You Brought Me The Ocean

by Alex Sanchez, Julie Maroh (Illustrator)

Overview

The voices that shaped LGBTQ Young Adult literature, Lambda Award-Winning author Alex Sanchez (Rainbow Boys) and New York Times bestselling illustrator Julie Maroh (Blue Is the Warmest Color), present a new coming-out romance and origin story for Aqualad.

Jake Hyde doesn't swim—not since his father drowned. Luckily, he lives in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Yet he yearns for the ocean and is determined to leave his hometown for a college on the coast. His best friend, Maria, however, wants nothing more than to stay in the desert, and Jake's mother encourages him to always play it safe.

There's nothing "safe" about Jake's future—not when he's attracted to Kenny Liu, swim team captain and rebel against conformity. And certainly not when he secretly applies to the University of Miami. Jake's life begins to outpace his small town's namesake, which doesn't make it any easier to come out to his mom, or Maria, or the world.

But Jake is full of secrets, including the strange blue markings on his skin that glow when in contact with water. What power will he find when he searches for his identity, and will he turn his back to the current or dive headfirst into the waves?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401290818
Publisher:	DC Comics
Publication date:	06/09/2020
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	187,584
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Alex Sanchez has published eight novels, including the American Library Association "Best Book for Young Adults" Rainbow Boys and the Lambda Award-winning So Hard to Say.

His novel Bait won the Tomàs Rivera Mexican-American Book Award and the Florida Book Award Gold Medal for Young Adult fiction.

He has a master's degree in guidance and counseling and worked for many years as a youth and family counselor.

Julie Maroh is a French writer and illustrator of graphic novels. They wrote and illustrated the New York Times bestselling Blue Is the Warmest Color about the life and love of two young lesbians, which has been adapted into an award-winning film.

After having obtained an applied arts baccalauréat at E.S.A.A.T in Roubaix, Maroh continued their studies in Brussels, where they lived for eight years. They earned two diplomas there, in Visual Arts (comics option) in the Institut Saint-Luc and in Lithography/Engraving at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts of Brussels.

Editorial Reviews

04/27/2020

High school senior Jake Hyde, who is black, dreams of the ocean while stuck in the desert town of Truth or Consequences, N.Mex. While his childhood best friend, Latina Maria Mendez, who is in love with him, wants to stay close to home, Jake hopes to move to Miami and study oceanography. Jake’s mother discourages any contact with water, which proves difficult when he develops feelings for blue-haired swimmer Kenny Liu, of Chinese descent. Around Jake’s romance with Kenny and friendship with Maria, Sanchez (Rainbow Boys) weaves the story’s stakes, which involve mysterious “birthmarks” that illuminate when Jake makes contact with water. With Kenny, Jake encounters water, starting with a desert flash flood that reveals Jake’s latent hydrokinesis and sets him on the path to discovering his father’s history. Though background moments (Superman flying overhead, the news mentioning Aquaman) hint at the book’s connection to the DC universe, the narrative offers the slimmest of consequences to Jake’s character when his ties to that world are revealed. Illustrations by Maroh (Blue Is the Warmest Color) offer clarity in emotional moments, such as when Jake reveals to his mother that he knows about his powers. Clear paneling in muted blues and taupes keeps the story’s pacing strong, highlighting water as a vibrant character integral to Jake’s metamorphosis. Ages 14–up. (June)■

Publishers Weekly

05/01/2020

Gr 8 Up—"Maybe I've hidden so much of myself I'm not sure who I am." High school student Jake Hyde's life is full of secrets. His overprotective mother wants him to stay far from water—easy enough in Truth or Consequences, NM—but he knows that he needs to be near the ocean and wants to study oceanography at the University of Miami. His best friend Maria Mendez dreams of a future with him, but he's not in love with her. And though he's afraid to admit it, he's attracted to Kenny Liu, the out captain of the high school's swim team. Soon Jake discovers there's more to his mother's fears, and to the birthmarks on his arm, than he realized. Lambda Award-winning author Sanchez's Aqualad origin tale speaks to the heart, favoring budding romance over action. While the dialogue is often blunted by water-related puns, Jake's journey to self-acceptance is authentic. A group of violently homophobic teens are situated as this volume's villains, but Sanchez sets up the possibility of a sequel with the looming threat of Black Manta. Maroh's (Blue Is the Warmest Color) muted blue and beige tones and soft pencil outlines complement Sanchez's sensitive writing. However, the illustrations sometimes err too far into cartoonish depictions, with wonky body proportions and facial expressions that are at odds with the somber mood of the story. VERDICT Fans of DC's new line of young adult graphic novels, such as Kami Garcia's Teen Titans: Raven, will appreciate this tender take on Aqualad.—Elise Martinez, Racine, WI

School Library Journal

2020-03-25
Finding yourself is difficult enough, but it’s more complicated when you have magical powers.

Jake Hyde already has enough to worry about—fretting over being accepted to his dream university to study oceanography; wondering if he’ll ever leave Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, his small town in the middle of the desert; and finding the courage to come out. In the midst of all that, he connects with Kenny—a jock and the only openly gay kid in school—and finds out that the “birthmarks” on his body that he self-consciously keeps covered grant him the power to control water. Jake is keeping secrets from his helicopter mom and best friend, Maria, who’s in love with him, and in living his truth he learns more about the father he believes drowned 17 years ago. In a universe with superheroes and supervillains, Jake must decide who he’s going to be. Sanchez’s text lends authenticity to Jake’s conflicted emotions surrounding his identity and future; he doesn’t shy away from showing the hostile bullying that Kenny and Jake face for daring to be openly gay. Maroh’s realistic sketches in muted tones are infused with bursts of color with generally pale scenery. The illustrations and text work in concert, each amplifying and complementing the other. Jake is African American, Maria is Latinx, and Kenny is Chinese American.

A worthy, diverse addition to the DC Universe. (Graphic romance. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews

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