To Timbuktu

Gr 9 Up—To Timbuktu is a travelogue that will provide great inspiration for teenagers and young adults who are looking for adventure and self-discovery. After college graduation, Scieszka and her boyfriend set off on an almost two-year jaunt to various parts of Asia and Africa where they lived, worked, and learned far from their homes in the States. She journaled with words while Weinberg did so with sketched illustrations, and the result is an appealing and engaging tale of the ups and downs of their journey. It works as a series of vignettes that deftly and honestly explore the challenges that come with trying to be travelers and not tourist in lands where the locals couldn't help but view them as the latter, and the difficulties and beauties of friendships that span different cultures and languages. It also realistically depicts the strains travel can have on a relationship, as well as the strengths it brings. Scieszka struggles throughout with the complications of her research and not asserting her very different worldview into the stories of the people she is interviewing. Often humorous, and occasionally heartbreaking, the book presents a lovely picture of the couple's life together during this time with simple, eloquent text and emotive cartoon-style drawings.—Sharon Senser McKellar, Oakland Public Library, CA