No Rules Tonight

While living under a forceful totalitarian regime, a group of university students escape to the mountains for a night of freedom in this piercing graphic novel by Banned Book Club collaborators Kim and Estrada. In winter 1984, a 36-year curfew has come to an end in South Korea, and high school graduate Hyun Sook expects to start college “with more freedom than any teenager had been granted in generations.” Yet things seemingly remain the same, with police limiting acts of self-expression. But Hyun Sook and her friends in the masked folk dance troupe find a loophole that allows them to perform satirical plays that poke fun at politicians. On Christmas Eve, the club retreats to Jiri Mountain, far from parental supervision, societal rules, and political drama. Each teen has their own plan for how to spend this “curfew-free night unlike the others,” including Hyun Sook, who seeks to restart her defunct banned book club but must repel the attentions of a suspected spy. Sleek panels with comedic flourishes add levity and charm to memories, events, and secrets inspired by the author’s personal experiences, bringing to life a night of romance, friendship, and change amid societal unrest and adolescent upheaval. Ages 12–up. Agent: (for Kim and Estrada) Janine Kamouh, WME. (Oct.)