Aya: Claws Come Out

Gr 10 Up–The latest installment in the translated graphic novel series set in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in Africa, and a cast of heroes and villains that are being reintroduced to readers after a creative break. Claws Come Out is a character-driven story about Aya, her friends, and her family. She takes matters into her own hands, whether it’s her education or relationships, providing readers a glimpse into her day-to-day life in Africa. Appealing to those who enjoy slice-of-life stories, Abouet’s cast of characters offers a multitude of lived experiences: Inno, living in France with his boyfriend Sebastien, spoke up at a rally only to be detained and threatened; Moussa served time in prison; Aya debates working for her father or forging a new path. Using a six-panel page structure, the story alternates frequently between characters without transitions, relying on adept readers to recognize setting changes, which can upset the flow. Likewise, readers who have not been previously introduced to Aya may find it difficult to connect with her, making it a hard sell for an average teen audience with a lack of context for life in West Africa and France in the 1980s.