Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Reading Time
    • Home
    • Reviews
      • Highly Recommended
      • CBCA Short Listed
      • Early Childhood Books
      • Younger Readers
      • Intermediate Readers
      • Older Readers
      • Great Read Alouds
      • Information Books
      • Picture Books
      • Professional Development
    • Interviews
    • Suggestions
    • News
    • Meet The Review Team
    • Contact Us
    Reading Time
    You are at:Home»Reviews»Graphic Novels»Louis Undercover

    Louis Undercover

    0
    By Admin on May 21, 2019 Graphic Novels, Intermediate Readers, Reviews

    Fanny Britt (text) and Isabelle Arsenault (illustrator), Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou (translators), Louis Undercover, Walker Books, April 2019, 160 pp., RRP $34.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781406378429

    Have you ever wanted to hug a book? I’ve read plenty of books that have left me feeling wistful and empty when I closed them. You wish it would go on forever, you miss the characters. But Louis Undercover is the first book I think I’ve wanted to hug the whole way through. I sat and read the whole thing with a smile on my face. My cheeks were aching at the end. And, yes. I think I hugged it.

    The strangest thing about my book-hugging is that this story features a family in the throes of divorce because Dad’s an alcoholic. It’s not a cheery theme. But it wasn’t a sympathy hug that was elicited from me. This book oozes warmth and hope, and it’s basically just plain cute!

    This coming of age tale is told by Louis himself. He and his little brother, Truffle, live with their mum in the city but go back to their old house in the country to visit their dad. Louis is trying to find his way through growing up. He looks out for himself and his brother in a situation where the adults are loving but don’t always get things right. He has to navigate the highs and lows of family life as well as face normal teen troubles like trying to decide how to approach the girl of his dreams.

    Louis Undercover is by the same creators as Jane, the Fox and Me, which won multiple awards. I liked this book better. It’s a graphic novel that just oozes understated beauty: Its words, its pace, its palette. They’re all simply beautiful. The illustrations are cartoonish, yet there is incredible power and storytelling in the characters’ expressions. There are scenes that drop you right back into the swirling confusion that is adolescence, but by far the most affecting scenes are the ones in which the parents are trying to convince the children, but the children can see straight through their brittle facades.

    I want to read this book again and again for pleasure. It should be on teen reading lists for that reason, but also because it’s got social and emotional learning galore. It shows how hope, love and kindness can just simmer away when there’s hardship — and it shows the power of a beautiful, simple story.

    Reviewed by Liz Patterson

    alcohol abuse Coming of age Divorce emotions family Parental Separation siblings social development

    Related Posts

    Under the Moonlight

    Moonlight Riders

    The Butterfly and the Ants

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • Themes
    • Curriculum
    Action adventure Airplanes Alphabet Anxiety autism Bullying CBCA Awards Coming of age Dystopian emotions family fantasy friendship grief Historical humour magic Mystery Post apocalyptic Readers Cup reluctant readers school Sci-Fi series of books siblings Sport Starting school Teacher Notes
    ANZAC Australian animals Australian history Biography Culture & Diversity Disabilities First Nations Geography health Humanities mental health Poetry Reconciliation resilience Science STEM Stolen Generation sustainability Wordless books



    Recent Comments
    • Barbara on The Secret of Sapling Green
    • Cherie on Elephant Island
    • Patricia Tilton on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Jilanne Hoffmann on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Penelope Pratley on The Secret of Sapling Green
    Recent Posts
    • Under the Moonlight
    • Moonlight Riders
    • The Butterfly and the Ants
    • Skandar and the Unicorn Thief
    • Everything You Want to See
    Recent Comments
    • Barbara on The Secret of Sapling Green
    • Cherie on Elephant Island
    • Patricia Tilton on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Jilanne Hoffmann on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Penelope Pratley on The Secret of Sapling Green
    © Copyright 2021 The Children’s Book Council of Australia - All rights reserved

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.