where their shop is located. … More Over the Shop by JonArno Lawson, illus. by Qin Leng