Ash's Cabin

Starred review from May 20, 2024
Nonbinary teen Ash is struggling with feeling disconnected from their life. Their parents don’t understand their identity, their classmates are more concerned about following the rules than advocating for the environment, and now their grandfather’s ranch is being sold. Ash seems to be the only one upset about the ranch, as the rest of their family is too preoccupied with planning a summer trip to Disneyland. When Ash’s parents reluctantly agree to let them visit the ranch for the summer instead, Ash revels in the freedom. They seek out a hidden cabin their grandfather built so they
can make a life for themself alone with their dog Chase, the only one that truly understands them. Ash quickly discovers that a life alone
isn’t all it’s cracked up to be—their inexperience as a camper and the remoteness
of their grandfather’s cabin forces them to reckon with their perception of community, prompting them to open themself up to connection and the bright future that communal support can forge. Wang (Stargazing) delivers a stunning, contemplative wilderness adventure via muted earth-tone watercolors that tackles head-on the present-day experience of living in what often feels like a time of apocalyptic change. Ages 14–up.

Starred review from June 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Wang makes extraordinary magic again, this time exquisitely revealing a daring coming-of-age journey--compounded by gender, generational, racial, and historical challenges--in a contemporary world beset by devastating climate change. Fifteen-year-old Ash is definitively Ash, even if their parents still use their old name and pronouns. Although their relationship with Mom is improving, Dad's convinced they're "just going through a phase." Every summer, Ash's family has spent vacations up north on Grandpa Edwin's ranch; Grandpa lost his memory and then died a couple of years ago, but Dad's brother took over. A reunion isn't happening this year, though, because Uncle Jerry is selling the family homestead. Devastated, Ash insists they need one final trip--and reluctantly, surprisingly, Mom and Dad relent, mainly because 21-year-old cousin Reese will be around. Ash has life-changing plans: to find Grandpa's secret cabin and "stay there. Forever." With impressive skills diligently learned from library books and YouTube, Ash enters Grandpa's world (accompanied by devoted pup Chase) and slowly but surely finds enough water, food, and safety to stay alive--and, for a time, thrive. "Surviving is the easy part. Feeling at peace in your heart is the hard part." Wang's emotive, empathic illustrations elevate an already impactful narrative into a stupendous visual masterpiece, with and without panels, swathed in daytime California golds and chillier nighttime blues. Perfection--literary and artistic--awaits here.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from June 15, 2024
A 15-year-old seeks solace and solitude in the wild. Ash has always felt like an outsider, and ever since Grandpa Edwin passed away, that feeling of isolation has only gotten worse. Their parents haven't fully accepted Ash's recent name change or newly shorn hair, and school isn't much better. When Ash learns that their family plans to sell Grandpa Edwin's old ranch, they come up with a plan: to find Grandpa's secret cabin in the woods and stay there--forever. They earn money, watch online videos to pick up survival skills, and buy food, gear, and supplies. Ash carefully conceals their preparations, and with a little deception and some luck, they finally set off into the Northern California wilderness with their trusty dog, Chase. Told as a series of journal entries, Ash's first-person narration is punctuated by panels and full-page spreads depicting current and past events in soft, soothing tones against a clean, white background. The conviction and emotions driving Ash's decision-making process always feel strong and true and are apparent in the effective illustrations and evocative color palette. This story recalls many familiar and beloved tales--a list of further reading and references includes children's classics such as Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain--which points to the subject matter's perennial appeal, but Wang masterfully adapts this storyline for contemporary audiences, seamlessly weaving questions of identity, gender, race (Ash has Chinese and Irish ancestry), and climate change into this fundamental tale of survival. Searing and radiant. (Graphic fiction. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 1, 2024

Gr 7 Up-A riveting story about a trans teen finding their place in the world, which just so happens to be a small cabin in the woods. Sixteen-year-old Ash feels alone in their friendless school days, going home to a family that often uses their dead name. Trying to get away from everything seems like the logical answer, so Ash researches and plans a trip to a remote cabin in the northern California woods. With their dog Chase in tow, Ash tricks their parents in order to get away while they go on a trip, and Ash ends up hiking in the wilderness, looking for a small cabin their grandfather built. Readers are transported to the wilderness as Ash learns that life outside is rough, especially when finding food. Ash is at times discouraged, but an encounter with another person on the run renews their hopes. However, a looming search party and wildfires in the distance threaten everything Ash hopes to achieve. With arresting art and an insightful feel, Wang weaves a story of self-discovery, adventure, survival, and grit. Wang's unique style and art is remarkable, with a beautiful color palette and mix of hard and soft strokes that make readers feel every emotion Ash is dealing with. This book is a page-turner and readers will both worry and cheer for Ash every step of the way. VERDICT Highly recommended for all middle school and high school libraries.-Carol Youssif

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2024
Fifteen-year-old self-dubbed Ash is a passionate environmentalist who is contending with their gender identity. The last person Ash felt connected to was Grandpa Edwin, a recluse who spent his final years living in a secret cabin somewhere in the woods of his Northern California ranch. So when Ash learns that their family is selling the property, they beg to visit one more time, with the intention of locating the cabin and leaving civilization behind forever. Accompanied only by their dog, Ash uncovers the hidden site and quickly establishes a routine of journaling, foraging, fishing, and hiding from search helicopters. But like many survivalists, Ash discovers that there is no real escape from yourself. It takes a terrifying encounter with a bear and the threat of wildfires to bring Ash out of the forest to claim a new identity, one that includes joining a student environmentalist group in addition to newly adopted they/them pronouns. Wang (The Prince and the Dressmaker, rev. 3/18) has updated the classic survival story for today's socially conscious and gender expansive teens with this thoughtfully wrought graphic novel that pays loving homage to treasured titles such as Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain. The soft earth-toned palette, along with the borderless page layouts, beautifully evoke both Ash's inner and outer landscapes, while the meticulous illustrations of Ash's tools and foraging practices will delight detail-oriented readers. Jennifer Hubert Swan

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2024
Fifteen-year-old self-dubbed Ash is a passionate environmentalist who is contending with their gender identity. The last person Ash felt connected to was Grandpa Edwin, a recluse who spent his final years living in a secret cabin somewhere in the woods of his Northern California ranch. So when Ash learns that their family is selling the property, they beg to visit one more time, with the intention of locating the cabin and leaving civilization behind forever. Accompanied only by their dog, Ash uncovers the hidden site and quickly establishes a routine of journaling, foraging, fishing, and hiding from search helicopters. But like many survivalists, Ash discovers that there is no real escape from yourself. It takes a terrifying encounter with a bear and the threat of wildfires to bring Ash out of the forest to claim a new identity, one that includes joining a student environmentalist group in addition to newly adopted they/them pronouns. Wang (The Prince and the Dressmaker, rev. 3/18) has updated the classic survival story for today's socially conscious and gender expansive teens with this thoughtfully wrought graphic novel that pays loving homage to treasured titles such as Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain. The soft earth-toned palette, along with the borderless page layouts, beautifully evoke both Ash's inner and outer landscapes, while the meticulous illustrations of Ash's tools and foraging practices will delight detail-oriented readers.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)