In this modern, graphic retelling, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are all offspring of a blended, interracial family that lives in a New York City apartment. It works surprisingly well, both in Terciero's colloquial dialogue and Indigo's clean, well-paced sequential panels (her pencils were inked and colored by a team), and lovers of the classic will enjoy seeing how the reboot corresponds to the source text. Their white mother struggles, working double shifts while their father, who is black, is deployed in the Middle East. Both Meg, who is black, and Jo, who is white, were born to their parents prior to the marriage. Beth and Amy are the biracial younger sisters of the family. Dispersed throughout the story are entries from Jo's journal and emailed exchanges between the girls and their dad, who affectionately refers to his daughters as "little women." Wealthy Laurie and his grandfather are their Latinx neighbors. Meg and Jo take on the responsibility of the household, caring for their younger sisters. Meg works as a nanny, while Jo works as a personal assistant for her aunt. The March sisters squabble over chores, tease one another, and tackle school, where Amy silently endures racist bullying by white girls who tease her about her nose size and hair texture, even calling her "Africa" and hitting her. While the elder sisters navigate boys, fragile Beth is diagnosed with leukemia, spawning the best scene, in which the sisters all shave their heads when Beth loses her hair during chemo. It is regrettable that the racism Amy endures is resolved far too easily and is sidelined by other events in the book.Sticking to the original storyline, this tale offers a contemporary vision of sisterhood that will appeal to a diverse audience. (Graphic fiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

This graphic novel retelling of Little Women reimagines the March sisters as a blended family-Meg and her father are black, Jo and her mother are white, and their younger siblings, Beth and Amy, are biracial-in a modern-day Brooklyn setting. With their father in the military, fighting in the Middle East ("making the world a safer place" for "my little women," he writes), and their mother struggling with the emotional and financial stress of single parenthood, the girls vow to think beyond themselves to help their mother and "be strong," like her. Readers familiar with the original will find the sisters' personalities familiar, but Terciero and Indigo give the sisters timely concerns. Eldest sister Meg must make serious decisions about her future, youngest sister Amy faces racist bullying at school, and Jo is hiding her queer identity from her family and friends, including neighbor Laurie. And for shy budding musician Beth, recent tiredness hints at an illness that can't be ignored. Journal entries and emails to their father give readers a deeper understanding of the siblings' inner emotions and turmoil while adding dimension and realism to comfortable sibling banter. Smart and thoughtfully rendered, this modern retelling will resonate with today's readers. Ages 9-12. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In this graphic novel retelling of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, readers will revisit the family that has charmed generations since its original publication 150 years ago. This new adaptation, set in contemporary times, finds the Marches, now a blended interracial family, dealing with modern concerns and problems. After Meg's dad meets Jo's mom, they fall in love, get married and soon after welcome Beth and Amy to their family in New York City. After their father is deployed overseas, their mother works overtime to keep them afloat, and the sisters struggle to support each other, especially when Beth falls ill, though her sickness ultimately brings the family closer together. This warmly illustrated book keeps all of the charming character and most of the major plot turns of the original story while updating it for modern readers by touching on issues of racism, bullying, homophobia, and more. The panels are easy to follow, and the lettering is clear and crisp. Readers both familiar and not with the March sisters journey will enjoy this rosy take on their well-loved story.

This graphic-novel adaptation updates Little Women in setting and in many story elements, with welcome diversity in ethnicity and sexuality among the March family members and their friends (though some morals--admittedly in March family fashion--are delivered didactically). Varied panels interspersed with journal entries, and emails to Dad stationed overseas, make for an inviting package. (c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.