Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review Intelligent, practical, and kind older teen Aya has best girl friends besotted by romance and sex. She also seems to know a plethora of guys who are either intoxicated with their own studliness or a bit dim. Set in late 1970s Ivory Coast, this accessible, engaging story features a relatively simple plotline art girl frustrated by less-forward-thinking friends and family d delightfully thorough characterizations that resound with emotional universality as they manifest the particulars of a time and a place American readers otherwise rarely glimpse. In perfect keeping with the narrator's youthful perspective, the young people's parents are visually exaggerated to go with stunted personalities. The locale is evoked handsomely in scenes set in Aya's working-class neighborhood, in her father's boss' chic mansion with its multiple living rooms, and during luminous nights some of the youngsters spend at the Thousand Star Hotel at is, the nocturnally deserted market square. References to the period's worldwide hit TV show, Dallas; the aural backdrop of French pop music; and the cast's Ivorian traditional garments given a disco-twist vivify the rich cultural mixture of Western and newly independent African elements that Aya depicts. Abouet's storytelling is straightforward but gently nuanced, while Oubrerie's cartooning mixes sepia with bright hues that seem to reflect the ambient sunlight.

Kirkus Reviews

A young woman navigates shallow men, self-destructive friends and the newly erected class ladder in the prosperous city of Abidjan. The West African nation of the Ivory Coast won its independence from France in 1960, and thanks to agricultural development, it enjoyed a flourishing economy until the early '80s. This graphic novel by Abouet, an Ivory Coast native, and French artist Oubrerie, is set in 1978, as Aya, the 19-year-old heroine, becomes increasingly aware of how money is reshaping her family and friendships. Her father, a manager for a local beer company, takes pride in his car, TV set and other trappings of a steady paycheck; her friends Bintou and Adjoua are obsessed with landing a wealthy husband, and they have enough free time to pursue suitors at the disco; Aya, for her part, aspires to attend college and become a scientist. This is mainly a breezy, colorful snapshot of middle-class Ivory Coast life at the height of the country's boom years, in a tone that's underscored by Oubrerie's simple, loose and playful lines. And Abouet has imagined an appealing array of characters notable for their foibles, especially the imposing Mister Sissoko, the head of the beer company. (The TV show Dallas is visitors' first reference point when entering his palatial estate, speaking of how closely the country took its cultural cues from the U.S.) A serious story is embedded in all this, though: Bintou and Adjoua both battle for the attentions of Sissoko's son, Moussa, and when Adjoua becomes pregnant, the ensuing pages spark some interesting observations about the country's class distinctions and the urge to save face. Given the intelligence that Abouet brings to the story, it's unfortunate that Aya ends so abruptly, but it's not a fatal flaw. The appendix, with a glossary, recipes and notes on native clothing, is a nice touch. A smart and sweetly comic glimpse of a time and place in Africa that get little attention in the West.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Abouet could have just wanted to tell a sweet, simple story of the Ivory Coast of her childhood as a counterpoint to the grim tide of catastrophic news, which is all most Westerners know of Africa. But inAya , Abouet, along with Parisian artist Oubrerie, does quite a bit more than that, spinning a multifaceted romantic comedy that would satisfy even without any political agenda behind it. Set in 1970,Aya follows the travails of some teenage girls in the peaceful Abidjan working-class neighborhood of Yopougon (which they call """"Yop City, like something out of an American movie""""), as they strive for love and the right boyfriend. Yop City, as detailed in Oubrerie's fluid and cartoonish black and white drawings, is a mellow place where disco rules the night and practically the worst thing these girls have to worry about is the disapproval of their parents—or in the case of the quiet title character, criticism from those who wish she were more boy-crazed and less focused on a career. It's a quick piece of work, but memorable in mood, capturing the country's brief flicker of postcolonial peaceful prosperity before descending into the modern maelstrom of corruption and violence we know only too well.(Feb.)

School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-Studious Aya and her flighty party-girl friends, Adjoua and Bintou, live in suburban Ivory Coast in 1978. Aya hopes to continue her studies and become a doctor, while her father, a manager at a local brewery, would rather see her marry well. Unfortunately, the mate he has in mind for her, the son of his boss, is an even bigger partier than Bintou and Adjoua-as all will soon find out. Aya is actually more observer than participant-most of the action revolves around the peripheral characters-although she is often an instigator. This realistic story immerses readers in the life of an Ivorian teen of the period. Yet for those familiar with the civil unrest occurring in this part of Africa during the ensuing years, the simplicity of life depicted can't help but be extra poignant; the subplot of one teen's unplanned pregnancy has universal elements. Oubrerie's images are comic and light, somewhat reminiscent of Joann Sfar's, who edited this collection when it was first published in France. There is also some fun back matter, including a glossary, how to wrap a pagne (skirt cloth), and a few recipes. This pleasing volume will make a good addition to graphic-novel collections.-Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Voice of Youth Advocates

Nineteen-year-old Aya's life is filled with ordinary concerns. Her friends Bintou and Adjoua chase boys and sneak out at night to hook up in the market square. Aya and her friends go dancing, worry about what to wear, and argue with their parents. These universal themes of teenage existence are just a small part of Aya's life on the Ivory Coast of Africa in 1978. Aya stands out in Yopougon, the working class neighborhood in Abidjan where her family lives. Aya's highest priority is not to find an affluent husband, as it is for Bintou and Adjoua, but to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. Her father scoffs at her ambition; after all, he says, university is not for women. Level-headed and strong-minded, Aya is consistently the calm in the center of the drama that surrounds her. Although much of the action is commonplace or comic fare, deeper topics are always just in the background. Politics and class issues often rear their heads, most notably when an unexpected pregnancy occurs. Aya sees her friends and family growing more covetous of material wealth, but she never wavers from her steadfast path of determination. Abouet successfully crafts a whole cast of noteworthy characters, but none is more compelling than Aya herself. Her intelligence, wit, and candor make her someone whom readers will readily embrace. Oubrerie's lively and whimsical artwork meshes perfectly with the text. Additional material includes a preface explaining the Ivory Coast's history, a glossary, recipes, and more.-Amanda MacGregor.