Chickenpox by Remy Lai

Title: Chickenpox

Author: Remy Lai

Genre: Graphic novel

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 4^th February 2025

Format: Paperback

Pages: 240

Price: $19.99

Synopsis: A contagiously funny graphic novel from bestselling creator Remy Lai. Abby and her four younger siblings are itching to escape their house – literally. Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier.

Abby Lai is sick of being trapped at home with her FOUR younger siblings! All she wants is to spend more time with her friends, far away from the sticky fingers and snooping eyes of her annoying brothers and sisters. But when a case of chickenpox leaves the Lai kids covered in scratchy red spots and stuck at home for two weeks of nonstop mayhem, Abby thinks this might be the end … of her sanity. Yet she feels responsible for the situation, since her best friend was Patient Zero and brought chickenpox into their home.

Will the itch to escape her siblings overwhelm Abby or will she realise being a big sister isn’t all bad? Full of heart and hijinks, Chickenpox showcases what gets us through good times and bad: family.

A funny and absorbing graphic novel by the award-winning creator of Ghost Book and Pawcasso.

~*~

Remy Lai is back – with a fun family story drawn from her own family experiences. Abby is the oldest of five siblings, and one day she has her friends, Monica and Julia over – which kicks off the story about Abby and her siblings being stuck at home in quarantine with chicken pox for a week. And as the week goes on, Abby starts to get sick and tired of being stuck with her siblings, who always get into her stuff, poke into her fun and in general, Abby feels, get away with everything. Even when they start it, because Abby has to be the ‘good sibling’, and should know better because she is the oldest. And now, they are stuck in the house together. Abby just wants to go back to school to hang out with Julia and Monica – and is tired of her siblings and everyone thinking she is in love with Sandy, one of the boys in her class. Poor Abby – she’s at the end of her tether, but also feels guilty because her best friend was the one who brought the chickenpox into the house. What follows is a story of sibling hijinks, rivalry, friendship and growing up in the mid-1990s in Indonesia that reflects how much we can misunderstand people or assume things that may not be true.

Remy and her family grew up in Indonesia, before the chicken pox vaccine was available, and this novel is peppered with little explanatory notes that give historical context to the story, and explain what chickenpox is and how it can affect people, and the need to quarantine and stay away from other people until the virus is out of your system. In doing so, she shows that dealing with chickenpox is a serious matter, but using her trademark humour and fun graphic novel illustrations can be exhausting at times, interesting at others, and filled with worry as well. It also shows what a world without vaccinations can be like in a child-friendly way and how getting sick in this time was dealt with. It is done sensitively to show what life was like and what it can be like without vaccinations, and I feel is a timely message in today’s world.

I did feel for Abby, who just wanted some peace and quiet at times, and time to herself without her siblings getting into everything, and when she wanted her own space. And she wanted to get along with her friends and siblings. Her frustrations were understandable, and Remy captured them in sensitive and easy to understand ways. Everyone gets frustrated at times with all sorts of things, and siblings are one of those things that can make anyone at any age annoyed. This book is fun and sensitive, and filled with honesty as well. It’s a fun book as well, that shows us feelings are valid and there are ways to spend time with family whilst also being ourselves and with our friends. This is another fun Remy Lai book that is sure to entertain readers.