Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy

August 15, 2022
In this spirited graphic novel by Hill (Odessa), 12-year-old Booger Lizk’t and his lizard family have fled the underground city of Elberon for the human town of Eagle Valley amid resource scarcity. Now donning a fake human mask to cover his scaly green skin and going by the name Tommy Tomkins, he struggles to adjust to human life and finds it difficult to make friends, especially after getting caught eating a bug at school. When Vietnamese new student Dung Tran is harassed for his name and manner of speaking English, he and Tommy become fast friends. Even as Tommy becomes more comfortable in the human world, however, he internalizes harmful reptilian pop culture representation, which portrays lizard people as invaders (they’re not trying to invade, they’re “trying to survive,” he argues) as well as implies that they’re covering up their presence in the media. Employing a bright and energetic palette, uncomplicated paneling, and a cast comprising varying skin tones and body types, Hill keenly portrays the effects this othering has on Tommy and Dung, and how connection, mutual support, and earnest understanding can bridge even significant differences. An author’s note contextualizes Hill’s Vietnamese American upbringing. Ages 8–12. Agent: Alex Slater, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc.