Dåsnes, Nora. Cross My Heart and Never Lie. Nora Dåsnes, Illustrator. Translated from the Norwegian by Matt Bagguley. Hippo Park, 09/2023. 252pp. Graphic. Trade $17.99. 978-1-6626-4057-5. GRADES 5–8. OUTSTANDING.
Tuva is twelve years old and starting to grapple with what it will mean to be a teenager. Will she have to give up her best friends? Stop playing in the woods? Wear makeup? Start dating??? Tuva’s story is told through her diary entries, interspersed with traditional graphic novel panels. The art has a sketchy quality that helps the story feel gentle, even as Tuva is experiencing major changes, like getting her first bra and figuring out she likes girls. Color is used skillfully throughout to emphasize Tuva’s changing moods. Tuva is drawn with pale skin and dark curly hair, but her classmates are shown with a diversity of skin tones and hair styles. This book was first published in Norwegian and an author’s note points out some unique elements of Tuva’s life, like how seventh grade is the last year of primary school in Norway. Despite differences between life in Norway and the United States, this addition to the coming-of-age genre is deeply relatable and beautifully describes struggling during times of transition.
Lillian Whithaus—Oakland Public Library