Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure (Toon Graphics)

Gr 4-7--New York City's quintessential sights and sounds and hustle and bustle are beautifully captured in this exciting graphic novel. Lost in NYC unfolds via multiple adventures. First, there's Pablo, the new kid in school. His smart and resourceful classmate Alicia offers to be his partner on the class field trip to the Empire State Building. The students will be taking the subway there, so before setting off, Mr. Bartle dives into an engrossing history lesson about the Empire State Building and the construction of New York City's subway system. Spiegelman and Garcia Sanchez's set the narrative tone and demonstrate artistic mastery in an opening spread that uses a 3-D-like cartoon effect to illustrate Mr. Bartle and his students sitting atop and inside a map of Manhattan, "dissecting" and going "underground" to explore the subway system beneath. Seamlessly woven into the illustration and text are historical photographs that depict how tunnels and trenches were constructed to build the subway system. The storytelling is kinetic. The text moves along visual lines, following subway platforms that both ascend and descend. This technique is paired with illustrations that evoke the sensations of walking Manhattan's densely crowded and diverse streets. Readers see the stacks of yellow cabs, the buskers singing, the skyscrapers carving corridors of blue sky, and even some famous tags by New York's finest graffiti artists. This a love song to the the city that never sleeps as well as a solid friendship story. Paired with robust, detailed historical notes and an engaging Spanish translation by Moral, this book is sure to be a hit with kids and their adults. VERDICT Recommended for all collections.--Lettycia Terrones, California State University, Pollak Library, Fullerton, CA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

In an emotionally astute (and geographically useful) comic, which incorporates archival photographs, subway maps, and other materials, Pablo's family moves so frequently that he is determined not to become attached to anyone or anything--even New York City. During a field trip to the Empire State Building on his first day of school, Pablo shrugs off his classmate Alicia's attempts to befriend him, as well as his enthusiastic teacher's history lessons en route. After Pablo and Alicia accidentally get on an express train and watch their classmates and teacher pull away on the local, Pablo's frustrations come to a head: he storms away from Alicia at Times Square and has to find his own way to the Empire State Building. Sanchez uses a mix of full spreads and panels, depicting myriad dramas unfolding on (and below) the streets. With humor and sensitivity, Spiegelman reveals how getting lost can be the first step toward finding your way--while also giving NYC residents and visitors alike a valuable primer on the subway system and its history. A Spanish-language edition is available simultaneously. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)

Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

2016 Association for Library Service to Children Notable Children's Books

2016 Association for Library Service to Children Graphic Novels Reading List

School Library Journal Best Books of 2015

Little Maverick Star
Texas Library Association's Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List 2016

Kirkus Prize 2015 Nominee for Young Reader's Literature

ABC Best Books for Young Readers 2015 List

SIX STARRED REVIEWS!

"Required reading for anyone, tourist or resident, mystified by or anxious about using arguably the greatest public-transportation system on the planet." - Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW

"The storytelling is kinetic...this book is sure to be a hit...recommended for all collections." - School Library Journal STARRED REVIEW

"Young readers enamored by the Big Apple will be both delighted by the wealth of information and atmospheric artwork and encouraged by Pablo and Alicia's successful, if a bit nervewracking, solo journeys." - Booklist STARRED REVIEW

"With humor and sensitivity, Spiegelman reveals how getting lost can be the first step toward finding your way—while also giving NYC residents and visitors alike a valuable primer on the subway system and its history." - Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

"In this vibrant graphic-novel picture book, Spiegelman's lively text is superbly matched by García Sánchez's art. His detailed images from every perspective, filled with trains, stations, people, streets, skyscrapers, and even maps, vividly convey the kids' travels below and above ground." - The Horn Book STARRED REVIEW

"A graphic novel tale of friendship that combines fascinating facts about the New York subway system, the Empire State Building, history and geography." - Jennifer M. Brown for Shelf Awareness STARRED REVIEW

"García's adroit art bursts with activity, while the story highlights the ingenuity city life brings out in the young." - The New York Times

"Aimed at 'visual learners, ' this elegantly presented and emotionally satisfying graphic story is well worth the time even of children who have never set foot in Manhattan." - The Wall Street Journal

"Visually stunning (to say nothing of its accuracy) with abundant factual information wriggled into every available crevice, you don't have to be a New Yorker to enjoy this book (though, boy, does it sure help)." - Betsy Bird, New York Public Library's Youth Materials Specialist

"García Sánchez's artwork perfectly complements Spiegelman's heartfelt and informative narrative, offering glimpses of the thousands of subway commuters from all walks of life crowding into busy stations and onto packed subway trains." - KidsReads

"I'm declaring it required reading for natives and tourists alike. Because get this: it is now MY FAVORITE NEW YORK BOOK OF ALL TIME." - What to Read to Your Kids