An appealing middle grade graphic novel centered on friendship and hairstyling. After the death of her mother, Mariana and her father, a hair stylist, move from California to Ohio. Mariana desperately misses her old friends and would love to make new ones, but her anxiety and quiet nature make it hard to approach other kids. There is also a boy who targets Mariana, saying unkind things. When two girls come to the shop of Mariana’s dad to sell their newly-invented hair dye that washes out in three shampoos, Mariana is intrigued. She sees the girls again in school and is determined to introduce herself. When she is finally able to do so, the three become fast friends. Inspired by their hair dye, Mariana proposes that they open their own salon to help people refresh their look through a new hair style.

All of this is a set-up for the heart of the story. With a lot of help from Mariana’s abuela and hard work from the girls, the three do set up a mobile hair salon. They all play a part in the business: one cuts and styles hair, one mixes the dye, and one is the front-end person passing out tea and panetone. There are early successes and then hiccups that threaten the new friendship.

There are some plot points that ask for a suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader: Mariana does not tell her father that she is starting a hair salon despite the fact that his expertise could be useful. Nor does her abuela  tell Mariana’s father about the salon, which seems unlikely since they are close and her abuela is proud of Mariana’s efforts. Mariana’s abuela happens to have an old food truck that she gifts to three middle schoolers to start a mobile hair salon, and those three middle schoolers have enough capital to convert the truck and paint it and have money for panetone and tea and hair dye materials.

On the whole it’s a feel-good story of facing fears, positive personal growth, and relying on community and family support. It is a solid addition to a graphic novel collection where realistic fiction stories about friendship and finding your voice are popular.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Falmouth Middle School