Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Pablo's first day at his new school in Manhattan happens to be field-trip day, and after a lesson about the construction of New York's subway system which Sánchez invitingly illustrates with a collage of maps, historical photos, and warm drawings his class departs via subway for the Empire State Building. But Pablo and his enthusiastic classmate Alicia get separated from the rest of their class and then each other, and they each have to navigate the subway alone. Sánchez's immersive illustrations impressively capture the overwhelming confusion of being lost in a crowded place, using striking angles, panel layouts, and depth of field to layer scenes with crowds of close-set people and buildings. When Pablo and Alicia figure out which trains they need to take, on the other hand, Sánchez uses the iconic orderly MTA system map as a crisp background to clearly illustrate their routes. Extensive back matter goes into even more detail about the construction of the subway and what it's like today and provides some fascinating facts about the Empire State Building. Young readers enamored by the Big Apple will be both delighted by the wealth of information and atmospheric artwork and encouraged by Pablo's and Alicia's successful, if a bit nerve-racking, solo journeys. A Spanish edition, Perdidos en NYC, is also available.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In an emotionally astute (and geographically useful) comic, which incorporates archival photographs, subway maps, and other materials, Pablo's family moves so frequently that he is determined not to become attached to anyone or anything-even New York City. During a field trip to the Empire State Building on his first day of school, Pablo shrugs off his classmate Alicia's attempts to befriend him, as well as his enthusiastic teacher's history lessons en route. After Pablo and Alicia accidentally get on an express train and watch their classmates and teacher pull away on the local, Pablo's frustrations come to a head: he storms away from Alicia at Times Square and has to find his own way to the Empire State Building. Sánchez uses a mix of full spreads and panels, depicting myriad dramas unfolding on (and below) the streets. With humor and sensitivity, Spiegelman reveals how getting lost can be the first step toward finding your way-while also giving NYC residents and visitors alike a valuable primer on the subway system and its history. A Spanish-language edition is available simultaneously. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-New York City's quintessential sights and sounds and hustle and bustle are beautifully captured in this exciting graphic novel. Lost in NYC unfolds via multiple adventures. First, there's Pablo, the new kid in school. His smart and resourceful classmate Alicia offers to be his partner on the class field trip to the Empire State Building. The students will be taking the subway there, so before setting off, Mr. Bartle dives into an engrossing history lesson about the Empire State Building and the construction of New York City's subway system. Spiegelman and García Sánchez's set the narrative tone and demonstrate artistic mastery in an opening spread that uses a 3-D-like cartoon effect to illustrate Mr. Bartle and his students sitting atop and inside a map of Manhattan, "dissecting" and going "underground" to explore the subway system beneath. Seamlessly woven into the illustration and text are historical photographs that depict how tunnels and trenches were constructed to build the subway system. The storytelling is kinetic. The text moves along visual lines, following subway platforms that both ascend and descend. This technique is paired with illustrations that evoke the sensations of walking Manhattan's densely crowded and diverse streets. Readers see the stacks of yellow cabs, the buskers singing, the skyscrapers carving corridors of blue sky, and even some famous tags by New York's finest graffiti artists. This a love song to the the city that never sleeps as well as a solid friendship story. Paired with robust, detailed historical notes and an engaging Spanish translation by Moral, this book is sure to be a hit with kids and their adults. VERDICT Recommended for all collections.-Lettycia Terrones, California State University, Pollak Library, Fullerton, CA © Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
New York City, full of teeming crowds, frenetic energy, and looming skyscrapers, is also well known for its subway, which has been transporting visitors and locals alike for over a century. It is this iconic transportation system that Mr. Bartles sixth graders explore on their way to the Empire State Building, among them newcomer Pablo, angry at having to start at yet another school. In the busy station, the class listens as their rumpled teacher holds forth on the history of the subway, but when the trains arrive, self-described lone wolf Pablo manages to get on the wrong one. His partner, good-natured Alicia, follows him, but even she cant keep up as he wildly jumps from one train to the next. In this vibrant graphic-novel picture book, Spiegelmans lively text is superbly matched by Garcia Snchezs art. His detailed images from every perspective, filled with trains, stations, people, streets, skyscrapers, and even maps, vividly convey the kids travels below and above ground. By the time the two children reunite at the Empire State Building, Pablos sullenness has melted in the face of Alicias genuine kindness, and readers have enjoyed a partial tour of New York City. Informative brief essays (about transit systems and the Empire State Building), suggestions for further reading, and historic photographs further enrich the book, also available in a Spanish edition, Perdidos en NYC, translated by Lola Moral. monica edinger (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A student new to both New York City and subways loses his class on the way to the Empire State Building.Cast not as a nightmare (though it probably is, for teachers at least) but as an exhilarating odyssey, the outing begins when Pablo, surly and standoffish on his first day at his sixth school, boards a West Side No. 2 express train as his classmates crowd aboard the No. 1 local. Fortunately, he's partnered with Alicia, a friendly, informative and particularly thick-skinned fellow student. Unfortunately, he manages to lose even her at the Times Square station and finds himself bound for Flushing, Queens. Though Garca Snchez exaggerates (maybea bit) the density of the crowds on train platforms and streets, the above- and belowground architectural details, signage, general New York ambience and the trip's overall itinerary are rendered with exacting accuracy. Even the occasional cutaway views and multiple-perspective spreads look natural. For added value, conversational infodumps and a closing sectionboth with inset period photosfill Pablo and readers in on the subway's construction, history and line designations, with side peeks at the Empire State Building. The book is also available in Spanish as Perdidos en NYC, with a translation by multitalented colorist Lola Moral. Required reading for anyone, tourist or resident, mystified by or anxious about using arguably the greatest public-transportation system on the planet. (further reading) (Graphic picture book. 7-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
