Wibowo, Jessica. Lunar Boy. Jessica Wibowo, Illus. Addl. Creator Jacinta Wibowo. HarperAlley, 05/2024. 240pp. Graphic. Trade $24.99. 978-0-0630-5760-9. Paper $15.99. 978-0-0630-5759-3. GRADES 3–6. OUTSTANDING.
Indu, a dark-skinned child with shockingly white hair (very reminiscent of the Little Prince) is found alone on a moon and adopted by his hijabi-wearing mom to live on the spacecraft she commands. Then they move from the spaceship to New Earth to live with their new blended family. In this new home Indu comes to terms with his own sexuality and his new feelings for his bisexual pen pal. But he still faces many challenges at home and school. In his loneliness Indu wants to go back to his original home on the moon where he can’t be hurt by anyone, but he also wants to keep connecting with his new community of friends, family, and crushes. A luminous color palette uses warmer colors to represent New Earth and cooler ones for the space scenes. Indonesian co-creators Jes and Cin Wibowo have penned a great sci-fi graphic novel about growing up an outsider and learning to find your place in a foreign world full of multitudes of diversity.
Rachael Reiley—Hillcrest Elementary K–8 / Oakland Unified School District