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A Year Without Mom written and illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova is a beautifully written graphic novel about a 12 year old girl left behind by her mother in Moscow. As dosha moves through the year we see her life play out with very little color and the illustrations. This portrays the emotions of the story beautifully. It shows culture and diversity throughout the story.

A year without mom uses mainly gray pictures with only small bursts of color. This is to show the characters hard and sad emotions as she struggles because of being separated with her mother. The colors tend to be in things that bring her comfort or happiness like the tape from her mother. The illustrator only uses red blue and gray throughout the book.

“My mom left me this tape. It‘s a letter she recorded for me. I listen to it most nights as I fall asleep.”

the book is a very cool black and white with pops of red

the book is a very cool black and white with pops of red

i think this is a very good book that is high interest but could bring comfort to children facing family difficulties in life. It uses both speech bubble and paragraph styles.

“She says this quite a lot, but I don't really think about it until one night I overheard her talking to my grandmother“

This is a great coming-of-age book. It could also be relatable and reassuring for children who have some kind of absent mother situation in their lives.

A Year Without Mom, Dasha Tolstikova, 2015.12 year old Dasha is in a whirlwind as her mother leaves for America and leaves her in Moscow as there is political uproar. Dasha navigates friendship, family, and school without her mom there

“the president of russia is taken prisoner by some bad people and there are tanks rolling down the streets of Moscow.”

there wasn‘t a lot of color except when a character was showing a certain emotion such as red cheeks when embarrassed

this book didn‘t have many speech bubbles but the illustrations throughout the book took up most of the space of each page. it was a good use of space and lines throughout and i really liked the color choices

This story made the reader feel a variety of emotions and to think more about what the characters were going through during this period of time.

“It's tradition- before a trip everyone sits down quietly and silently wishes the traveler well.“

This story was published in 2015 and portrayed a Russian twelve year old who feels a variety of emotions because her mother moves to America for work. Dasha works through challenges with politics, family, etc. and the illustrator does a great job on showing expression on the characters faces and with body language as well.

Sweet little graphic memoir that follows 12 year old Dasha during the year her mother is away in America attending college, while Dasha deals with boys, friends, and missing her mom.

The imagery in this book really made it feel as if it had been written by a young girl. 💜

#AdelesMayMashUp Day 6: What could be a perfect #Remedy for A Year Without Mom? In this illustrated memoir of Dasha Tolstikova from Russia, she cited painting, falling in love, and excelling in her academic work as a tweener‘s antidote to surviving a year without her mother.

Really enjoyed this quick graphic novel. ❤️

#LyricalApril Day 10: #Vacation - this would seem like a "vacation" for most young ones, I suppose.

There are pages without words. Moments you can dive into such as this one...
#graphicnovel #comics

I love the way Dasha Tolstikova portrays the dialogue...
#graphicnovel #comics

Dasha Tolstikova's drawing style is heartwarming and beautiful.
#graphicnovel #comics

This graphic novel is about 12 year old Dasha's life for the year her mother leaves Russia to study in the US. It is set in the 1990s and there is political turmoil happening around her but Dacha's world is more focussed on boys and friends and all the foibles of being 12. It's a great quick read with simple, stunning illustrations.

Charming. Wistful. Whimsical. Memoir in comics. When she was 12, author/illustrator spent a year with her grandparents in Moscow in 1991 after her mother went to grad school in USA. Suitable for kids 10 & up; resonates with adults too.

"I love the movie-Melanie as much as I love the book-Melanie - she is so selfless and lovely, but I suspect I am much more like Scarlett, selfish and stubborn, but not as pretty."
[I'm finding this comics memoir of the Russian author at age 12 or 13 totally charming.]

I've decided to learn more about America so I can better imagine where my mom is. I'm reading Gone with the Wind. Scarlett is obviously mesmerizing, but I want to be just like Melanie - she is so good and pure.

At age 12, the author is studying costume history in one of her classes in Moscow.
I wish I went to a school like that!

"It's a coup d'état," says my grandmother.
(Coup is pronounced "coo" and every time people say it out loud, which is a lot, I think of small birds nesting.)

And then one morning we wake up and Gorbachev, the president of Russia, is taken prisoner by some bad people and there are tanks rolling down the streets of Moscow. The TV networks are all shut down except for one that streams Swan Lake all day long.