2020 Eisner Award Winners

The winners of the 2020 Eisner Awards have been announced. However, questions remain about their online voting process and personal information being revealed, as covered by The Hollywood Reporter. Here are the winners for the youth categories as well as general categories won by amazing folks who create youth comics:

BEST PUBLICATION FOR EARLY READERS

Comics: Easy as ABC by Ivan Brunetti

 

BEST PUBLICATION FOR KIDS

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

 

BEST PUBLICATION FOR TEENS

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell

 

BEST WRITER

Mariko Tamaki

 

BEST WRITER/ARTIST

Raina Telgemeier

 

BEST PENCILLER/INKER

Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me

Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan

Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan

Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan (9781547603299)

Allison has run away from home without much of a plan. She finds herself sleeping in the garden shed behind what seems to be an abandoned house. But Marla lives there, an elderly woman with dementia. Marla thinks that Allison is her old friend Toffee. Allison manages to start living in the house with Marla. She meets a local girl who helps her get paid for doing homework for others. As the story continues, both Marla and Allison tell their complete stories, ones that they keep hidden from others. The two become closer, telling one another their dreams and secrets, until one day it all falls apart.

Crossan has created a verse novel for teens that is a vital mix of hope and found families. She grapples with difficult subjects like physical and emotional abuse and the loneliness of the elderly. The blend of darkness and hope makes for a compelling read that invites readers into Marla’s old house. The verse is a gorgeous mix of frank storytelling about abuse and wistful longing for a future that makes sense.

The friendship between Allison and Marla unfolds beautifully before the reader, starting in a place of doubt and questions and becoming a lifeline for them both. Marla is not prickly or doddering. Rather she is fully realized as a person, looking at times for a stiff drink and always willing to dance. Allison is a survivor, seeking her own way forward. Bright and strong, she figures out a path as unique as herself.

Another amazing novel from a master storyteller. Appropriate for ages 13-16,

Reviewed from ARC provided by Bloomsbury.