Trung Le Nguyen

Tiến loves his family and his friends…but Tiến has a secret he's been keeping from them, and it might change everything. An amazing YA graphic novel that deals with the complexity of family and how stories can bring us together. Real life isn't a fairytale. But Tiến still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tiến, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through? Is there a way to tell them he's gay? A beautifully illustrated story by Trung Le Nguyen that follows a young boy as he tries to navigate life through fairytales, an instant classic that shows us how we are all connected. The Magic Fish tackles tough subjects in a way that accessible with readers of all ages, and teaches us that no matter what—we can all have our own happy endings.

The Magic Fish

"Real life isn't a fairytale. But Tié̂n still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tié̂n, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through? Is there a way to tell them he's gay?"--

“How should I know? It’s an old, old story. Details change. Things change. And now this story is ours. Yours and mine.” 

“Brandon just asked me to marry him. Can you believe it? I was really flattered, and I care about him a lot…I said no. I told him I kinda have a thing for someone else. I was hoping…she’s give me a chance?” 

“My sweet child, this is transgressive. Your yearning, your desire to be other than what you are, may well be your undoing. Are you certain you would give up your millennia of bliss under the sea for a mere sliver of a century with a frail and fickle little human?” 

Man…what the hell…I…he’s a child. I’m sobbing. 

“Have you discussed this with your parents yet?” 

“No. I don’t…know how to. I don’t know the Vietnamese words for it.” 

“What a blessing. All the parents I’ve counseled described the heartbreak of their children coming out the same way. It always feels like a death in the family.” 

My boy Tiên lives as a wonder and my heart goes out to him 

“I don’t want you to worry. I’m sorry. I’m figuring it out. I just don’t know how to…ask for things.” 

“To me, language is a map to help you figure out where you are. If you can’t read the map, you’re lost.” 

Wes Michaud

Ellie M.

3.75 ⭐️

Such a wonderful queer, vietnamese graphic novel about a boy and his refugee parents exchanging their own versions of fairytale stories with a twist. It’s a wonderful and unique way of storytelling with a gorgeous art style that tackles grief, feeling disconnected with one’s roots, acceptance, family, and friendship.

"It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tiâãen, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through? Is there a way to tell them he's gay?"--

Sarah Sammis

Throughout the book is about family, sacrifices for love, self esteem, and choices. Family is blood. Family is found. Family is friendship. Sacrifices can be leaving loved ones behind. They can be missing important events because money is tight. It can be having to mend and re-mend old things because new things are out of reach. Self esteem is self love. It's keeping secrets. It's leaving toxic people behind. It's taking chances on who to trust. It's being open. Choices are what gets a person through life. Good choices. Bad choices. Choices made when no option seems good.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comm...

Meg Ma. Guerrero 

when tien said, “i just don’t know how to… ask for things. i don’t want to trouble anybody. i just… i feel like everybody’s problems are so much bigger than mine,” i felt that.

i’d also been listening to the how deep is your love cover from bridgerton s2 while i was reading the little mermaid part and it really added to the vibes (so i highly recommend lol)

okay i just cried HAHA wow that was so beautiful, that’s all i can say

Filipa Carvalho

I loved this book from page one!I knew I was getting into a story about a little boy trying to connect with his mother, but I wasn’t expecting the mother’s story line to be such an integral part to the book. It was an incredible surprise! And one that made so much sense. When you’re trying to tell a story about connection, it helps so much, as the reader, to know both sides so well.I was in love with the characters by page two. I cried when they cried, I was in rage when they were being treated unfairly, I hugged it close to my heart when I finished, so that I could give the characters a hug.A special mention to the friend group, that even if it wasn’t a big part of the story, they were fantastic all the same.The fairy tales, and the way they are woven into this book are without a doubt my favorite part. I loved seeing the different interpretations of fairy tales and the way they changed with each culture and character. I loved the extra content the author wrote and drew at the end, explaining all the little nuances that went into this particular aspect of the book.The art is stunning. It’s very rare that I pick up a graphic novel in full color, which would be worth it just for the aesthetic of it, but the way Trung Le Nguyen uses color to tell the story along his intricate beautiful drawing had me in love.It is a story about a boy trying to come out to his mother. But I think it’s above all a story about connection. Connection between a mother and a son that are not from the same country. Between a mother and her mother, that was left behind. The mother and the new country she had to run to, not knowing a word of the language. And how stories and storytelling will always help us with that.

akynn 

Ryan 

beautiful and very well-crafted narration with the color selection used. it's such a feel-good book without sprinkling the harsh trauma and stigma surrounding these topics.

the ending caught me by surprise and after finishing this book, i can't stop thinking about page 147 and how it went full circle.

fatru tamzil

Ally

"Joy is a precious thing. And precious things are few. So we learn to hold on to them"

Yes, this did make me tear up. Beautiful illustrations and frame narration. It was cool to see the main characters reflect into the stories' characters.

I heard someone say that we should be a little more lax with our top tiers and while I can see how that would fit with other books, “The Magic Fish” truly is a 5 star book for me. I cried a lot. I enjoyed myself. The art is mesmerizing. Love defies language but that doesn’t mean you can’t have both. 

Kelsey Munson

Beautifully written, visually enchanting, and a final page to hit you right in the feels. 
Absolutely brilliant.

Every single thing about this was beautiful. 

Floofyflower

altlovesbooks

Woah. This comic tackled so much in so few pages, and pulled it off beautifully. The main character, Tien, is a Vietnamese kid with a crush on his friend. Interspersed between his troubles and conflicts as a kid exploring what it means to be queer are modern/different takes on fairy tales told between Tien and his mom. The fairy tales are twists on traditional tales (Cinderella, Little Mermaid), but are told with gorgeous visuals and parallels to Tien's life. The color palette of the panels changes to indicate what is being focused on, which I think is a neat touch that really lends itself to this comic. The visuals and artwork are absolutely stunning, and I appreciated the author including thoughts and concept art at the very end.

I don't fit into any of the groups this story is aimed at, but I still found myself drawn into the stories being told. It really hit me in the feels, honestly. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this comic in exchange for an honest review.

Aditi

This is a beautiful book. The art is gorgeous. 

It's a 4 instead of 5 stars because none of the Fairy Tales are kind of "finished", and it does leave me wondering about what happens in them, or who certain characters are.

Explores character conflicts through fairy tales, those fairy tales reflect characters in the graphic novel. Elegant, and short experience, packed with research and care. The drawing style is clean and really pleasant to look at.

Nota

sophia n

not the ending of this book genuinely making me cry???

beautiful illustrations & adore the layering of stories

Joyce

Chiyeung lau

Aditi Verma

4.75 the art style the fairytales tiến and his mom’s relationship… ❤️ everything about this

Delaney Woods 

i really liked this! super pretty illustrations and cute ending. felt slightly rushed but still really goos

june

i love the art style and how he managed to express his identity to his mum through stories!!

EmmaLee Babcock

4.5, only because I was a little lost at times (probably my own fault!)

Gosh… that tale of Cinderella was very intense. 

This graphic novel was absolutely stunning and. ahoy to absorb. Struggling to communicate with parents and learning to through stories hit my heart just right. I can’t wait for more from this author (perhaps even more in the fairytale world?)

Patty Pforte

Beautifully illustrated and stirring to read! I finished it in one night!

The Magic Fish

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