Ash’s Cabin
by Jen Wang; illus. by the author
Middle School, High School    First Second    320 pp.
8/24    9781250754059    $25.99
Paper ed.  9781250754066    $17.99

Fifteen-year-old self-dubbed Ash is a passionate environmentalist who is contending with their gender identity. The last person Ash felt connected to was Grandpa Edwin, a recluse who spent his final years living in a secret cabin somewhere in the woods of his Northern California ranch. So when Ash learns that their family is selling the property, they beg to visit one more time, with the intention of locating the cabin and leaving civilization behind forever. Accompanied only by their dog, Ash uncovers the hidden site and quickly establishes a routine of journaling, foraging, fishing, and hiding from search helicopters. But like many survivalists, Ash discovers that there is no real escape from yourself. It takes a terrifying encounter with a bear and the threat of wildfires to bring Ash out of the forest to claim a new identity, one that includes joining a student environmentalist group in addition to newly adopted they/them pronouns. Wang (The Prince and the Dressmaker, rev. 3/18) has updated the classic survival story for today’s socially conscious and gender expansive teens with this thoughtfully wrought graphic novel that pays loving homage to treasured titles such as Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain. The soft earth-toned palette, along with the borderless page layouts, beautifully evoke both Ash’s inner and outer landscapes, while the meticulous illustrations of Ash’s tools and foraging practices will delight detail-oriented readers.

From the ">September/October 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.