Marshmallow & Jordan - by Alina Chau

About the Book

"Jordan's days as star player for her school's basketball team ended when an accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. Now, she's still the team captain, but her competition days seem to be behind her...until an encounter with a mysterious elephant, who she names Marshmallow, helps Jordan discover a brand new sport. Will water polo be the way for Jordan to continue her athletic dreams--or will it just come between Jordan and her best friends on the basketball team? And with the big tournament right around the corner, what secret is Marshmallow hiding?"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Alina Chau's Marshmallow & Jordan is a middle-grade graphic novel about a disabled, sports-loving Jordan, and the magical elephant named Marshmallow who she befriends.

Jordan's days as star player for her school's basketball team ended when an accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. Now, she's still the team captain, but her competition days seem to be behind her...until an encounter with a mysterious elephant, who she names Marshmallow, helps Jordan discover a brand new sport.

Will water polo be the way for Jordan to continue her athletic dreams--or will it just come between Jordan and her best friends on the basketball team? And with the big tournament right around the corner, what secret is Marshmallow hiding?

Review Quotes

A Junior Library Guild selection

"A sweet story greatly enhanced by whimsical, heartfelt art."--Kirkus

"Indonesian terms and customs abound amid the cast of varying cultures, religions, and skin tones, and a tropical palette balances energetic action sequences and quiet wordless imagery in this feel-good graphic novel with sequel potential."--Publishers Weekly

"An enchanting graphic novel about a girl and her elephant with truly lovely artwork. Highly recommended."--School Library Journal

"From the first page, author-illustrator Chau's background in animation is clear: her soft and saturated watercolors immediately situate readers in the story's setting and close-knit community, with little text."--Horn Book

About the Author

Alina Chau is an award-winning filmmaker and artist. Her credits include the Emmy Award-winning Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, and numerous best-selling games. She illustrated The Nian Monster, which received the 2018 APALA Picture Book Honor. Her creative vision is strongly influenced by her Chinese-Indonesian upbringing. As a child, she was always fascinated by her grandmother's stories, colorful sarongs, and delicate wooden sculptures brought from Southeast Asia. The aroma of Indonesian food still brings back loving memories of sitting next to Grandma and drawing while Grandma prepared spices from scratch. Marshmallow & Jordan is inspired by the wonderful memories she and her grandmother shared.