Hilda

An intense mother-daughter story in troll country

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am legitimately thankful that you read this newsletter. It’s why I keep writing. Now onto this week’s review.

We did graphic novels the last two times, so I figured I’d go ahead and make this a three-part miniseries. Time to meet…

The Series: Hilda
The Author/Illustrator: Luke Pearson
Length/Picture Density: 50-80 pages, graphic novel format

Let me get the warning out of the way first: this series will be too intense for some young readers.

Here are some of the things that happen in the first five books: some kids Hilda is trying to befriend throw rocks at a bird. Hilda becomes a troll and a troll baby takes her place in her home. As a troll, Hilda is temporarily turned to stone when she goes outside in the sunlight. A giant bad guy tricks Hilda into helping her by telling an elaborate lie.

(Also, I haven’t read past the first five, which tell a complete story. There are more, and while I have faith in this author, I can’t speak to those directly.)

The world of Hilda isn’t exceptionally cruel, but it’s got more cruelty than most kids’ books. I don’t mean to cast a dark cloud over the whole series, because most characters are neutral to good, but there is a meanness that comes out here and there that felt less cartoonish than most bad guys, like the ones you might find in a Roald Dahl book.

Okay, so that’s the price of admission, what do you get for it?

You get a compelling and beautifully told story.

Hilda’s story is a little like Everything Everywhere All At Once (the best movie I’ve seen in a long time (not for kids)) in that a bunch of crazy, fantastical stuff happens but it never loses sight of being about the growing pains of a family relationship.

Hilda is a free spirit, being raised by her single mom. In the beginning, she can freely explore the countryside, but then they move to the city where Hilda has to get by in a more drab environment and her mom is more freaked out by all the things that can happen to her.

We get a sense early on that there are supernatural elements to this world, but we don’t get the full extent until Hilda inevitably gets curious about the forbidden hillsides that are supposedly infested with trolls.

The humans in the area have learned to keep themselves safe from the trolls using their Achilles’ heel (mini spoiler redacted), but as the story unfolds we see what is taken for granted about the trolls being dangerous, and through Hilda’s curiosity we learn the deeper truth.

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There is plenty to work with there — the story of inquisitive and empathetic kid coming to understand a reviled species is the basic plot of How to Train Your Dragon and a lot of other stories that I could perhaps think of if Leo’s sister didn’t wake me up at 1am last night. Anyway, these books take that trope and adds a much more substantial layer of depth by bringing Hilda’s mom into the middle of the narrative.

In the My Father’s Dragon series, the protagonist, Elmer Elevator, runs away for two weeks, comes back with a bunch of valuable objects which he gives to his parents, and his parents basically just shrug and say, “Kids these days!”

Hilda’s mom is a much more realistic parental figure. She’s frazzled and frayed, and occasionally snaps at Hilda for not respecting bounds that will make her, the mom, feel sane and in control. Hilda doesn’t feel like she’s in danger and wants to explore. The mom is loving but also stretched thin and can’t handle a rebellious daughter, especially solo.

When Hilda does run into trouble, the mom has to think like her daughter to save her, and they learn to trust and love each other in a new way. All while swinging through an epic and surreal troll adventure.

The illustrations are beautiful without being especially ornate. They don’t oversimplify the story, but don’t take it over either.

These are a lot to handle, but they’re awesome.

There’s also a Netflix series, which I haven’t watched. Please drop a quick review in the comments if you have!