Hey, Kiddo

These days, life is pretty good for Jarrett Krosoczka, a successful author/illlustrator of children's books like Punk Farm and the Lunch Lady series. His early years were a different story, though: Jarrett's father was absent from the beginning, and his mother was a drug addict who was in and out of jail and treatment centers. His grandparents were a source of stability in his life, providing him with a home and encouraging his artistic talent, but it still wasn't an ideal situation for a kid. In this deeply memorable graphic novel, Krosoczka beautifully depicts his complicated childhood, from his earliest memories of a loving but unreliable mother through to his high school years, where his skills as an illustator were honed. He achingly captures the disappointments of a young person who longs for the adults in his life to simply do the right thing. Though categorized as a teen book, adults will absolutely find value here.