A really wonderful YA Wonder Woman story that steers a teenage Diana away from Themyscira and onto a path of social activism and getting a look at the world of immigration and refugees. I loved the themes in this and thought they were very well written; it was serious and thoughtful and didn’t seem like the writers were pandering to the teen audience. Diana seems wholly realized, full of heart and compassion but also strength, and it was especially gratifying that she wasn’t written as being a blindly patriotic super soldier but rather a young woman building a healthy community and friendships. ( )

Princes Diana is still training to be a warrior like the other Amazonians but doesn't quite have the same powers when on her 16th birthday the outside world starts breaking through the barriers to their mystical island. She attempts to rescue the refugees out at sea but ends up herself outcast from her home, unable to find the way back. She is taken in by some United Nations workers and placed in the home of an immigrant family in New York City where she has to adjust to the culture and is shocked to see such injustices as homelessness, food insecurity, police corruption, and human trafficking. Even though she is just a lost fledging warrior, is there a way Diana can help?

This was a surprisingly deep twist on Wonder Woman's origins story. I love that romance is not the core of her character development and drive away from home but instead a desire to help others at all costs. The story delves into so many issues where the solution isn't necessarily Wonder Woman's ability to kick ass (although that does happen too) but instead lies in her ability to empathize with others and try to find a way to beat -- or change -- the system that leads to so many issues. The cover art is fantastically beautiful but the story art much less so. Still, the story and the new aspects/characters/themes that emphasize a diverse world (refugees, people of color, LGBT characters, etc.) make it worth the read. ( )

Diana turns 16, and feels awkward (even weak) among the female Amazon warriors on the island of Themyscira, still stumbling instead of being sure-footed; however, this does not impede her rescuing a child, resulting in her unexpected departure from the cloaked, isolated world where the Amazons live and train. She ends up in a refugee camp, where her prodigious language skills are noted by Steve, who lures her away to a United Nations job. Diana lives with a Polish mother, who is a friend of Steve’s, who has a daughter about the same age, who eventually become friends.

The story touches on many important social issues: refugees, immigration, sexism, homelessness, poverty, gentrification, even child trafficking. The highlights were Diana’s naivety, her moral compass, and her unwillingness to abide the injustices surrounding her. While I really liked the cover, I found much of Leila del Luca’s artwork inconsistent, especially the images of Diana, and not on par with her excellent artwork in Sleepless. ( )

Superhero franchise.
I have never been hugely into superheroes for the most part. However, I saw that Laurie Halse Anderson was the writer for this, and I knew I needed to read it. In addition to the beautiful artwork, Anderson's portrayal of Diana is phenomenal. She's grappling with her identity and thrust into this other world, where she tries to help in whatever way she can. She's a nice beam of light in darkness. ( )

Laurie Halse Anderson has tackled yet another tough topic, child trafficking. This one is very serious and timely using strong females to relay the story.

On the hidden island of Themyscira, where ageless warrior women, the Amazons, wait to protect the world from “Great Evil,” Princess Diana has struggled with the physical and emotions of coming of age. She is told it will end by her 16th birthday. One day she swims out from the island to rescue refugees on a raft that has broken through the island’s magical barrier. Diana finds herself adrift in the modern world, unable to return to her own.

Now a refugee, she spends time in a Greek camp before two United Nations inspectors. They quickly recognise her extraordinary gift for languages. She is taken to New York, where she learns about the harsh realities of another world and its perils from new friend and housemate Raissa, who is 17.

This book is not your typical superhero-villain conflict. This action packed novel touches on a broad range of social issues; activism, corporate greed, homelessness and income inequality, human trafficking, immigration, and misogyny. I found the abundance of issues a little messy and in just a little over 200 pages, the conflicts are a little too resolved. But all in all a really good message presented in an exciting format.

The art by Del Duca is dynamic filled with female representation across ages, ethnicities, and body types. After we aren’t all skinny and beautiful.
14 –up ( )