ISBN 978-1626726413
Published by First Second, 2019.
Genre/Format: Graphic Novel, hardcover, paperback and ebook.
Awards
YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens: 2020
Reading Level: Grade 9 and up (Booklist)
Plot Summary: Bloom is the story of Ari, a recent high school graduate who has dreams of moving to the city with his bandmates in the hopes of making it in the big city. But Ari’s father does not support this plan and insists that he work in the family’s struggling bakery. Meanwhile, Hector moves into his late grandmother’s house to clean it out. He uses this time away from home to mourn his loss, and to figure out what to do next in life. Back at the bakery, Ari decides to hire his own replacement who turns out to be Hector, a gifted baker taking a break from culinary school. Hector and Ari bond over their work together in the bakery and start to spend more time together. They meet each other’s groups of friends and become closer as the summer progresses. But while Ari still dreams of making it big in the city with his band, things heat up in the kitchen with Hector. Will love and family keep Ari from going after his dream?
Author Background: Kevin Panetta is a graphic novel writer. Zodiac Starforce, his first series, was published in August 2015 by Dark Horse Comics (Amazon.com).
Savanna Ganucheau is from New Orleans where she began her career by publishing and selling her own work. She has also worked on Jem and the Holograms, Lumberjanes, and Adventure Time Comics (Macmillan.com).
Critical Evaluation: The central relationships of Ari and Hector and Ari and his father make Bloom a lovely story. However, the female characters' lack of development, and the peripheral plot lines are not crucial to the story making them feel intrusive. The only colors in Bloom are shades of blue and white which forces the reader to pay close attention to the details in the illustration because the colors don't provide information.
Creative Use for a Library Program: This book would pair nicely with a break making "program in a box." Each kit would contain all the necessary ingredients and instructions to make a loaf of bread, an info sheet with the history of bread making, and a coupon to a local bakery. The event would culminate in a Zoom meeting where all the teens can show off their creations and talk about the book and their bread.
Speed-Round Book Talk: Ari wants to move to the big city to achieve his dream of playing in a band, but his father stands in his way. Will Ari's friendship with Hector, the bakery's new employee, fade as the summer ends or will Hector be exactly what Ari kneads?
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: As with other books with LGBTQ characters and themes, there may be those who feel their moral outrage is reason enough to keep this book out of the library. But it is imperative that the LGBTQ. youth be served and that is reason enough to have this book in the library.
Reason for Inclusion: I included this book because graphic novels are still very popular and the LGBTQ plot is vital to have represented in the teen section of the library.
References
Home Grown Happiness. (2020). Step by Step Sourdough Dinner Rolls. Youtube.com.
Kevin Panetta. Amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/Kevin-
Panetta/e/B00IX3KJ9S%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
Savanna Ganucheau. Macmillan.com. https://us.macmillan.com/author/savannaganucheau/
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