The Magic Fish

by Trung Le Nguyen Narrated by Ivan Mok, Quyen Ngo, Full Cast

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The Magic Fish is a tender and stunningly beautiful portrait of a young teenage boy learning to connect with his family through stories. With fairytale elements woven throughout, Trung Le Nguyen’s graphic novel is a nuanced story about love, identity and finding the words to speak your truth.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR by the New York Public Library ¿ Kirkus Reviews ¿ Booklist ¿ Publishers Weekly

Ti¿n loves his family and his friends...but Ti¿n has a secret he's been keeping from them, and it might change everything. An amazing YA graphic novel, adapted for audio, that deals with the complexity of family and how stories can bring us together.

Real life isn't a fairytale.

But Ti¿n still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Ti¿n, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through?

Is there a way to tell them he's gay?

A beautiful story by Trung Le Nguyen that follows a young boy as he tries to navigate life through fairytales, an instant classic that shows us how we are all connected. The Magic Fish tackles tough subjects in a way that's accessible for listeners of all ages, and teaches us that no matter what-we can all have our own happy endings.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books 2020 Blue Ribbon Selection

“[A] gorgeously drawn…story of a first-generation Vietnamese American who is struggling with coming out to his parents.” —Forbes

“A sparkling debut…about the child of Vietnamese immigrants who teaches through fairy tales—yet wrestles with how to come out to his family.” —The Washington Post

"Infused with emotional depth and integrity, this coming-of-age story broadens the range of Vietnamese American creative voices in books for young people.” —The Horn Book, Starred Review

“Warm, loving family and friends are a refreshing alternative to immigrant stories that focus on family problems. Beautifully illustrates how sharing old stories can be the best way to learn how to share new ones.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“The magic happens here on every page, the perfection personified by debut author/artist Nguyen’s autobiographical homage to the infinite power of storytelling.” —Booklist, Starred Review

“Nguyen’s poignant debut captures the perspectives of, and essence of the bond between, a parent and child, proving that language—and love—can transcend words.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“How do you tell stories within stories within stories? Ask Trung Le Nguyen, who seamlessly blends family history, fairy tales, and a 1998 coming-out tale in this remarkable intergenerational graphic novel.” —The Bulletin, Starred Review

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2020-07-27
While Tiến is fluent in English, his Vietnamese refugee parents are not, leaving them struggling at times for a shared language.

Tiến’s mom, Hiền, asks him to read aloud the fairy tales he checks out from the library; they both love them, and she can use them to practice English. When Tiến selects “Tattercoats,” his seamstress mother tells him that there is a Vietnamese version that her own mother told her, long ago. As he reads the story of love, longing, and travel across a sea, Hiền is reminded of family she left behind in Vietnam while Tiến tries to navigate his own first love, a boy he is friends with. Le Nguyen’s gorgeous, flowing, detailed illustrations deftly weave Vietnamese and Western fairy-tale worlds together with Hiền’s memory of her past and Tiến’s struggle over coming out. The rich color palette highlights both the layers within each panel as well as serving as a road map for readers by indicating whether the panels are set in the present, the past, or within the fairy tale. This clever use of color smooths the way for the sophisticated embedding of stories within a story that highlights the complex dynamics between first-generation and second-generation family members. Warm, loving family and friends are a refreshing alternative to immigrant stories that focus on family problems.

Beautifully illustrates how sharing old stories can be the best way to learn how to share new ones. (author’s note, notes about the illustrations, bonus artwork) (Fiction. 13-17)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940194779413
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	04/01/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged

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