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Literary Fiction
Historical Fiction
Short Stories
Essays
Poetry & Novels in Verse
Thrillers
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Graphic Novels
Biography/Memoir
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| Critics: | |
| Readers: |
From New York Times–bestselling author and illustrator Jen Wang comes a singularly affecting story about self-discovery, self-reliance, and the choice to live when it feels like you have no place in the world.
Ash has always felt alone.
Adults ignore the climate crisis. Other kids Ash's age are more interested in pop stars and popularity contests than in fighting for change. Even Ash's family seems to be sleepwalking through life.
The only person who ever seemed to get Ash was their Grandpa Edwin. Before he died, he used to talk about building a secret cabin, deep in the California wilderness. Did he ever build it? What if it's still there, waiting for him to come back…or for Ash to find it? To Ash, that maybe-mythical cabin is starting to feel like the perfect place for a fresh start and an escape from the miserable feeling of alienation that haunts their daily life.
But making the wilds your home isn't easy. And as much as Ash wants to be alone…can they really be happy alone? Can they survive alone?
"Wang masterfully adapts this storyline for contemporary audiences, seamlessly weaving questions of identity, gender, race (Ash has Chinese and Irish ancestry), and climate change into this fundamental tale of survival. Searing and radiant." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Wang (Stargazing) delivers a stunning, contemplative wilderness adventure via muted earth-tone watercolors that tackles head-on the present-day experience of living in what often feels like a time of apocalyptic change." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Wang's emotive, empathic illustrations elevate an already impactful narrative into a stupendous visual masterpiece, with and without panels, swathed in daytime California golds and chillier nighttime blues. Perfection―literary and artistic―awaits here." —Booklist (starred review)
"This book is a page-turner and readers will both worry and cheer for Ash every step of the way. Highly recommended for all middle school and high school libraries." —School Library Journal (starred review)
"Ash's Cabin is a beautiful book. Jen Wang does amazing work in deftly contrasting Ash's interior journey in their relationship with a hostile external world. It's a gorgeous meditation on fear, loneliness, and building a place to feel at home in your own heart." ―Trung Le Nguyen, creator of The Magic Fish
"Heart-wrenching and powerful, Ash's Cabin sucked me in and I couldn't stop until I got to the end. Ash's story couldn't be more relevant today. I just loved it." ―Tillie Walden, Eisner Award–winning creator of Spinning
"A fierce and tender story about the lengths you will go to connect in a way that matters, during a time in your life when those connections feel so hard. Timely, empathetic, and masterfully drawn, exactly what Jen Wang has always excelled at." ―Kate Beaton, #1 New York Times–bestselling creator of Hark! A Vagrant and Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands.
Rated 
of 5
by
Katherine M
Beautiful coming-of-age story, explores gender identity, family relationships, and mental health
This coming-of-age graphic novel is from best-selling author and illustrator Jen Wang, a story about young Ash, who feels alone and misunderstood, and decides that finding Grandpa Edwin’s cabin in the woods could mean a fresh start. Ash leaves home, with survival gear, supplies, and dog, prepared to create a new life in the California wilderness. It is a powerful and heart-wrenching story on multiple levels.
Firstly, this is a beautiful book. Looking at a single page—drawings of nature, rich in color and detail—sometimes stopped me in my tracks, even though I read this book in one sitting. The artwork is why I would go back and look through ‘Ash’s Cabin’ again, because it was that visually captivating,
Thematically, this is one of the most ambitious middle-grade/YA graphic novels I’ve read in a while, not just for the fact that it approaches gender identity and self-discovery, but while Ash is on this personal journey, there are complexities, especially surrounding the implications and dangers of running away, that may need further discussion with some readers;. Two themes that be explored further are the family relationships, as well as mental health. The emotional gravity behind some of the actions, as well as the weight of understanding gender identity remain with you. Even though Ash embarks on a journey that could have had a far more serious outcome, we applaud the courage but empathize with the motivations.
A young person, one who learning about their place in the world, their gender identity, and sense of self; will hopefully take away the beauty of Ash’s story … and not feel so alone.
Jen Wang is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of several graphic novels for young readers including Ash's Cabin, Stargazing, The Prince and The Dressmaker, In Real Life (co-written with Cory Doctorow), and Koko Be Good. Jen's honors include two Eisner Awards, the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association Children's Literature Award, and the Fauve d'Angoulême Youth Award. She is based in Los Angeles and is a co-founder and organizer for Comic Arts LA.
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