Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy: A Graphic Novel

by Jonathan Hill, Jonathan Hill (Illustrator)

Overview

Drawing on the experiences of his Vietnamese American family and his love of ’80s sci-fi shows, Jonathan Hill crafts a funny, insightful graphic novel about the immigrant experience and the perils of middle school.

Threatened with diminishing resources, Booger Lizk’t and his family flee their lizard community deep below Earth’s crust to survive above among humans. The Lizk’t family of Elberon now passes as the Tomkins family of Eagle Valley. “Tommy Tomkins” wears a human face to school but can’t seem to fit in no matter how he looks. The basketball team becomes a pipe dream when bullies label him a bug eater, and only Dung Tran, an immigrant from Vietnam and fellow outsider, sees Tommy for who he is inside, which is nothing like the outer-space lizard invaders on TV’s hottest series. Can their friendship survive the truth? In his first solo middle-grade book, award-winning creator Jonathan Hill perfectly captures the sometimes dystopian drama of middle school while reminding readers of the universal need for belonging.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536216462
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/27/2022
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	1,107,773
Product dimensions:	6.32(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.94(d)
Lexile:	GN400L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jonathan Hill is the creator of Odessa and the cocreator of Americus and Science Comics: Wild Weather: Storms, Meteorology, and Climate. An Ignatz Award–nominated graphic novelist, illustrator, and educator, he lives in Portland, Oregon.

Editorial Reviews

08/15/2022

In this spirited graphic novel by Hill (Odessa), 12-year-old Booger Lizk’t and his lizard family have fled the underground city of Elberon for the human town of Eagle Valley amid resource scarcity. Now donning a fake human mask to cover his scaly green skin and going by the name Tommy Tomkins, he struggles to adjust to human life and finds it difficult to make friends, especially after getting caught eating a bug at school. When Vietnamese new student Dung Tran is harassed for his name and manner of speaking English, he and Tommy become fast friends. Even as Tommy becomes more comfortable in the human world, however, he internalizes harmful reptilian pop culture representation, which portrays lizard people as invaders (they’re not trying to invade, they’re “trying to survive,” he argues) as well as implies that they’re covering up their presence in the media. Employing a bright and energetic palette, uncomplicated paneling, and a cast comprising varying skin tones and body types, Hill keenly portrays the effects this othering has on Tommy and Dung, and how connection, mutual support, and earnest understanding can bridge even significant differences. An author’s note contextualizes Hill’s Vietnamese American upbringing. Ages 8–12. Agent: Alex Slater, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

This funny, entertaining graphic novel centers friendship and self-discovery as it skillfully balances comedy with serious topics like identity and belonging. Informed by his Vietnamese relatives’ immigrant experiences and his own childhood, Hill writes with thoughtful insight. . . . Engaging and thought-provoking.
—Kirkus Reviews

Employing a bright and energetic palette, uncomplicated paneling, and a cast comprising varying skin tones and body types, Hill keenly portrays the effects this othering has on Tommy and Dung, and how connection, mutual support, and earnest understanding can bridge even significant differences.
—Publishers Weekly

Though it’s a true all ages book, students in grades five through eight will find the most to love here, with relatable characters and conflict. Quirky but grounded illustrations that feature colors by Nyssa Oru complete the storytelling package. . . . A touching story for anyone who has ever been an outsider, this book is an empowering tale of being comfortable in your own skin, seeking out those with whom you can bond, and learning how to navigate this bizarre and confusing society in which we live.
—School Library Journal

This clever and subtly deep graphic novel explores immigrant identity via lizard beings in a respectful and thoughtful way. . . offering readers a chance to view outsider status through the lens of something that challenges all ideas of casual tolerance. . . .Vivid colors, wry humor, and playful ignoring of traditional panel structure lighten the heaviest moments, firmly focusing this story on working toward better things.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

A captivating graphic novel about identity with suspense, humor, twists and turns, and plenty of heart. I absolutely loved this book.
—Aron Nels Steinke, Eisner Award–winning author of the Mr. Wolf’s Class series

This book will make you squirm and warm your heart. Beautiful art and a compelling story of self-acceptance.
—Nidhi Chanani, author of Pashmina

Starting at a new school is hard—especially if your last school was located in Earth’s core! This is a gripping and ultimately very moving story about a boy seeking to gain acceptance for who he is when blending in is no longer an option. It’s also a story with great lashings of drama, mystery, adventure, and just a pinch of X-Files weirdness. I loved it.
—Ross MacDonald, author of Henry’s Hand

From the Publisher

10/28/2022

Gr 5–8—Tommy is a member of a family of lizard people who had to flee their subterranean homeland due to a crumbling society and dwindling resources. Now attending school as a seventh grader, Tommy misses his birthplace and is frustrated by having to wear a disguise and fit in among surface-dwellers. In the depths of misery, however, Tommy meets Dung and Scarlett, new students at his school who are outsiders facing challenges of their own. The three become fast friends, but it's not long before conflict interrupts their relationship. Though it's a true all ages book, students in grades five through eight will find the most to love here, with relatable characters and conflict. Quirky but grounded illustrations that feature colors by Nyssa Oru complete the storytelling package. Back matter includes an author's note connecting elements of the story to Hill's own experiences growing up Vietnamese American. VERDICT A touching story for anyone who has ever been an outsider, this book is an empowering tale of being comfortable in your own skin, seeking out those with whom you can bond, and learning how to navigate this bizarre and confusing society in which we live.—M. Brandon Robbins

School Library Journal

2022-06-22
Tommy wants to fit in, but middle school is tough for a lizard person.

Tommy Tomkins is really Booger Lizk’t of Elberon, a community of lizard people living deep beneath the surface of the Earth. Humans’ overuse of natural resources took a toll on the Lizk’t, and Tommy’s family was forced to leave Elberon or perish. They disguise themselves and go to live among the humans. Unfortunately, moving somewhere new isn’t easy. Disgusted by human food, Tommy gets caught eating a bug at school, and the bullying begins. When Dung Tran, a new student from Vietnam, gets bullied for his name and way of speaking English, the two bond over their experiences as outsiders. Wanting to be accepted for who he is—a refugee, not an alien trying to take over the world like the lizard people demonized on a popular TV show—Tommy reveals his true identity to Dung. But friendship can be fragile; Tommy is filled with insecurities after Dung finds another friend, new student Scarlett who is socially excluded because her father is the school custodian. This funny, entertaining graphic novel centers friendship and self-discovery as it skillfully balances comedy with serious topics like identity and belonging. Informed by his Vietnamese relatives’ immigrant experiences and his own childhood, Hill writes with thoughtful insight. His dramatic, full-color illustrations use gradient backgrounds of purple, blue, and green, giving them a retro feel.

Engaging and thought-provoking. (author’s note) (Graphic science fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews