Ciel In All Directions

by Sophie Labelle, Andrea Zanin (Translator)

Overview

Ciel may have settled into high school with their best friend Stephie and new buddy Liam, but life is anything but ordinary for this non-binary trans kid! Between an important science project for school and their ever more popular YouTube channel, Ciel and their friends find themselves involved in a campaign to represent the LGBT Alliance. Life is taking off in all directions!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781772602036
Publisher:	Second Story Press
Publication date:	09/28/2021
Series:	Ciel , #2
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Sophie Labelle is an internationally renowned visual artist and author from the South shore of Montreal, in French Canada. She is the transgender cartoonist behind Assigned Male, a webcomic about a group of queer and trans teenagers that has been running since 2014 and has touched millions of readers.

Andrea Zanin is a queer writer, translator and editor who has worked and studied extensively in the field of gender and sexuality for over 20 years. Her scholarly work, fiction and essays appear in a variety of collections. As well, she has written for the Globe and Mail, The Tyee, Xtra, Bitch, Ms., IN Magazine, Outlooks Magazine and the Montreal Mirror, and is currently working on a book. She holds a BA in translation from Concordia University in Montreal and an MA in gender, feminist and women’s studies from York University in Toronto.

Editorial Reviews

A Globe & Mail Holiday Gift Guide Pick | The Globe & Mail | November 19, 2021

A lively sequel that follows non-binary trans kid Ciel into high school with best friend Stephie and new pal Liam and a campaign to represent the school’s LGBT Alliance. While representing the complexity of LGBTQ+ identities, Labelle and Zanin also draw upon the kind of relatable school assignments and projects that makes Ciel’s unique experience all the more accessible.

The Globe & Mail - Jeffrey Canton

"Ciel’s energetic and eager voice, as well as their passion for life and appreciation for all types of people, shines through the pages...Bearing a sweet nostalgic air for school days, Labelle’s narrative revolves around relatable situations for readers, from science projects and school assignments to attempting to build and maintain a social circle while exploring one’s own self-expression and identities."

Booklist

"An entertaining yet educational middle grade novel that represents a plethora of LGBTQ+ identities and experiences that many young people will be able to identify with regardless of their own gender and sexuality."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials - Rob Bittner

08/13/2021

Gr 4 Up—Ciel Sousa chose their first name (which means "sky" in French) as it reflects their feeling of being neither all boy nor all girl. Twelve years old and transgender, Ciel has a supportive Brazilian-immigrant dad, a true best friend, a new friend who might be more, and all the anxieties facing their first year in a Montreal high school. Translated from the original French, this book picks up after the first book in the series, Ciel, but the author fills readers in on characters and plot lines quickly so that it works as a stand-alone. Ciel has a video channel they use to call out issues and to post funny videos starring Ciel's little brother's alter ego. The story follows Ciel to a LGBTQ+ support center, through a student council election, and through their growing feelings for new friend Liam, among other things. Those looking for plot twists, major adversaries, or life-changing revelations will be disappointed, but the story ambles through enough enjoyable episodes to make it an entertaining short read. As Mael-a, an older, nonbinary friend of Ciel says, "Even your silly videos, where you're just goofing around, they help, because they show that we, too, are allowed to have fun. That our lives aren't just melodramatic stories like the ones you see on TV or in books. It's crucial for people like us to have our own platforms." This book provides that platform for young readers with hilarity and heart. VERDICT A good addition to any middle grade collection desiring true-to-life stories of LGBTQ+ kids.—Kate Fleming, Hosford M.S., Portland, OR

School Library Journal

2021-07-13
A transgender student takes on new experiences, from an awakening crush to student council elections.

Twelve-year-old Brazilian Canadian Ciel—who is starting their first year of secondary school—showcases their sense of humor and speaks out about transphobia on their growing YouTube channel with the help of their younger brother. When their science and technology teacher assigns their class a project about mastering a new skill, Ciel decides to pick something that will improve their videos. However, more challenges appear on the horizon for Ciel, like their unfamiliar romantic feelings for their friend Liam, a White transgender boy, and upcoming elections for president of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, who will also serve on the student council. Set in Montréal, the book depicts natural, casual cultural diversity through side characters such as Ciel’s Arabic-speaking classmate Frank, among others. Although Ciel has an outgoing side, they begin the narrative with a lot of insecurities that, refreshingly, have nothing to do with their trans identity. Each time they step outside their comfort zone, they grow and expand their perspective about privacy and consent, relationships, and their own value, even when the outcome plays out differently than they hoped. The conflict around the student council elections offers an important critique of empty hashtags used for mass appeal that do nothing to challenge injustice.

A bright and open story. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews