School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up--So much is revealed in just the first minute: Raquel (her name being the one detail withheld a bit longer) lives in a small town where "everyone is up in each other's business." She's waiting for her mother after being suspended for calling a nosy school monitor a "piece of shit." Her parents are divorced because her father is getting remarried. She remarks that Pardalita "flew past"; the intensity of that impression caused her to write Pardalita's name "without noticing" onto the table where she waits. That dense sparseness defines Portuguese author/artist Estrela's absorbing on-the-page hybrid of prose, free verse, black-and-white drawings without and within graphic panels. Debut narrator Vázquez (who's also an editor for Pardalita's U.S. publisher, Levine Querido) is Estrela's unhurried cipher, adroitly inserting pauses to allow listeners to absorb the multilayered details of Estrela's reveals. Vázquez is seemingly proficient/fluent in Spanish--she pronounces jacaranda with an opening "h" sound--but isn't necessarily a Portuguese speaker (jacaranda has a j-as-in-Jack first syllable). Textless printed pages are many, necessitating additional descriptions and prompts that still dovetail seamlessly into an affecting performance. VERDICT Libraries with youthful audiences will want to acquire this sensitive adaptation.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Told via interwoven slice-of-life comics and intimate-feeling prose poems oscillating between past and present, Estrela (My Own Way) recounts one teenager's struggles defining herself amid a period of rapid change. Sixteen-year-old Portugal native Raquel is unsure of what she wants for her future until she encounters senior schoolmate Pardalita, an artist. Raquel finds herself inexorably drawn to Pardalita and, as their friendship develops, Raquel begins to see her own sexuality in a new light, straining her relationship with new boyfriend, Miguel, before he eventually breaks up with her. Somber flashbacks to Raquel's childhood detail formative experiences with her divorced parents ("Every other weekend I'm with my dad./ ...this annoyed him, because he/ wanted to go out and I wrecked his plans"). Poems speaking directly to Pardalita ("I tried to sit as far away/ from you as possible.../ Not the best plan"), rendered in Raquel's yearning voice, cultivate an earnest blossoming romance that feels as if it was pulled from someone's private journal. Estrela uses a bold, inky line to depict both cozy moments bursting with warm detail and dynamic scenes that boast energy and youthfulness. Through a fledgling queer romance, the creator presents a story of change, connection, and transformation. Ages 12--up. (Apr.)
Kirkus Review
In this introspective graphic novel translated from Portuguese, a girl reflects on her changing sense of self. In loosely interconnected vignettes, award-winning author/illustrator Estrela introduces readers to 16-year-old Raquel. Her life thus far has been fairly uneventful: She lives in small-town Portugal with her divorced mom; hangs out with her two best friends, Luísa and Fred; and has a new boyfriend, Miguel. But changes are underway. At school, Raquel notices Pardalita, a colorful and artistic older girl, and becomes increasingly intrigued by her. As her interest in Pardalita grows, she ignores texts from Miguel, who eventually breaks up with her, to Raquel's relief: "I switched to airplane mode / but it feels like I've landed." Fred and Raquel join the local theater troupe that Pardalita is involved with, allowing the two girls to develop a friendship. As Raquel moves beyond projected daydreams about her object of affection, she's fascinated by every little thing about the real Pardalita, a girl who, when she pulls her hair back, "pats the top of her head twice to make sure she's picked up every strand." Raquel recalls moments when there were hints about her emerging sexuality that now take on new meaning. The digitally created black-and-white art is bold and slightly abstract, matching the stream-of-consciousness text that effectively conveys adolescent turmoil, the heady intoxication of first love, and sweet moments of connection as young queer love blossoms. The book's strength lies in its careful presentation of telling details. Quietly resonant and sincerely told. (endnotes) (Graphic fiction. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The elegant simplicity of this book belies the artistic depth and emotional resonance contained within. Here 16-year-old Raquel's parents have divorced, her father is remarrying, and most important, she's experiencing her first all-consuming queer crush on artistic older classmate Pardalita. The story mostly takes place in small-town Portugal, though the setting fades into the background, along with everything else, as readers are pulled into Raquel's mind. An incredible intimacy is achieved through the terse, quiet, often figurative language and the form--or, rather, the combination of forms. Promoted (not unfairly) as a graphic novel, this reads more as a verse novel that frequently employs comic-book tools. Pages are composed of either poetic journal entries--whether containing flashbacks, ruminations, or imagined letters to Pardalita--simple splash pages, or gridded panels. When panels are employed, though, they still read more like poetry, set under voice-over narration while playing with pertinent imagery, serving more to accentuate a metaphor than ground the reader in physical space (although this is also achieved). Meanwhile, the text, seamlessly translated, is either hand-lettered or printed in a custom font, giving the feeling that the same thick-tipped pen could be writing the words and composing the artwork. It all brings you closer to Raquel, always with the lightest touch, often set off with notes of humor, longing, or warmth. The perfect ending will leave readers in quiet, piercing satisfaction.
