17 Mar Review: Looking Up
Looking Up
Written and illustrated by Stephan Pastis
Aladdin, 2023
ISBN: 9781665929622 (paper over board)
$16.99 CAD
240 pages
Ages: 8 to 12 years old
Review by Kyra Paquet
Saint, an eccentric young girl, is devastated that homes and local businesses in her neighborhood are being torn down and replaced by coffee shops and condos. When her favorite toy store, Punch’s, is the next casualty in this wave of gentrification, she knows she must step in. With the help of Daniel McGibbons, the shy boy who lives across the street, Saint hatches a plan to rid her hometown of hipsters and land developers. Shenanigans ensue. This graphic novel’s quirky and driven protagonist brings readers on a heartwarming and very real journey of what it means to feel lonely at such a young age. This novel deals with subjects such as isolation, friendship, grief, and the inevitability of change. There is also a twist at the end that most readers won’t see coming. The illustrations are simple but evocative and are integrated seamlessly between the paragraphs of the text.