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In this stunning YA adventure, debut author Askel Aden weaves a story of family schism and reconciliation that effortlessly enriches the complex dynamics of mother and child.
Can this road trip get any worse?
Yes, Mom (Audrey) wanted to spend time with Misha. And yes, she's never around and they don't even live together, so this is a rare opportunity. But Audrey still thinks of Misha as her daughter, despite Misha being non-binary and trying to talk to her openly about it. Misha even tries to write how they feel in a letter, but that isn't going well either.
Then a wrong turn down a forest road leads the mother-child duo straight into the Realm of Spirits! Suddenly in peril and without a clue how to return to their world, Misha and Audrey will have to work together to find their way back home. But can they find a way back to each other?
"Drenched in golden hues, this adventure captures the nuance of strained familial relationships with ease and speaks well to how the adults in a teen's life may genuinely care but can nonetheless fail them and need to take ownership of those failures. " ―Booklist (starred review)
"The story's resolution is realistically messy, with a cathartic breaking point...While these delightfully flawed characters have a compelling arc, the worldbuilding and Odun's story both could use a bit more oomph. The Realm of Spirits and some of its creatures are reminiscent of Studio Ghibli films, a feeling that is amplified by the earth-toned illustrations. An extended mother-child therapy session, with magic." —Kirkus Reviews
"In this emotionally gratifying debut graphic novel, Aden utilizes warm, muted tones to render a comforting and eerie mythic setting against which parent and child learn how to navigate their shifting relationship." —Publishers Weekly
"An emotionally realistic, situationally fantastic, and vibrantly illustrated graphic novel about a non-binary teen struggling to connect with their estranged mom." —School Library Journal
This information about Love, Misha was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Askel Aden (he/him) is a queer cartoonist and bog creature based in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has been making comics since he knew what comics were; a path that eventually lead to a BA in Graphic Storytelling from The Animation Workshop in 2017, and has since then continued his art journey professionally. When he isn't making too many different comics at the same time, he might be spotted in the wilderness looking at mushrooms and herons or in the kitchen baking cakes for his friends.
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