MEXIKID

THE DEBUT GRAPHIC MEMOIR

BY PEDRO MARTíN

A poignant, hilarious, and unforgettable graphic memoir about a Mexican-American boy’s family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their abuelito back from Mexico to live with them.

Pedro Martin has grown up hearing stories about his abuelito—his legendary crime-fighting, grandfather who was once a part of the Mexican Revolution! But that doesn’t mean Pedro is excited at the news that Abuelito is coming to live with their family. After all, Pedro has 8 brothers and sisters and the house is crowded enough! Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring Abuelito home, and what follows is the trip of a lifetime, one filled with laughs and heartache. Along the way, Pedro finally connects with his abuelito and learns what it means to grow up and find his grito.

PRAISE:

Newbery Honor Book 

Pura Belpré Author Award

Pura Belpré Illustrator Award

Tomás Rivera Children's Book Award

Odyssey Honor Audiobook

• NPR Best Books of the Year

• New York Times Best Books of the Year

• Boston Globe Best Books of 2023

• The Guardian Five Best Young Adult Books of the Year

• Booklist Best Books of the Year

• Kirkus Best Books of the Year

• Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2023

• SLJ’s A Fuse 8 Blog

• Horn Book Fanfare 2023 Annotations

•  School Library Journal Best Graphic Novels 2023

•  Amazon Best Books of the Year

• New York Public Library Best Books of the Year

• Chicago Public Library Best Books of the Year

• The Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature

• Barnes & Nobel Best Book of the Year Shortlist

• Denny O’Neil Graphic Novel List

“We are living in a golden age of graphic novels and memoirs, and “Mexikid” is one of the best I’ve ever read. There are genuine laugh-out-loud moments throughout, but there’s an equal amount of poignancy.” —Matt de la Peña, New York Times

★ “Equal parts hilarious and tear-jerking moments abound, rendered in a cartoon style with vibrant color palettes that shift depending on the sequence tone. This artistically inventive read, which teems with lively characters and emotion, is a joy to behold.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Full of humor, heart, and a decent amount of gross-out moments, Martín’s coming-of-age memoir hits all the right notes. Though the family’s travels took place decades ago, the struggles with establishing identity, especially as a child of immigrants whose identity straddles two cultures, feel as current as ever. The vibrant, action-packed panels offer plentiful details for readers to pore over, from scenes of crowded family chaos to the sights of Mexico. A retro yet timeless story of family and identity.” —Kirkus, starred review

★ “[H]umourous and heartfelt…Martín captures each family member’s quirks…to bring their distinct personalities to life. Panels smoothly transition to splash pages with added visual guides and gags to create dynamic flow…Deep familial bonds, a lovingly chaotic household, and a heartfelt exploration- of culture and identity underpin this very memorable debut.” – Horn Book, starred review

★ “Perfectly blending hilariously brazen kid confidence with a poignant multigenerational story of growth and change, Martín’s graphic memoir explores his childhood in a big “somewhat American” and “somewhat Mexican” family, centered on a road trip to Mexico to bring their abuelito from Jalisco to their house in America. The seventh of nine children, Pedro (American-style name: Peter) is mostly oblivious to the serious conversations among the adults and older siblings in his family, but in between arguments with brothers, terrible haircuts, and witnessing his father’s incredible ability to find just the right person to help, he gradually realizes there’s a much more important purpose to their journey. Martín packs each page with self-deprecating observations about himself and his family, and while they’re nearly all wry, they’re also touched with genuine affection. His bright and colorful artwork is also a sheer delight: while mythologizing his abuelito, he switches to a classic superhero-comic art style, complete with benday dots, while more somber scenes are rendered in a softer palette and line quality. There’s much to savor here, from the thoughtful exploration of bicultural identity to the good-natured snarky teasing of siblings to pivotal moments of growth amid guileless kidhood. It’s a tightrope balancing act of antic humor and genuine pathos, and Martín pulls it off with tremendous flair. “

