The Magic Fish: (A Graphic Novel)

by Trung Le Nguyen

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The Magic Fish is a tender and stunningly beautiful portrait of a young teenage boy learning to connect with his family through stories. With fairytale elements woven throughout, Trung Le Nguyen’s graphic novel is a nuanced story about love, identity and finding the words to speak your truth.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR by New York Public Library • Kirkus Reviews • Booklist • Publishers Weekly

In this gorgeous debut graphic novel, fairy tales are the only way one boy can communicate with his Vietnamese immigrant parents. But how will he find the words to tell them that he’s gay? A powerful read about family, identity and the enduring magic of stories.
 
“One of the most astounding graphic novels of the year"  –Entertainment Weekly

Tien and his mother may come from different cultures—she’s an immigrant from Vietnam still struggling with English; he’s been raised in America—but through the fairy tales he checks out from the local library, those differences are erased.
 
But as much as Tien’s mother’s English continues to improve as he reads her tales of love, loss, and travel across distant shores, there’s one conversation that still eludes him—how to come out to her and his father. Is there even a way to explain what he’s going through in Vietnamese? And without a way to reveal his hidden self, how will his parents ever accept him?
 
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel speaks to the complexity of family and how stories can bring us together even when we don’t know the words.
 
“A lyrical masterpiece.” –BuzzFeed

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984851598
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	750
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	HL400L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Trung Le Nguyen, also known as Trungles, is a comic book artist and illustrator working out of Minnesota. He received his BA from Hamline University in 2012, majoring in Studio Art with a concentration in oil painting and minoring in Art History. He has contributed work for Oni Press, BOOM! Studios, Limerence Press, and Image Comics. He is particularly fond of fairy tales, kids' cartoons, and rom-coms of all stripes. The Magic Fish is his debut graphic novel.

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/19/2020

Tiến Phong, 12, who “speak mostly English,” and his mother, Hiến, a refugee who “speak mostly Vietnamese,” have long read fairy tales together to bolster Hiến’s English. Tiến cherishes this bonding activity, as his mother works long hours as a seamstress. Despite her busy schedule, though, she dreams of taking her son to her hometown in Vietnam to meet her mother. Meanwhile, Tiến struggles to discuss his sexuality with his parents (“The librarian and I couldn’t find the word for it in Vietnamese”) and navigate his feelings for male best friend Julian, even with the encouragement of best friend Claire. Alternating between Tiến and Hiến, the narrative intertwines Western and Vietnamese fairy tales, including “Tấm Cám”—“our ‘Cinderella’ ”—and a nuanced retooling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.” Detailed illustrations rendered in split complementary colors cleverly distinguish each story line. Nguyen’s poignant debut captures the perspectives of, and essence of the bond between, a parent and child, proving that language—and love—can transcend words. Back matter includes author’s notes that delve into personal inspiration, the interplay between immigration stories and fairy tales, and contextualize the illustrations. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kate McKean, Howard Morhaim Literary. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

A Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books 2020 Blue Ribbon Selection

“[A] gorgeously drawn…story of a first-generation Vietnamese American who is struggling with coming out to his parents.” —Forbes

“A sparkling debut…about the child of Vietnamese immigrants who teaches through fairy tales—yet wrestles with how to come out to his family.” —The Washington Post

"Infused with emotional depth and integrity, this coming-of-age story broadens the range of Vietnamese American creative voices in books for young people.” —The Horn Book, Starred Review

“Warm, loving family and friends are a refreshing alternative to immigrant stories that focus on family problems. Beautifully illustrates how sharing old stories can be the best way to learn how to share new ones.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“The magic happens here on every page, the perfection personified by debut author/artist Nguyen’s autobiographical homage to the infinite power of storytelling.” —Booklist, Starred Review

“Nguyen’s poignant debut captures the perspectives of, and essence of the bond between, a parent and child, proving that language—and love—can transcend words.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“How do you tell stories within stories within stories? Ask Trung Le Nguyen, who seamlessly blends family history, fairy tales, and a 1998 coming-out tale in this remarkable intergenerational graphic novel.” —The Bulletin, Starred Review

From the Publisher

08/01/2020

Gr 7 Up—Le Nguyen folds five stories into his narrative. There's Tien, a young teen who's trying to figure out how to tell his parents he's gay while nursing a crush on one of his best friends. Meanwhile, his mother, Helen, struggles to help a sick parent back in Vietnam. Then there are three gorgeous fairy-tale adaptations from around the world, which Tien and his mother like to read together to learn English. The language gap between the two makes Tien wonder how his parents will react if he comes out, but their love for one another resonates throughout the story. Tien's best friends, Claire and Julian, are also an important support system for him. Though there are moments of stress and doubt, everything comes together, all wrapped up in Le Nguyen's sumptuous illustrations and intricate linework. The couture dresses worn by the characters in the fairy tales contrast with Helen's job as a seamstress and the patchwork coat she makes for Tien. Questions of happy endings and sacrifice—the bread and butter of fairy tales—are explored deftly. Notes from the author provide details on his own experience as the child of immigrants who spoke a hybrid language at home. He also includes in-depth information on the fashion and art, which will appeal to close readers of comics. VERDICT A lovely and original take on fairy tales, identity, and culture.—Gretchen Hardin, Bee Cave P.L., TX

School Library Journal

★ 2020-07-27
While Tiến is fluent in English, his Vietnamese refugee parents are not, leaving them struggling at times for a shared language.

Tiến’s mom, Hiền, asks him to read aloud the fairy tales he checks out from the library; they both love them, and she can use them to practice English. When Tiến selects “Tattercoats,” his seamstress mother tells him that there is a Vietnamese version that her own mother told her, long ago. As he reads the story of love, longing, and travel across a sea, Hiền is reminded of family she left behind in Vietnam while Tiến tries to navigate his own first love, a boy he is friends with. Le Nguyen’s gorgeous, flowing, detailed illustrations deftly weave Vietnamese and Western fairy-tale worlds together with Hiền’s memory of her past and Tiến’s struggle over coming out. The rich color palette highlights both the layers within each panel as well as serving as a road map for readers by indicating whether the panels are set in the present, the past, or within the fairy tale. This clever use of color smooths the way for the sophisticated embedding of stories within a story that highlights the complex dynamics between first-generation and second-generation family members. Warm, loving family and friends are a refreshing alternative to immigrant stories that focus on family problems.

Beautifully illustrates how sharing old stories can be the best way to learn how to share new ones. (author’s note, notes about the illustrations, bonus artwork) (Fiction. 13-17)

Kirkus Reviews