Girl on Fire

March 1, 2022
Grammy Award-winning artist Keys co-authors a YA superhero graphic novel bearing the title of her hit song. Smart, quiet 14-year-old Loretta "Lolo" Wright struggles to stand up for herself until, on what should be a routine trip to a convenience store, her 16-year-old brother, James, is mistakenly accused of stealing by the police. When the officer slams her brother to the ground, Lolo's powers manifest for the first time. Meanwhile, Michael Warner, who lives in the same Brooklyn housing projects as the Wrights, is rejected from the football team for being too small. He develops exceptional fighting abilities and shortly afterward gets involved in working for a drug dealer named Skin. When Skin sees a video of Lolo levitating the cop who assaulted James, he wants to recruit her as well, and he tries to extort protection money from Lolo's dad, who owns a moving business. Lolo must convince Michael to choose a different path; it's only by working together that they can defeat Skin. Featuring dizzying shifts among multiple perspectives, this full-color graphic novel presents vibrant, expressive characters set against mostly simple, bright backgrounds, with extreme violence depicted in gory detail. The narrative briefly explores class issues and racial stereotypes, but while the setup is intriguing, the momentum fizzles and the pieces never quite come together. Most main characters are Black; Skin reads as White, and secondary characters appear racially diverse. An action-packed tale for those thirsty for more superhero stories. (Graphic fantasy. 14-18)

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March 18, 2022

Gr 8 Up-Super smart Black girl Lolo Wright lives in the Monroe Housing Projects in Brooklyn with her older brother James, their dad Billy, and her maternal grandmother. A series of strange headaches and visions precede the emergence of superpowers; when James is attacked by the police in a case of mistaken identity, Lolo leaps to his defense. Her powers are connected in some way to Michael "Runt" Warner, a short, muscly Black boy with dreads, who goes to work for white drug dealer Skin, who saw Lolo's powers on a cell phone video and wants her to work for him, too. Lolo and her dad refuse Skin's "protection"; as Lolo's best friend Nia says, "What's the point of having powers if you don't use them for a good cause?" Lolo does the right thing even when it's hard, and she knows that her true superpower is her voice. Skin, his associates, and their variety of weapons are ominous and frightening; in violent fight scenes, panels are often split on the diagonal to enhance the feeling of danger. But there are heartfelt and funny scenes, too, and one beautiful page shows the Monroe Houses from below, with a different scene in each lighted window and Lolo on the roof above it all, trying to figure it out. VERDICT The origins of Lolo's powers may be a little fuzzy, but #BlackGirlMagic meets Miles Morales make this is a recommended choice for all teen graphic novel collections.-Jenny Arch

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