A Map to the Sun

July 6, 2020
In a color palette like a Venice Beach sunset, Leong makes an ensemble of struggling teens shine in this uplifting and visually explosive graphic novel. Ren, who is androgynous and Black, and Luna, a cheery hapa surfer from Oahu, have two things in common: basketball and families splintered by trauma. The new biology teacher, Marisol Weylan, recruits them for the underfunded school’s first girls’ basketball team, along with Jetta, a rebellious Navajo girl who falls for the advances of the predatory boys’ coach; So-Young, a tall Korean kid who hides behind an online avatar; and Ren’s bestie Anella, a Black teen who is harassed and underestimated because of her weight. Anella observes, “No one out there is rising for me. Whatever, I can live in the dark,” a sentiment that could be true for each girl, until they begin to rise for each other and themselves. Coach Weylan encourages the teammates to identify their own weaknesses so they can support one another with their strengths, and gradually, that’s exactly what happens. Leong elevates the classic ragtag-sports-team narrative by giving her characters grit and gravitas, and rendering their world of malls, convenience stores, and slumping apartment buildings in brilliant reds and purples. In multiple panels, she positions a bright orange basketball like the sun: the thing that pulls them into its orbit and illuminates the group in full electric color. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jennifer Linnan, Linnan Literary Management.

July 1, 2020
Grades 9-12 Five teenage girls, isolated by their personal struggles, find the strength to cope through a newly formed high school basketball team. Ren's parents are divorced, and her delinquent sister attracts trouble. Luna's mom just died. Nell has low confidence and a negative body image. Jetta's abusive household drives her to smoking, cutting, and a romance with a misogynistic teacher. Introverted So feels ignored and unseen. When an optimistic coach pulls them together, they clash even as they gel and ultimately find solace in their friendships. While basketball plays a prominent role, this book is far less concerned with the sport than the relationships and mental health of its characters. Extraordinary tension is created just through Leong's use of color, which shifts between unexpected and often intense color schemes that infuse skin color, backgrounds, and even the gutters with raw emotion. There's an uncommon grit to the story; most of the girls' problems aren't solved, which may leave readers feeling somewhat bleak, but the growth of love amid the pain offers a path to hope.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)