Pashminaby Patti MartinsonReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 7 Priyanka Das is a teenage Indian-American girl living with her single mom. She loves to draw comics and has a close relationship with her uncle Jatin. Things change, however, when Jatin's wife is pregnant and he no longer can spend as much time with Priyanka. A jealous Priyanka prays to the Indian Goddess Shakti for something to happen, but when Jatin's baby does get sick, Priyanka acts up out of guilt. Things worsen when she finds a pashima shawl that magically transports her to India, a wonderous land to her. She badgers her mom about going back and about her unknown father. Her wish comes true, and she travels to India, but she finds it is not what she expected.This is a really nice book. Priyanka appealed to me right away, with her talent for comics and being bullied by other girls for being "thrift store". Priyanka does develop those annoying teenage angsty-qualities that made me like her less, even if I understood the reasons why. I wasn't quite sure how to take the part of the pashima shawl, which transported Priyanka to an India that she found wonderful, although her animal guides kept telling her to ignore a shadowy figure that constantly followed her. Since I didn't understand what was going on, it was a frustrating part of the story until I got an explanation of who the figure was. Then everything made a lot more sense. When Priyanka gets the answers to her questions, she is upset, but it also leads to a greater understanding of her mother and her situation with her father and that helps a great deal to make Priyanka likable by the end of the book. This first graphic novel by the author is a good one. I liked the story, the character and appreciated getting a bit more awareness of the difference in the cultures, American and Indian. That's all I can really ask for in a graphic novel, and I hope to see more from the creator! Written: July 14, 2017
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