Duel
by Jessixa Bagley (Author) Aaron Bagley (Illustrator)
Sixth grader Lucy loves fantasy novels and is brand-new to middle school. GiGi is the undisputed queen bee of eighth grade (as well as everything else she does). They’ve only got one thing in common: fencing. Oh, and they’re sisters. They never got along super well, but ever since their dad died, it seems like they’re always at each other’s throats.
When GiGi humiliates Lucy in the cafeteria on the first day of school, Lucy snaps and challenges GiGi to a duel with high sisterly stakes. If GiGi wins, Lucy promises to stay out of GiGi’s way; if Lucy wins, GiGi will stop teasing Lucy for good. But after their scene in the cafeteria, both girls are on thin ice with the principal and their mom. Lucy stopped practicing fencing after their fencer dad died and will have to get back to fighting form in secret or she’ll be in big trouble. And GiGi must behave perfectly or risk getting kicked off the fencing team.
As the clock ticks down to the girls’ fencing bout, the anticipation grows. Their school is divided into GiGi and Lucy factions, complete with t-shirts declaring kids’ allegiances. Both sisters are determined to triumph. But will winning the duel mean fracturing their family even further?
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Kirkus
Publishers Weekly
Brown-skinned siblings Lucy and GiGi have fought ceaselessly since their father's death. With their pale-skinned, grief-stricken mother exhausted by her job, the sisters are often left to mediate their conflicts, which escalate when, on Lucy's first day of middle school, popular eighth grader GiGi trips her in the cafeteria. Lucy then challenges her to a fencing duel: if GiGi wins, Lucy will stay out of her way; if Lucy wins, GiGi will stop bullying her. Though both girls were taught by their father, Lucy only knows fencing basics, while GiGi is the star of the school team. As they prepare, each ruminates on what led them to this moment, and wonders how the battle will affect their relationship. Married collaborators the Bagleys seamlessly blend sports drama with middle school angst in this cleverly constructed graphic novel; chapters begin by introducing fencing concepts that mirror the action, and past events are conveyed in sequences rendered in dreamy blue linework that juxtaposes present-day full-color spreads. Incisive discussions about grief and the importance of support from family and friends--deepened by the contrast between Lucy's and GiGi's relationships with their best friends--deepens this already rich story of sisterly rivalry that's also an earnest love letter to fencing. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Jessixa Bagley is children’s book author-illustrator with a background in fine art and comics. She has had work featured in publications such as New American Paintings, The Chicago Reader, Nickelodeon Magazine, and Highlights Magazine. Her first picture book, Boats for Papa, received numerous awards and accolades including the 2016 SCBWI Golden Kite Award for picture book text and a 2016 Washington State Book Award. Her picture book Laundry Day received a 2018 Ezra Jack Keats Honor Award for writing. Many of her picture books are also Junior Library Guild Selections. In her work, she’s drawn to animals and emotional themes often inspired by her own experiences. Jessixa also teaches and speaks about writing and illustration. She often illustrates for other writers and artistically collaborates with her husband, Aaron Bagley. Jessixa lives in Seattle with her husband and son.
Aaron Bagley is an illustrator and sometimes author from Seattle, WA. His work has been featured in Illustoria Magazine, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Seattle’s The Stranger, The Seattle Weekly (R.I.P.), and so many more, collect them all, yadda yadda yadda. The children’s book Vincent Comes Home was published in 2018 (Roaring Brook Press) which was a collaboration with his wife, Jessixa. He illustrated the graphic novel Duel (written by Jessixa Bagley) published in November 2023.
JUV013060 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Parents
JUV011010 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - African-American
JUV008110 - Juvenile Fiction | Comics & Graphic Novels | Humorous
Sisters
Graphic novels
Middle schools
JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Parents
Cartoons and comics
JUVENILE FICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels /
Fencing
