We know the story of Curveball it is a “It is more fun to play the game than to be played by the game.” But Pablo Cartaya has a few curveballs tossed in as well. We follow a young girl who loves competition and sports, especially baseball. Or does she? Or is her mother trying to live vicariously through her, pushing her to be the best as she couldn’t be? And to keep the family tradition alive so that she can have the opportunities her mother couldn’t have and grandmother tasted a bit, but not to the extent her granddaughter could. Of course, with some new friends and her quirky brother, she learns to have fun and to play as a team of friends and not just people you are on a team with.
We also bring into some fantasy elements and LARP (Live Action Role Playing) action. There is one small trigger issue with the death of the parents of one of the other girls, but overall handled well. It also shows how we need to heal our own way, like making the decision to play or not to play on our terms and not forced into. And we see the adults have a few learning opportunities as well. Miguel Díaz Rivas made colorful and simple (but not simplistic) illustrations allowing the scenes to unfold and the LARPing sessions understood better. They are typical comic/graphic novel/cartoon images that are bubbly, warm, and friendly. You know things are safe and there will be a Happily Ever After, even if the road there has a few strikes in our character’s way.
We deal with grief, finding yourself, your family, your interests and going outside your comfort zone. There is a humorous arc that has the grandmother of a character look the part of an evil sorceress, an awesome grandfather that knows everything and lots of love. The only issue I had was there was some Spanish spoken without translation, but for the most part you could tell by context.