— Sarah Hunter, Booklist, starred review

“I. Love. This. Book. Look, about the time a kid’s Pop Rocks get stuck in his snot and start creating huge bubbles, I knew we had a future classic on our hands. So where the friggin’ heck has Pedro Martín been all these years? This doesn’t feel like a debut, but rather like a polished retelling of his Mexican/Mexican-American family and upbringing. The storytelling is wielded expertly, leaping back and forth in time, managing to make you laugh uproariously one moment and get a little weepy the next. I mean, at the moment that the family’s digging up grandma’s grave before she floats down the river . . . you know what? I’ll stop describing it to you. You’re just going to have to read it yourself in August. Believe me. It’s worth the wait.” —Betsy Bird, School Library Journal site A Fuse #8 Production: Newbery/Caldecott 2024: Summer Prediction Edition

“Mexikid is a delightful story packed with family history, culture, closeness . . . and a Winnebago full of laughs.” —Terri Libenson, New York Times bestselling author of Emmie & Friends series 

 
“Mexikid is poignant, laugh-out-loud funny, and masterfully weaves road trip misadventures with history and family legacies. This is one of those books that kids will pass to their friends as soon as they have finished it.” —Victoria Jamieson, creator of National Book Award Finalist When Stars Are Scattered

A stunning visual tale…The graphic novel was definitely invented for important human stories like this. This is a really addictive read. I found myself really sinking into the story as all the detail unfolded and it reminded me of when I first discovered Art Spiegelman’s, Maus…A story from the heart spilled out onto the page in every possible detail…I’m already a lifelong fan of anything else that will appear from the pen of Pedro Martin. —Chris Mould, Award winning author and illustrator of the Pocket Pirates series

“This is a visually enticing book which is one of the most beautifully produced graphic novels for children I have seen. It makes sophisticated use of its form in a way which is reminiscent of classic works of graphic memoir for adult readers such as Fun Home and Persepolis, combining action-packed narrative scenes with direct address to the reader. It could therefore serve as an excellent prompt for children to produce their own graphic memoirs about an aspect of their family or heritage.” —Stephen Dilley, Just Imagine

Funny and tender and aching again by turn—and sometimes all at once—this is a work of generous spirit and marvelous honesty that will leave readers longing to spend more time with Pedro and his family. —Cooperative Children’s Book Center

The story unfolds through a blend of cartoon, comic-style illustrations that are bold and full of exuberance.

Mexikid is the story of a multi-generational, immigrant family that’s full of love, laughter and bigger-than-life lore. It’s a heartwarming read that readers will gobble up. —Crackingthecover.com

Absolutely loved it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s so sweet and funny and weirdly dark and grown up in the most unexpected and best of ways. —Brian Gordon, Creator: Fowl Language Comics

“…if they’d ever done a book for children before they wouldn’t have tried to get away with everything this book gets away with. …Soaked in a reality that few can master on the page as well, Mexikid may be one of the best comics I’ve ever read for this age range. Consider it an amazing example of how to retell the story of your youth in the most epic (yet shockingly accurate) way possible. ....One of the most enjoyable books you’ll encounter out there. A true modern day classic.”—Betsy Bird, School Library Journal site: Review of the Day A Fuse #8 Production:

“Not only is this a story of family love and discovery, but also a great look back at the 70’s and its music, technology, movies, and TV shows . . . Highlights include the author’s recounting of the past stories he heard about his grandfather fighting in the revolution, the real-life photos of Martín’s family, and several pages of questions and answers about his life. Naturally many of the phrases are in Spanish, some with translations. The art is wonderfully drawn, realistic, flows smoothly, and the use of color to show emotion gives the reader a full understanding of the events.” —School Library Connection

“This was such a fun memoir. The illustrations were spot-on and the family hilarious and loving. This is really a life-is-stranger-than-fiction book filled with adventure, discovery, unforgettable people, hijinks, crazy haircuts, and real-life superheroes. A wonderful summer read for kids (and adults!) of all ages.” —Nicole Miller, Barbara’s Books bookseller

“This coming-of-age, middle grade memoir was laugh-out-loud funny and touching. Pedro Martin does a fantastic job of showing the struggle of trying to bridge his Mexican and American worlds together—particularly that of his own generation and his legendary grandfathers. Excellent illustrations and very engaging.” —Lucy Corona, Hicklebee’s bookseller