This is a beautiful and complex story told in pictures, drawings, newspaper clippings, text conversations, and photographs. I think it would appeal to both reluctant readers (because of the lack of dense text) as well as to those who like to be challenged. The pictures are just as dense as text could be, and some of the clues are easy to miss. It can be a quick read, but for those who become invested in the story, it could become an obsession as well.
Chopsticks includes some multi-media elements, which would be easily accessible by teens with their ever-present wi-fi enabled devices, although they would have to go to the trouble of typing in the links. This element of the book would work better as an e-book, where the reader could simply click to watch a clip or listen to a piece of music. I fear the quality of the images would be diminished, especially on an e-reader. Advances in phone and tablets screens may render this difficulty obsolete, though there are considerations for an electronic vs paper format. The book is larger than a traditional paperback, and thus lends itself well to sharing and discussion, which would be more difficult on an electronic device, though you do often see children and teens huddled around the smallest of screens, so perhaps this is only a difficulty from an adult perspective.
The book has more to recommend than its format. The story itself is a compelling one that can be read, in the beginning, as a straight romance between the boy and the girl next door (she is a child-prodigy concert pianist and he is a recent immigrant who is having trouble fitting in at school). The happier portions of Glory and Frank's story resemble a teenage girl's scrapbook, full of mementos, hopes and dreams and remembered conversations. (Though the reader does have to keep in mind that the story begins with the news of Glory's disappearance.) In the middle portion of the book, we see Glory unraveling and unable to keep up her concert performances and in almost constant conflict with her father. Towards the end of the book, clues appear in the images that indicate things are not what they seem. The logo for Glory's rehab. facility is the same as that of Frank's school. The paintings first attributed to Frank are now seen to be signed by Glory. What is real and what isn't? The reader is left to decide.
Chopsticks includes some multi-media elements, which would be easily accessible by teens with their ever-present wi-fi enabled devices, although they would have to go to the trouble of typing in the links. This element of the book would work better as an e-book, where the reader could simply click to watch a clip or listen to a piece of music. I fear the quality of the images would be diminished, especially on an e-reader. Advances in phone and tablets screens may render this difficulty obsolete, though there are considerations for an electronic vs paper format. The book is larger than a traditional paperback, and thus lends itself well to sharing and discussion, which would be more difficult on an electronic device, though you do often see children and teens huddled around the smallest of screens, so perhaps this is only a difficulty from an adult perspective.
The book has more to recommend than its format. The story itself is a compelling one that can be read, in the beginning, as a straight romance between the boy and the girl next door (she is a child-prodigy concert pianist and he is a recent immigrant who is having trouble fitting in at school). The happier portions of Glory and Frank's story resemble a teenage girl's scrapbook, full of mementos, hopes and dreams and remembered conversations. (Though the reader does have to keep in mind that the story begins with the news of Glory's disappearance.) In the middle portion of the book, we see Glory unraveling and unable to keep up her concert performances and in almost constant conflict with her father. Towards the end of the book, clues appear in the images that indicate things are not what they seem. The logo for Glory's rehab. facility is the same as that of Frank's school. The paintings first attributed to Frank are now seen to be signed by Glory. What is real and what isn't? The reader is left to decide.
Because of its format and the themes of mental-health, romance, and parent-child relationships, Chopsticks is a good choice for a YA collection.
Problems this book might encounter
Where does one shelve it? It is not a novel in the traditional sense, nor is it a graphic novel. It defies description a little, and thus classification. The question here is, how will this book find its way to readers. One possible answer is to bypass the shelves altogether and use it in a teen book club.References
Anthony, J. & Corral, R. (2012). Chopsticks. Razorbill: New York
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