Cassi and the House of Memories

Stuart’s tender graphic novel debut presents a fanciful and uplifting take on memory loss. “Time is different for Grandpa than it is for us,” Cassi’s grandmother explains whenever Grandpa seemingly loses clarity. After Grandpa disappears into the woods, Cassi gives chase, soon finding a strange building shaped like a man’s head. Inside the structure, she encounters a cavernous Escher-inspired hall filled with picture frames and gleans that this is where Grandpa’s memories are stored. Upon entering one of the frames, her initial delight at meeting her grandfather as a young trumpet player is disrupted when the memory shatters into confetti. Discovering that she can interact with the recollection’s happenings, she enters several more, determined to help preserve each scenario. Though her plans often fail, Grandpa reassures her: “They can’t take away the stories we tell. Those we get to keep forever.” Depictions of the house capitalize on disorienting architecture to emphasize the complex nature of memory. Sometimes-psychedelic renderings of everyday occurrences add a touch of absurd whimsy to a story that, while tinged with sadness, approaches dementia with curiosity and respect. Cassi and her grandparents have pale skin. Ages 8–12. (Feb.)