Marshmallow and Jordan

Thank you to StoryGramKids and First Second for gifting me a review copy of Marshmallow & Jordan by Alina Chau. I've been a huge fan of Alina's for nearly a decade. Several of her paintings are on my wall at home, and she even painted a portrait of my husband and I when we got engaged!

Anyway, back to Marshmallow & Jordan. Every single page is an incredible work of art. And in addition to the visuals being beyond stunning, the message and story are beautiful too.

Set in Indonesia, Jordan’s days as star player for her school’s basketball team ended when an accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. She stayed on as the team captain, but there are rules in place saying that she can't compete with the team from her wheelchair. One day she runs into a mysterious elephant, who she names Marshmallow. He helps Jordan discover a brand new sport.

Will water polo be the way for Jordan to continue her athletic dreams–or will it just come between Jordan and her best friends on the basketball team? And with the big tournament right around the corner, what secret is Marshmallow hiding?

I've been reading this each night with my daughter, who is now as big a fan of Alina's as I am! If you're looking for an absolutely beautiful graphic novel then you can't go past this one. A word of caution, this book will 100% make you hungry—it's been ages since I had a good Indonesian meal!