Wake Now in the Fire

A large cast of distinctly rendered, intersectionally diverse characters model ways to push back against book banning in a timely graphic novel that fictionalizes the story of Chicago Public Schools’ 2013 removal of Persepolis from student libraries. Curtis Technical College Preparatory High School seniors Aoife Conner and Kendall Dunne learn about the ban from their Topics in Literature teacher Ms. Mills just hours after a coworker tells the educator that Persepolis is no longer allowed in CPS libraries and collects her classroom copies. As Aoife and Kendall organize a protest to publicize CPS’s actions, the pair are joined by students in the institution’s 451 Banned Books Club as well as journalists from the school newspaper. But as the ban—and youths’ opposition—garners national attention, the teens are forced to consider the weight and importance of their actions, and their impact on both their own and others’ lives. Authentic-feeling dialogue from Dapier (The Most Haunted House in America) adds verve to nuanced, sophisticated conversations about censorship, while the perceptive protagonists’ interactions and alternating inner monologues offer accessible emotional through lines. Understated artwork by Dungo (In Waves) complements the complex, multifaceted tale; renderings of Persepolis’s red cover provide striking spots of color among grayscale illustrations. An author’s note concludes. Ages 14–up. Author’s agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Heirloom Literary. (Feb.)