cover image Tagged

Tagged

Eric Walters. Orca, $9.95 trade paper (136p) ISBN 978-1-4598-0167-7

An age-old debate—is graffiti art or vandalism?—takes center stage in Walter’s high-energy tale, part of the Orca Soundings series and written at a fourth-grade reading level. Teens Ian and Julia are puzzled by their friend Oswald’s interest in a series of politically motivated, spray-painted murals that pop up around the city bearing the tag Wiz. But the pieces come together when Oswald admits his secret identity as the guerilla artist and that his motives were to create a portfolio for art school and call out a misguided mayor. An endnote featuring a quote from a Toronto street artist, Deadboy, gives the proceedings additional in-the-know cred. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)