Cici's Journal

October 2, 2017
French illustrator Neyret’s delicate, finely worked portraits bring elegance to this pair of graphic stories. Ten-year-old Cici is determined to become a writer and introduces her cast of characters in journal entries: her single mother, her novelist neighbor Mrs. Flores (“After meeting her that day, I knew that I wanted to write books too”), and her friends Lena and Erica. Subsequent action toggles between panel artwork, Cici’s journal notes, and other correspondence. Cici successfully solves two mysteries—one in the forest that contains an abandoned zoo, the second in the local library—but her professional ambitions sometimes trip her up. More than once, she expects Lena and Erica to lie to her mother when she’s out investigating, and Mrs. Flores complains that Cici only consults her when she needs information. Tension between the friends heats up during the second mystery, and Cici repents. The stories are smart and Burrell’s translation is skillful, but they’re hobbled somewhat by the wooden first-person narration (“For the first time I shared a big secret with my mom. Could she feel my hand shaking?”) and dialogue. Ages 8–12.

January 1, 2018

Gr 3-6-Translated from French, Chamblain's charming graphic novel centers on a 10-year-old supersleuth navigating life, school, and relationships. Cici channels her dreams of being an author into a notebook, recounting two of her stakeouts-turned-adventures. Her "trick for telling stories is to observe people, imagine their lives, their secrets," but sometimes that comes at the cost of others' feelings. Learning to use her inquisitive nature responsibly becomes Cici's most perplexing mystery as she struggles to balance supporting her loved ones and chasing her passion. The scrapbook journal style of the book, with its emphasis on Cici's thoughts, lends itself well to the narrative, and her imagination shines through in scribbles, doodles, and notes. The lush, muted illustrations deftly convey mood through light, shadow, and washes of color. The secondary characters are also well rendered. The girl's single mother is authentic and warm, Cici's bonds with her best friends emphasize the importance of give-and-take in relationships, and an elderly neighbor's writing career inspires Cici. While some plot points resolve too serendipitously, graphic novel fans will appreciate this feel-good tale. VERDICT Equal parts Amelia's Notebook, Harriet the Spy, and a whimsical flavor of its own, this winsome title should easily find a home in most middle grade collections.-Erin Douglass, Worth-Pinkham Memorial Library, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2017
Grades 3-6 Gorgeously illustrated panels interspersed with journal pages relate the story of Cici, an aspiring author and amateur sleuth whose obsession with mysteries is both rewarding and troublesome. This French import collects two stories: in the first, Cici and her best friends spot a paint-covered man and follow him into the forest, where they discover something awe-inspiring. In the second, Cici is fixated on a sad, older woman who carries the same book to the library every week, like clockwork. In both cases, she uses her powers of observation (and nosiness!) to suss out what's really going on. Particularly in her second case, Cici ends up alienating her friends and mother in the search for the truth, and what she ultimately discovers in her investigations helps her recognize how her behavior is hurting her loved ones. The lessons are breezy, but the art is sumptuous: Neyret's naturalistic illustrations have marvelous depth, with dense color, dynamic movement, and a fantastic use of light and shadow. Fans of Luke Pearson's Hilda series will like this plucky detective, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

June 1, 2021
A young girl's imagination meets wholesome, kid-centered storytelling in this sweet graphic novel. In this cleverly illustrated story, readers meet 10-year-old Cici, who lives with her mother in a picturesque village with friends. An avid diarist, she wants to be a writer when she grows up. One day, while in the forest treehouse she has built with her best friends, she spies an unusual sight: a mysterious older man, accompanied by a parrot, carrying paint cans through the forest. She and her friends set out to figure out both the man's identity and his secret, hidden deep in the forest behind a looming stone wall. What follows is a tender story involving a zoo, animals, helping others, and the powers of art and kindness. Curiosity, imagination and teamwork take center stage. Most characters, including Cici, present White, though characters of color are present in peripheral roles. While Cici's story is told primarily by a third-person narrator, the text's key visual innovation is to periodically insert illustrated excerpts from Cici's diary as well as newspaper clippings and photographs of events in the story. The final pages include a space for readers to contribute an illustration. While the clunky, at-times saccharine dialogue might be off-putting to some, the colorful and charming mystery at the center of the text will render this infelicity inconsequential for most. May have younger readers beginning their own writing, painting, or scrapbooking adventures. (Graphic mystery. 8-12)

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July 1, 2018
Ten-and-a-half-year-old Cici is an aspiring writer with a nose for mysteries. In part one, she spies on a paint-spattered man; in part two, she follows a woman who renews the same library book each week. Both cases (originally published as separate books in France) resolve poignantly; Cici's struggle to balance sleuthing with friendships adds emotional layers to this luminously illustrated scrapbook-style graphic novel.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)