Your Turn, Adrian

by Helena Öberg, Kristin Lidström (Illustrator), Eva Apelqvist (Translator)

Almost every day, Adrian goes to school with knots in his stomach. He feels different from the other children, and alone. Whenever the teacher calls on him, his heart starts to pound and time stops. But he finds respite in his rich imagination ― a world full of color and joy in which he is a circus performer, capable of spectacular feats. One day Adrian encounters a huge wolfhound that seems to be lost. He names her Heidi, takes her home, and soon the two of them are inseparable. Heidi’s comforting presence provides friendship and tranquility, and even enables Adrian to read aloud in front of the class. This brief period of happiness ends when Heidi is reunited with her owner and Adrian finds himself alone again … until a chance meeting leads to a heartwarming discovery. A beautifully illustrated graphic novel about feeling vulnerable and struggling to meet expectations, and about friendship and the power of the imagination.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Comics, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Dogs

72 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2015

Reviews

[Neon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish there had been more to this book: more pages, more art, longer and bigger. I've never been so caught up in a children's book with so little words. The art makes me think of my days as a child and I really connect with this book. This is going on my shelf. This is a great book for anyone's library, young and old.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kind of weird, found the plot a bit hard to follow, but the contrast in pencil illustration vs bright gouache painting was really nice!

Also i really don’t think you can rip a knit touque in hat so easily with your bare hands

[HelloLasse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hejsa ordblindhed
Hejsa frygt
Hejsa angst
Hejsa forventinger
Hejsa fantasi
Hejsa håb

[Leigh Collazo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for my MS/HS library. It's a lovely book with sophisticated illustrations, but I ended up cataloging it into our Primary library. At only 72 pages, it just doesn't feel like a secondary library book to me. Follett recommends Grades 3-6, but both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly recommend middle school. I think Grades 3-6 is a more accurate age range. I read it sitting at my library computer in maybe 15 minutes.

At the crux of this story is Adrian, a boy who is bullied at school and seems quite sad. Well, he's sad except for when he is doing acrobatic tricks on his way home. He struggles to read and looks to have some sort of unidentified reading disability. His classmates laugh at him when he can't read, and it clearly makes Adrian very sad.

Then, Adrian finds a dog named Heidi. Heidi has a leash and looks taken-care of, but Adrian takes her home anyway. A few days later, Adrian is devastated when he discovers that Heidi already belongs to an elderly blind woman.

This simple story would be great for students experiencing anxiety, bullying, and reading disabilities. Adrian has a talent for acrobatics, and by the end of the book, there is hope that Adrian may one day be able to make his fascination for circus tricks a reality. It is clear from the decor in her house that Heidi's blind owner was once a circus performer.

All in all, the illustrations are gorgeous, the story is just okay for me. I bought it because it's a graphic novel with glowing reviews, but I have to say I'm a little disappointed. It's good, but I'm not sure who at my school I would give it to. I'm going to give it to my 12-year old dog lover who will literally read any graphic novel and see what he thinks. He's a lot more sensitive than I am, so maybe it will be a fit for him.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars overall.

The artwork is absolutely sublime. The narrative is pretty loose, but follows Adrian as he has a hard time at school, meets an awesome dog who gives him confidence, loses the awesome dog, and then makes friends with the awesome dog's owner. The illustrations are a combination of really gorgeous tight pencil drawings (for school, home, and anytime Adrian is feeling a bit low) and very loose colorful pages done in gouache and ink with pencilled additions (like Adrian or a pair of magpies) walking through those scenes. Every ounce of this is absolutely stunning.

[Bokstavlarna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snyggt illustrerad, men lite ofärdigt berättat. Passar nog bättre i vuxenseriehyllan än på Hcg.

[Online Stig · Rating 2 out of 5]

nja

[Maricruz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unos dibujos muy bonitos, pero la historia acaba siendo un poco decepcionante.

[Bloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

M'ha deixat un xic descol•locat. Bullying? Dificultats d'aprenentatge? Em funciona la part s llapis de la il•lustració i em falla quan ho barreja amb tècniques digitals, no m'agrada que lo digital no tingui textura. Però el que fa que s'aguanti justament són les il•lustracions. Crec que m'hauria funcionat més si fos sense mots

[javiera · Rating 4 out of 5]

me traigo libros de la biblioteca para leer en la micro

[Miriah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was confused by this whole graphic novel. It didn’t explain anything.

[Karenina (Nina Ruthström) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fin historia om att ha det svårt och räddas av sin fantasi. Jättevackra illustrationer.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adrian doesn’t fit in at school. Bullied by some of the kids in the schoolyard, he spends his time in class hoping not to be called on. When he is, his heart pounds and his mind goes blank. He can’t answer even the easiest of questions out loud. He spends lunch alone and his recess dangling from tree branches. On his way home, he does head stands and walks on his hands. At home, his father works early and his mother works late, Then Adrian meets Heidi, a large wolfhound, who bonds with him immediately. The two of them spend all of their time together, she even goes with him to school. With Heidi at his side, Adrian doesn’t need to worry about bullies and he can focus in class and answer questions. But Heidi was someone else’s dog, and eventually Heidi found her owner again. Adrian was left alone again, missing Heidi dreadfully. Until Heidi found him again too. Adrian got to meet Heidi’s owner, and discovered a world of tightropes and performances.

