Who Owns the Clouds? Written by Mario Brassard and illustrated by Gerard DuBois. Translated by Yvette Ghione. Tundra, Penguin Random House, 2023. $25.99 ages 13 and up

"The same dream night after night:

I'm standing in line with my family, 
holding a suitcase. 

The line is endless. No one knows what 
it's for. 

The line moves so slowly that a crow sometimes 
comes and perches on my shoulder. He must mistake 
me for a statue. 

The photo that graces the title page of the book is of the narrator of this thought-provoking, vivid YA graphic novel about war and its trauma for so many. Mila is the young girl in the photo that her father took just before they left there home for safety. The story is told by Mila 25 years later, living in a new place where she has a home. She knows she's 'different from other people'. How could she not be, given all that happened as her family fled their war-torn country. 

Before leaving, Mila spent her time sleeping and dreaming, while trying to avoid thinking about the noise, the bombs, the smoke that was ever-present. She dreamt of the long line they shared with others, always wondering what was coming. All the villagers talked about the line, and the clouds that hung over their heads. Were they smoke? When they could take the worry and terror no longer, she and her family joined the line in hopes of finding refuge somewhere. 

"The line went on for days, and the days went on for weeks. 
I don't really know if I was sleeping or if I was awake."

Today, although her family has different memories of the road they took, they find themselves together still. 

Grim, sepia-toned illustrations capture the events of the child's days on the road. They will remind readers of old photos that carry memories of earlier, and often unforgiving times. Every image adds to this powerful story. Both dramatic and traumatic, this graphic novel will live long in the reader's mind.