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Summary
Summary
Award-winning author Minh Lê and New York Times bestselling illustrator Chan Chau team up for a fun and enlightening graphic novel about one kid's journey to finding inner peace and belonging. Perfect for fans of Measuring Up and New Kid .
When Bình fights back against a bully who makes fun of his Vietnamese heritage, he expects to be cheered as the hero. He defeated the bad guy, right?
Instead, it gets him a stern warning from his vice principal and worried parents. Now he's stuck on a family trip to a silent meditation retreat. That means no talking--and no video games!--for a whole weekend. Could things possibly get any worse?
However, when a nun gathers all the kids to tell them the Jataka tales--the stories of the Buddha's many past lives--Bình takes a fantastical dive into his imagination and starts to see himself in these stories. Will he retreat further into himself, or will he emerge from the weekend open to change?
With any luck, these next few days will prove more enlightening than he thought.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6--8--Lê's latest graphic novel gives readers an engaging introduction to meditation and Buddhism. Bình and his family are going to a silent meditation retreat, which he and his sisters are not happy about. He doesn't want to give up his Game Boy and one sister wonders why she can't just go to a "regular" summer camp. Bình has trouble settling in at the retreat and is uncomfortable sitting cross-legged, trying to meditate. Instead of clearing his mind, he reminisces about an incident from school that he hasn't been able to talk to his family about, imagining it as if it were a video game. His schoolmates had been harassing him for being Vietnamese and he fought back, but instead of being congratulated for beating the Level One bullies, he was punished. Game over. But after the first abysmal day, the children are taken to a separate room where they are taught stories about the roots and tenets of Buddhism. They learn about obstacles Buddha faced and overcame on the path to enlightenment, and Bình is able to see himself in the stories by picturing them as video game levels. He understands the lessons more deeply and sees how they apply to his life and how he can open up to his family. VERDICT Told through colorful, expressive art and video game-influenced storytelling, this graphic novel explores the value of friendship and the importance of community. Regardless of the reader's beliefs, concepts discussed here will be meaningful.--Carla Riemer
Publisher's Weekly Review
Lê (Real to Me) adroitly applies the foundational story of Siddhartha, the prince credited with founding Buddhism, and select Jataka tales to build a narrative arc attuned to contemporary tweens' fears and worries. After Vietnamese American tween Bình is nearly suspended for fighting back against a bully at school, his parents take the family on vacation to a silent meditation getaway at Three Jewels Mountain Retreat, hoping that the atmosphere will help Bình practice inner peace. Bình is dreading their stay; not only are participants not allowed to talk, he must also leave behind his beloved Game Boy, which he often escapes into to manage his anxiety. While sitting still in meditation, his mind drifts to past events, revisiting them as 8-bit video game battles against mean classmates and his intolerant school principal. Sister Peace, a Buddhist monk and retreat instructor, takes the youngest participants aside and shares with them Jataka tales of Buddha's past lives before he attained enlightenment. By visualizing these stories as games, Bình learns how to rely on his intellect, family, and community to navigate everyday challenges. Cinematic digital art by Chau (Jessie's Secret Language) renders pensive, autumnal mountain landscapes alongside action-packed 8-bit-style sequences using dynamic framing and movement. A bibliography concludes. Ages 8--12. (Sept.)
Booklist Review
Most kids Binh's age go to Disney World or space camp for vacation, but not his family. They are on their way to a silent meditation camp at a Buddhist retreat in the mountains. None of the visitors can speak the entire time, and no video games are allowed, just a whole lot of meditating and listening to stories about the Buddha. In this quiet, idyllic place, Binh has no choice but to reflect on the fight he had with a bully at school who made fun of him for being Vietnamese. The latest graphic novel from award-winning author Lê uses humor and a middle-school boy's imagination to connect the Buddha's life lessons with his present-day challenges. Chau's illustrations are rich with cultural details of the Buddhist oasis and the video game fantasy world that Binh imagines to help him understand the principles he learns at the retreat and, ultimately, conquer each of his real-life trials. Perfect for fans of Vera Brosgol's Be Prepared (2018) or Lily LaMotte's Measuring Up (2020).