Lost in Taiwan (A Graphic Novel)

March 15, 2023
A grumpy teen finds himself lost in an unfamiliar city when his phone breaks. It's been four days since Paul, a White American boy, arrived in Taiwan to visit Theo, his older brother who is teaching there, and he has shown no interest in sightseeing. Instead, he's remained in Theo's apartment, eating takeout from McDonald's and playing games on his phone. Paul finally ventures out when a friend tells him about an exclusive video game console, but when he arrives at the store after a long and winding journey through the city, the item turns out to be a knockoff child's toy. To make matters worse, Paul then drops his phone in a gutter, rendering it unusable. With no access to online maps and no comprehension of Chinese, Paul despairs of ever getting back. Fortunately, he's approached by Peijing, a friendly English-speaking Taiwanese girl who offers to take Paul with her on some errands around the city in hopes that he'll recognize a street or landmark. Along the way, Peijing introduces Paul to the local culture and cuisine and even teaches him a few words in Mandarin. The story's sincere message of broadening cultural horizons is accompanied by detailed illustrations that resemble pencil line art and watercolor washes. The images and stylized onomatopoeic sound effects capture the atmosphere of Changbei, a fictional city whose portrayal strongly and vividly evokes metropolitan areas of Taiwan. A visual love letter to Taiwan. (author's note) (Graphic fiction. 12-18)

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March 13, 2023
An apathetic white American teen must open himself up to new experiences to find his way home in a foreign country in this expansive graphic novel by Crilley (The Comic Book Lesson). Paul has been visiting with his older brother, Theo, in Taiwan for four days, but instead of sightseeing, all he’s done is eat McDonald’s and play games on his phone. While Theo is busy, Paul heads out seeking a video game store using his phone’s GPS. But when the store is a bust and his phone stops working, he finds himself hopelessly lost with no way back to Theo’s apartment. Paul eventually encounters Peijing, a Changbei native who offers to help him retrace his steps. As the pair traverse Taiwan’s landmark teeming, twisty streets via moped, Peijing shows Paul everything he’s been missing, such as cultural foods, serene rice paddies, and sacred temples. Softly penciled panels and a hazy color palette gently portray Paul’s growing excitement in experiencing the world around him. The teens’ conversations surrounding their dreams, their fears, and their futures provide a grounding counterpoint to their playful banter and bombastic adventure. An author’s note details Crilley’s connection to Taiwan. Ages 12–up. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary.

May 26, 2023

Gr 7 Up-American teenager Paul is sent to visit his brother, an English teacher, in Taiwan for the summer. Missing his friends and not wanting to be there, Paul refuses to leave the apartment or experience all that Taiwan has to offer. When Paul finally does leave the apartment, his phone breaks, and he is lost with no idea how to find his way back to his brother's apartment. While lost in the city, he meets an English-speaking Taiwanese girl named Peijing, who helps him experience some Taiwanese culture and find his way home. The strongest feature of this graphic novel is the visual representation of Taiwan. Watercolor and ink scenes of the country, city, and daily life create an atmosphere that comes to life and will make readers long to visit Taiwan themselves. The character representation, however, is not as strong. Readers learn a few things about Paul, but don't really know enough about him to feel empathetic to his plight. Paul makes a culturally insensitive comment that he learns from; however, there is not much build up before it to really make sense as part of the overall story. VERDICT A love letter to Taiwan that is visually stunning, but lacks in character development. Purchase where realistic fiction graphic novels are popular.-Ashley Leffel

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