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The Zabime Sisters

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The Zabime Sisters

Paperback

$17.99

Paperback
$17.99

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Overview

Master storyteller Aristophane's The Zabime Sisters takes a keen look at some of the universal experiences of children on the cusp of growing up, in the fascinating setting of Guadeloupe. Aristophane's bold, graphic brushwork weaves a wild texture through this gentle, clear-eyed tale.

On the first day of summer vacation, teenaged sisters M'Rose, Elle, and Célina step out into the tropical heat of their island home and continue their headlong tumble toward adulthood. Boys, schoolyard fights, petty thievery, and even illicit alcohol make for a heady mix, as The Zabime Sisters indulge in a little summertime freedom. The dramatic backdrop of a Caribbean island provides a study of contrasts—a world that is both lush and wild, yet strangely small and intimate—which echoes the contrasts of the sisters themselves, who are at once worldly and wonderfully naïve.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596436381
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	10/26/2010
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	1,083,304
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Aristophane Boulon, who published under his first name, was trained as a fine artist before moving into the world of narrative art, where he made an immediate splash in the French comics world. Not quite ten years after the initial publication of Les Soeurs Zabîme, Aristophane died in 2007. He is deeply missed.

Reading Group Guide

Discussion Questions

1. The Zabime Sisters is a graphic novel, a story told in words and pictures. How do you think this story would be told differently if it was a novel, with only words? How would it be different if it was a movie, with just pictures?

2. Which of the three sisters are you most like? What do you have in common?

3. The art of The Zabime Sisters is very vivid and bold. Would the story would feel different if it was illustrated by someone else? What does this art add to the story?

4. The three girls engage in all sorts of misbehavior on their summer day—smoking, drinking, stealing, watching fights, etc. What do you think their mom would say if she found out about any of it? What would your mom say?

5. How would you describe the relationship between the three sisters? Does it change during the story? This story is told in black and white. Why do you think that is? If you were going to color it, what sort of palette would you choose? Do you think that adding color would change the feeling of the story?

6. Do the three sisters act differently when there are boys around? Does their behavior change from when they're by the riverside at the Devil's Sinkhole or at the cabin to when they're while stealing mangos and smoking with Manuel and Gilles, or while M'Rose is at the fight?

7. Think about a typical summer afternoon for you. Is it different from the afternoon that the characters in this book experienced? Are the differences because you live in a different place than the three girls, or because your personality or character is different from theirs?

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

[The sisters] engage in universal childhood pursuits that Tom Sawyer himself would have recognized: exploring the dangerous parts of the forest, stealing mangoes from the wrong orchard, sneaking a taste of rum to their own detriment. The writer proves deft at revealing the politics of childhood...and the white expanses and thick, inky lines of his art readily evoke not only the proper emotions but also the sun-drenched environment. Lyrical, even literary in its tone, The Zabime Sisters is for developed readers looking for something off the beaten path.” —Booklist
“This understated graphic novel manages to entertain and instruct without being overly sentimental. Its three young protagonists, M'Rose, Elle, and Celina, guide readers along a typical summer day in Guadeloupe. ... The petty arguments, betrayals, schoolyard fights, and alcohol experimentation are punctuated with several explanatory captions that take readers into the characters' minds and provide useful if occasionally obvious insight into the motives behind what the children do. ... It's a memorable and honest story that all young readers can enjoy.” —Publisher's Weekly
“The leisurely-paced day echoes the island lifestyle. The day is filled with mini-adventures and explorations around the island. Character exploration is the true story in this coming-of-age graphic novel. Each sister gains some insight into herself and the world around her as the day progresses. The artwork is beautiful in its roughness. This slim title ... has a beauty and sophistication that will appeal to higher level readers.” —VOYA

From the Publisher

The unexpectedly impoverished Elinor and Marianne Dashwood could not be more different. Elinor is all calm reason, in love with a sweet yet diffident Edward, Marianne all emotional firestorms, besotted with romantic charmer Willoughby. But greedy relatives confound the affections of both couples. Veteran Austen adaptor Butler (Pride & Prejudice, 2009) handles the scripting neatly, and Liew's charming art evokes period details.
(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Library Journal

Gr 8 Up—Madden, an admirer of French comic artist Aristophane, has translated this 1996 work. The tender and evocative narrative chronicles the first day of summer vacation on the sultry Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. Opening panels move readers inside a home's shuttered window and introduce three sleeping sisters: M'Rose, Elle, and Célina. The girls awaken and their day unfolds with summer delights and discoveries: they catch crab at the river, steal mangoes, experiment with a stolen pipe, witness a fight between rivaling boys, suffer the intoxicating effects of rum, taunt and teas friends, and engage in constant sibling rivalry. The text is coupled with expressive images that offer glimpses into the personality of each character and allow the story to slowly unfold. The interplay among the siblings and each girl's singular response to events allow readers to establish a personal connection with each sister. The artist's dry brush technique and controlled use of line, mastery of light and shadow, interesting and unusual framing, and expressive facial close-ups are compelling. Readers will visualize both the unique and universal aspects of this day of freedom for these girls. Back matter includes an afterword and a discussion guide.—Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

School Library Journal

The final published work from the late French comics artist is a whimsical, meandering jaunt through the chaos and possibility of adolescence. Aristophane chronicles the exploits of sisters M'Rose, Ella and Célina on the day they embark on their summer vacation on the tropical isle of Guadeloupe. He captures the anxieties and joys of adolescent hormones and emotions through an episodic story line that sees the girls finding their way in and out of trouble—and possibly love. The pen-and-ink panels are often undefined and cluttered, a visual exploration of the journey to adulthood. The sharp angles and nuanced shadowing of the characters are set against the undefined patterns and dense foliage of the jungle, evoking a simultaneous sense of unease and excitement that adult readers will recall from their own teenage years. A moving exploration of youth and its follies that may be more appreciated by adults than those in the throes of it. Includes an afterword by translator Madden and a reading-group guide.(Graphic novel. 13 & up)

Kirkus Reviews