Passport

Glock’s subtly crafted, emotive graphic memoir explores themes of belonging, identity, and loyalty in a highly specific context: teen life as the child of CIA spies. Sophia and her American siblings, cued white, have grown up in series of Central American countries but “haven’t lived anywhere long enough to be from there.” Their parents have mysterious jobs that require high security homes, and they’re vague about the reasons behind strict rules and regular moves. As Sophia’s older sister leaves for college and Sophia begins to parse the reasons behind her parents’ reserve, the teen tires of seclusion and starts keeping secrets of her own as part of her budding independence. Sophia’s disillusionment unfolds in hues of purple and peach against a backdrop of hurricanes and a military coup. Packaging meals for hurricane victims, she hears about mass graves, juxtaposing her actions’ impact against the scale of the churning world around her. She wonders, “Does someone keep secrets because they’re a spy? Or do they become a spy because they know how to keep secrets?” Moving to the U.S., she starts over anew, still a fish out of water, but with a newfound sense of her own resilience. Ages 12–up. Agent: Molly O’Neill, Root Literary. (Nov.)