The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang

Yan blends slapstick tween humor with a spark of surreal horror in his clever debut graphic novel. Chinese American 12-year-old Eugenia Wang and her “overbearing Asian mom” are at odds. Eugenia’s mother won’t let the tween celebrate her own birthday on her actual birthdate (April 4, doubly unlucky according to Chinese superstition) and disparages her creative ambitions: when Eugenia requests permission to attend art summer camp for her upcoming birthday, her mother replies, “Art not helping you be a doctor or lawyer.” Following a bonk to the head during a gym class rope-climbing incident, Eugenia dreams about her house catching fire in a sequence that trades the illustrations’ gentle pastel hues for eerie red tones. Awakening in the nurse’s office, Eugenia and races home to draw her dream. As her birthday draws near and the red-tinged nightmare returns, Eugenia realizes that the fire will occur on her birthday, and she’s the only one who can avert the impending disaster. Digitally rendered cartoon panels utilizing unique perspectives—including scenes depicted as being viewed from the corner of the ceiling, through stair-rail bannisters, and from high above—inject fresh energy into each scene. A note about intermittent Chinese dialogue, rejected cover concepts, and details about the creator’s process conclude. Ages 8–12. Agent: Ann Rose, Tobias Literary. (Sept.)