This unique and fascinating book explores the life of a lonely boy who is different than the other children. He is quiet, unpopular and prone to anxiety, and yet he is also brave as he swings from tree branches and does hand stands on ledges. The text in the book is minimal with many of the pages showing only the illustrations and not having any words on them. The words often downplay the emotions that Adrian is feeling, though after he loses Heidi, his grief is palpable in both words and illustrations.

The illustrations are truly the heart of the book. They move from multi-paneled pencil drawings to full two-page paintings. The pencil drawings show Adrian’s everyday life while the large illustrations capture his emotions with a lush clarity. The small moments captured in Adrian’s day make up his life, one after another, small and yet also meaningful.

An incredibly moving graphic novel that invites readers to see beyond a person’s surface. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

https://wakingbraincells.com/2019/05/...

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Your Turn, Adrian is the story of a boy who's pretty miserable at school, has a descent family life, but is kind of depressed overall. One day he befriends a dog, who follows him home and everywhere else. Adrian's life is brightened by the dog. But one day the dog's real owner finds him and takes him away.

The narrative is pretty loose, with very little writing. The use of color to express emotion and atmosphere is successful. The pencil drawings, especially of the school scenes and streets, are vibrant with action and movement, but reflect Adrian's glum mood perfectly, as well. There are also a lot of things that are not the focus but are there for careful readers. There's a theme of circus arts, for example. Adrian's room has some posters and later the old lady's house has pictures and such of a circus life. Adrian himself is always doing acrobatics in the school yard, on trees, and on the street to and from school.

Recommended for those who like the circus, dogs and striped shirts.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hard to describe. The illustrations alternate between detailed black and white small panels and garishly colored double-page spreads, with an overall marionette-ish feel to them. The story is loosely put together, but Adrian seems to be struggling in school. Then one day he meets Heidi, and lovable dog who accompanies him everywhere, leading me to wonder if she is imaginary. She functions as a kind of therapy dog, and Adrian's reading skills and self-confidence get a boost. But then she disappears. Adrian encounters Heidi again in the company of her owner, and all together they find an intergenerational and interspecies companionship that is quite lovely and warm.

[Laura Beam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This minimalist graphic novel had such beautiful drawings. It was an extremely quick read as there were very few words. It is broken up in to three parts: in the first part you see the main character being bullied and having difficulty reading (possibly dyslexia), in the second part he finds a stray dog who becomes his best friend, and in the third part he finds the dogs owner who is an elderly lady and he practices reading to her. I loved the alternation between black and white line drawings and vivid color illustrations.

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adrian's life is drawn in black and white until he meets Heidi, the dog. Adrian has trouble reading and is bullied. Heidi follows him home one day and acts as a service/therapy dog for him, and the book is drawn in full color.. When she is there, he can read. But one day she is reunited with her owner. Luckily, Adrian meets Heidi's owner and learns that he can help her in somewhat the same way Heidi helped him.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle graphic novel, newly translated, about a little boy who gets nervous at school and feels different and alone. This is for every child who struggles to meet expectations at schools. It is a beautiful book about friendship, reading when it doesn't come easy and so much more. The text is brief which works well for kids who will identify with Adrian's frustrations and early readers. The illustrations are engaging and textured like the main character. An vulnerable work of art.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed, often colorful story of a boy and his connection to a dog. Leaves a lot of thinking to the reader, which I really liked - you have to look at the illustrations and fill in parts of the story. I think a lot of my kiddos will really relate to this. The dog lovers. The struggling readers. The kids who feel out of place. Honestly, I think pretty much all of us could have seen ourselves here when we were young.

[✎ Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como han comentado otros lectores, las ilustraciones son magníficas, pues logran transmitir en cada momento lo que está ocurriendo sin necesidad de utilizar casi texto y de sentir las emociones del protagonista. No obstante, cuando he llegado al final, he pensado "¿ya está?" Siento que ha sido demasiado rápido y que no ha logrado concluir la historia. Se tendría que haber trabajado más el guión previo.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book to experience. The story is simple, all ages can read but the concept is deep. Illustrations that tell the main story as giving ambiance of the time, place, people, main character. While I can't think of who I could recommend it to, I feel people need to read to understand the message/metaphor. A book that no two people read the same way.

[Isaac Moraga Binimelis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia sencilla pero efectiva, con una calidad gráfica conmovedoramente bella. Te permite sumergirte en el mundo del protagonista y compartir su aventura a través de sus estados de ánimo, plasmados de forma magistral por los tratamientos de la ilustración.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very pretty painted graphic novel (wasn't sure it was even for kids, seems more like an art project) and involves an intergenerational friendship between a bullied kid with a wild imagination and an older woman whose dog he befriends.

[Ariel Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

hmm.. this is so short & simple, it's difficult to rate. Many interesting illustrations, very minimal language. The story seems to be about a boy with a reading disability who is helped by an emotional support dog. Idk, it was ok.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ughhhh gorgeousssss art!! loved it
the plot was almost inexistant but i don’t care cause the pencil drawings and gouache painting brought me into the world!
plus it’s about a relationship with a dog? i’m sold

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations and an empathetic look at children experiencing emotional and learning challenges.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt like dipping my toe into a beautiful and deep lake, which was nice, but I would have rather jumped in. Very interesting. Hopefully thought-provoking for kids.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is interesting but the story is limited. This could feel either grown up in an ES library or accessible for ELLs and struggling readers in a secondary library.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dyslexia, peer pressure, power of imagination, all turned around from one equally lost wolfhound named Heidi.
Sweet story, beautiful illustrations, and quick read!

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really get much from it. I guess it expressed it's self through pictures but they seemed weird and I didn't understand them.