Review by Booklist Review
When three LGBTQ+ friends question their elderly neighbor about her past, they all are magically transported through time to the Stonewall Inn, where they have an opportunity to watch history unfold. Bongiovanni focuses less on the time line and backstory of the actual Stonewall Riots and more on the feelings and injustice of those being discriminated against, as well as the actions they took. The teen characters interact with historical figures, such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, causing them to be both grateful for the progress made in the past but also frustrated that they still face similar struggles in the present. Seeing the events unfold further leads them to question how to help both in their time and during the Stonewall events. The writing toward the end switches from the previous historical-fiction tone to a more standard nonfiction style, listing further achievements and struggles of the community in the 80s and beyond. An accessible and eye-opening account of the events and this important history.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--7--Stand up to hate alongside activists in this series entry on the 1969 Stonewall Riots. As teenagers Rashad, Jax, and Natalia help Natalia's grandmother, Carmen, move, they stumble upon a black-and-white photograph. To the teens' surprise, the photo is of Carmen and her former girlfriend back in 1969. As Carmen outs herself to the young people (themselves coded LGBTQIA+), she talks about the difficulties and dangers of being queer back then. À la The Magic School Bus, the characters are transported back in time to experience the real-life history firsthand. After immediately getting a taste for the period's homophobia, the crew seeks safe haven at the Stonewall Inn. There, they meet critical activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. Before too long, the police show up to raid the place yet again, and the teens witness the titular riots begin. Bongiovanni and Andrews effectively simplify the events and setting to make them age-appropriate, while striking a delicate balance of depicting both queer joy and resistance. Characters throughout are diverse in skin tone. Without detracting from Stonewall's importance, the narrative nods to other pivotal events at Cooper Do-nuts, Dewey's, and Compton's Cafeteria. The narrative also briefly summarizes key events in future decades as the teens return to the present. Historian and professor Michael Bronski introduces the book. Back matter includes notes, resources, and definitions that further contextualize the information. VERDICT Accessible and intersectional, this compact foray into queer history is an essential purchase for all graphic nonfiction collections. --Alec Chunn
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A teen and her two friends learn about the Stonewall riots from her abuela. Natalia and her friends Jax and Rashad are helping Natalia's abuela Carmen move into a senior living facility. As the teens help her unpack, they find a picture Natalia has never seen before, and Abuela says that it is a photo of her and her girlfriend in 1969. Carmen tells the teens that back then, being bisexual, gay, or transgender wasn't as accepted, so she was not out at the time. As Carmen shares how dangerous it could be if people discovered the truth--queer people faced danger from the police, employers, family, and therapists--she and the skeptical teens are transported to the summer of 1969 and New York City's Stonewall Inn. Bongiovanni acknowledges in an author's note that the graphic novel "is not 100 percent true" because so much information about the Stonewall uprising comes from oral accounts; still, the book manages to put the teens in the midst of compromising situations that allow factual information into the narrative. Panels show a diverse group of queer folks, including legendary activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, appreciating the safe haven of the Stonewall Inn and standing up to the police. The book ends with Abuela discussing the strides forward and backward in the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Natalia and Carmen are cued Latinx, Rashad is brown-skinned, and Jax is light-skinned. Engaging account that invites young people to continue to advocate for equality now. (foreword, LGBTQ+ resources for youth, a letter to young LGBTQI activists, glossary) (Graphic nonfiction. 10-16) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
