Kirkus Reviews

A Black teen makes the most of an opportunity to find and pursue her passion.High school senior Charisma lives with her mother and younger brother, who has asthma. She often gets into verbal and physical conflicts at her racially diverse urban school due to stress and exhaustion from home responsibilities and slights from educators who expect little of her. School counselor Ms. Anderson takes an interest in Charisma and helps her learn how to process her feelings and channel them into something positive and productive. She tells Charisma that she believes "the ‘fight' you have in you is really about something else. I see it as leadership that's being misdirected." As a result of this mentoring, which includes exposure to inspirational Black women writers, Charisma's worldview is broadened and school performance is improved, and she goes on to organize a community event about environmental racism, something that affects her personally as well as her neighborhood at large. Couvson's writing conveys a connection and experience with young people like Charisma, who are often ill-treated and ignored. Jones' highly saturated, if slightly static, illustrations give readers an understanding of Charisma's social and physical environments. This expository book models the important ways many educators care about and uplift marginalized students who may feel overlooked and undervalued.A concise story about listening to and supporting young people. (Graphic fiction. 13-18)

Publishers Weekly (Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Because of her responsibilities helping her single mother take care of her asthmatic younger brother Khalil, 16-year-old Charisma, who is portrayed with dark brown skin, often loses sleep and misses out on social gatherings. Her increased stress results in emotional outbursts as well as verbal and physical altercations at school. Following her most recent suspension, Ms. Anderson, the school guidance counselor, offers Charisma more positive, transformative ways to help manage her tumultuous feelings. Ms. Anderson believes that Charisma’s behavior is “leadership that’s being misdirected,” and encourages her to discover her passions by introducing Charisma to works by Annie Allen, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker. After dreaming that she receives impactful advice from Morrison about how to better communicate her feelings with her loved ones, Charisma applies this instruction to her everyday life, an undertaking that grants her the confidence to pursue environmental racism advocacy, in part inspired by Khalil. Jones’s vividly saturated art recalls Annie Lee’s Black Americana style, smartly complementing the subject matter and addressed literary references. Via a sympathetic protagonist who often feels overlooked, Couvson (Sing a Rhythm, Dance a Blues) highlights mature ruminations on how best to support struggling teens. Ages 12–17. (May)

School Library Journal (Mon May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Gr 7 Up— This young adult graphic novel is an inspiring story about a Black high school student trying to find her way. Charisma is a senior who has some trouble controlling her emotions; at home, she helps her mother take care of her brother, who has asthma. She is strong, charismatic, and inspires others, but the "fight" she has in her could get her into trouble if something doesn't change fast. Charisma has to make a choice after an altercation with another classmate lands them both in the principal's office. She joins a restorative circle, and then she is mentored by her high school counselor, who sees her as a leader, and who exposes Charisma to different Black women writers, including Toni Morrison. Her counselor also tries to pull out Charisma's passions, and Charisma finds out she has a voice and an interest in environmental racism, which she realizes could be contributing to her brother's condition. The illustrations by Jones are vibrant and will appeal to many young readers who enjoy graphic novels, though the colorful layouts crowd the text at times. There is a beautifully written foreword by poet, artist, and educator Susan Arauz Barnes, whose focus is raising revolutionaries to change our world. VERDICT Couvson's graphic novel is a positive and modern view on the life of a Black teenage girl who blossoms once she is listened to and supported by family, friends, and teachers. It will spark conversations among students, parents, teachers, librarians, counselors, and many more.— Jacquetta Etheridge