The circuit Graphic novel

Gr 4--8--Adapted from the award-winning memoir of the same name and the true-life account of the author, this graphic novel details Jiménez's journey with his family as they trek from Mexico across La Frontera to build their new life in California. The memoir, told from the perspective of Jiménez as a young boy, expertly recounts the trials and tribulations he and his family faced as they ventured to find their home. Readers will be captivated by Jiménez's story and relate to his yearning for a permanent residence, as the family hops from town to town and faces obstacles at each turn in search of a better life. While parts of the material may be difficult to read for some, Jiménez's youthful perspective bestows a gentleness to the narrative, which provides ease to these moments. In a sepialike tone, the illustrations are beautifully woven through the story, which includes some Spanish (translations are provided). This book will interest those who enjoyed They Called Us Enemy, The Distance Between Us, and I Was Their American Dream. VERDICT A moving story about family, faith, hope, and resilience through trying times and experiences.--Cat Miserendino

Jimenez's iconic, award-winning memoir -- an episodic collection of short stories published in 1997 -- receives a handsome graphic novel adaptation. Francisco's family leaves their small town on the outskirts of Guadalajara for the promise of a better life in California. Making their way to Mexicali, they dig under the wire fence to cross the border, finding employment in the southern part of the San Joaquin Valley as migrant farm workers. An early memory has a five-year-old Francisco watching his infant brother while his parents and older brother pick cotton. It's a hard life: constantly moving and uprooting themselves to find work; substandard housing, education, and medical care; and the entire family making sacrifices, both physical and emotional. Here, as in the original source material, Jimenez's plainspoken narration resonates with dignity, humility, and timelessness. The mixed-media illustrations convey both the time period and the mood of the piece with a limited color palette of olive green, lavender, and vermillion on a sepia background. (Francisco is drawn here with black hair and brown skin, rather than the fair skin and blond hair described in the original source and in the family picture that accompanies the author's note.) A glossary is also appended. Jonathan HuntMarch/April 2024 p.110 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A young Mexican immigrant tells the story of his family and the lives of other migrant farm workers in this graphic novel adaptation of a classic 1997 memoir that won multiple awards. Panchito, whose family left the Guadalajara area and crossed la frontera in the late 1940s, is growing up with his parents and five siblings. As the seasons pass, they move around California--Selma, Visalia, Bakersfield, Corcoran, and Santa Maria, among other places--finding work picking different crops. Panchito's story unfolds in chronologically arranged, self-contained short stories, and readers follow the family through their circuit, from picking cotton and strawberries to topping carrots and thinning lettuce. They experience significant sorrows, such as when baby Torito ends up near death due to a lack of health care. The narrative doesn't dwell on these moments, instead sharing the truth of hardship: that even where there's sadness, there's also joy to be found. Panchito's time with older brother Roberto, the advice he receives from his mamá, and little moments with his friends allow readers to experience life's simple pleasures alongside the family's struggles. The exquisite illustrations are warm and weathered, perfectly complementing the emotional storytelling and evoking the mid-20th-century setting. Each person introduced serves a purpose, adding greater insights into Panchito's life, and carefully relayed sensory details and seamlessly integrated Spanish words pull readers into the setting. The touching author's note helps frame the memoir and its significance. A poignant, beautiful story of family, endurance, and appreciation. (glossary) (Graphic memoir. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.