A review by kianareads
Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

thinking about the girl who didn’t know how to take care of her hair or embrace the frizz. 
thinking about the girl who straightened her hair for 5 years straight. 
thinking about the girl who even after finally starting to embrace her natural curls, had to straighten her hair for dance competitions. 
 
sending that girl lots of love and wishing that I had been able to read this book all those years ago. might've changed the whole game for me. 
 
this graphic novel is a beautiful exploration of grief, anti-blackness, the narrowness of white beauty standards, and bullying. it's also a resounding ode to family and self-love. 
 
so happy I was able to get this into the hands of my students this year. when I first put this book out on display there were lots of “hey, that looks like me”, “hair twins!”, and posing with the book. 🥹 now, the book is well-loved, as is all of the curly hair in our classroom 🫶🏽 
 
yes, this is a middle-grade book (and it’s themes are absolutely perfect and so incredibly necessary for that age) but it is also a love-letter to curly-heads everywhere (so go read it!!) 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings