Halfway to Somewhere
by Jose Pimienta; illus. by the author
Middle School    RH Graphic/Random    256 pp.
2/25    9780593569450    $21.99
Library ed.  9780593569436    $24.99
Paper ed.  9780593569429    $13.99
e-book ed.  9780593569443    $8.99

Pimienta’s (Suncatcher; Twin Cities, rev. 9/22) latest graphic novel explores divisions and connections across families, borders, languages, and cultures. Middle schooler Ave has reluctantly moved from Mexicali to Lawrence, Kansas. Living apart from their father and older sister, stuck in a predominantly English-speaking community, and confronted with their family’s set of expectations regarding gender roles (e.g., cooking, chores), Ave, who is nonbinary, finds themself in a perfect storm of adolescent frustration. Tensions reach a boiling point when Ave’s mother confirms that her separation from their father is permanent. Slowly but surely, Ave develops meaningful friendships with a handful of classmates while simultaneously building a greater understanding of their family members’ unique relationships with assimilation. The hand-drawn and inked illustrations have a lively, undulating line, with flat, understated digital colors. Pimienta’s storytelling features substantive dialogue (“And you’re okay with speaking broken English?” “It’s not broken. It’s growing”), skillful transitions between past and present, creative use of a largely three-tiered page/panel structure, and employment of silent panels to develop setting, mood, and characterization. Back matter includes an author’s note with sketches and reference photos.

From the March/April 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.