ISLA TO ISLAND
March 2022, Atheneum/S&S, 192 pp
A wordless middle grade graphic novel following a girl growing up in 1960s Cuba and New York City.
Marisol loves her colorful island. Cuba is vibrant with flowers and food and people… but things are changing. The home Marisol loves is no longer safe—then it’s no longer her home at all. Her parents are sending her to the United States. Alone.
Nothing about Marisol’s new life in cold, gray Brooklyn feels like home—not the language, school or even her foster parents. But Marisol starts to realize that home isn’t always a place. And finding her way can be as simple as staying true to herself.
STARRED REVIEWS
KIRKUS – “Her story will resonate with Cuban children growing up on their abuelos’ stories and anyone who has had to leave their home and start over…An important and authentic look at the Cuban refugee experience.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “This historical graphic novel is an inspiring, empathy-building story, accessible to all readers.”
THE HORN BOOK – “While there’s no dialogue, the illustrations […] when coupled with the striking use of color, powerfully depict the disorienting experience of immigration in a way reminiscent of Shaun Tan’s The Arrival.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY – “…debut creator Castellanos effectively uses color as a vehicle to portray Marisol’s loving life with her family in Cuba, despair at their separation, and slow arc to a new life in which she honors her Cuban identity through food and music.”