Mabuhay!: A Graphic Novel

by Zachary Sterling, Zachary Sterling (Illustrator)

Overview

An Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature (APALA) Honor Book

An Eisner Award Nominee

From rising star Zachary Sterling comes a humorous and heartwarming middle-grade graphic novel that celebrates food, family, and folklore.

Can two kids save the world and work their family food truck?

First-generation Filipino siblings JJ and Althea struggle to belong at school. JJ wants to fit in with the crowd, while Althea wants to be accepted as she is. To make matters worse, they have to help their parents run the family food truck by dressing up as a dancing pig and passing out samples. Ugh! And their mom is always pointing out lessons from Filipino folklore -- annoying tales they've heard again and again. But when witches, ogres, and other creatures from those same stories threaten their family, JJ and Althea realize that the folklore may be more real that they'd suspected. Can they embrace who they really are and save their family?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338738643
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	10/17/2023
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Zachary Sterling is a Filipino-American illustrator, sequential artist, writer, and animation designer. Over the past several years, Zachary has worked on comics and graphic novels for young adult readers as well as animation designs for Frederator Studios and Netflix. He was born in Torrance, California, but raised in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon -- the place he proudly calls home.

Editorial Reviews

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

★ "Sterling presents a vibrant, nonstop adventure, infusing his electrifying full-color panels with mythic origins and onerous quests. What could have been just another adolescent coming-of-age gets dynamically enhanced with witches, portals, and newfound superpowers... Hand this empowering title to kids needing a boost of confidence." -- Booklist, starred review

★ "This book features lots of colorful panels that sometimes jump out at diagonal angles, adding extra energy and drama to an already exciting story... Have this on hand for readers who enjoy captivating adventures, food, and folklore!" -- School Library Journal, starred review

"Full of Filipino folklore and mythology, this humorous coming-of-age graphic novel is an exciting combination of fantasy and relatable middle school issues. The fun, heartwarming story with its bright, expressive illustrations celebrates family, food, and culture... An engaging tribute to family, food, and finding yourself." -- Kirkus Reviews

"In this quickly paced adventure, Sterling crafts an animated look into one immigrant family's experience navigating fantastical and real-life challenges via brightly hued, cartoon panels and plenty of upbeat humor." -- Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2023-08-11
Two siblings are thrown headfirst into Filipino magic, mythology, and folklore.

JJ and Althea Bulan, the children of Filipino immigrants, are trying to figure out where they fit in. Self-conscious JJ cares how others see him, while Althea won’t change for anyone and wants people to accept that. At school, people mispronounce their surname, JJ gets bullied for being unathletic, and kids make racist comments about Althea’s Filipino lunches. Fitting in is even harder when they spend their free time helping out at the Beautiful Pig, the family food truck—JJ has to dress up in a pig costume while Althea hands out samples. Then Tito Arvin, their dad’s flaky younger brother, unexpectedly shows up with a warning that the family is in danger. After sharing the same creepy nightmare and being attacked by witches and a monster, the siblings uncover secrets their parents have been hiding: Their mother has magical powers, and the witches who raised her are pursuing them. To save the day, JJ and Althea must learn to embrace who they are and the culture they come from. Full of Filipino folklore and mythology, this humorous coming-of-age graphic novel is an exciting combination of fantasy and relatable middle school issues. The fun, heartwarming story with its bright, expressive illustrations celebrates family, food, and culture. Tagalog words are woven into the dialogue, with pronunciations and definitions provided in the footnotes.

An engaging tribute to family, food, and finding yourself. (recipe, author's note, glossary) (Graphic adventure. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews