It’s Ignacio’s (Iggy) first day of High School and his popular big brother gives him some advice, which boils down to – don’t embarrass him.

From the very first day, things don’t go to plan. He has been entered into Spanish class instead of French class. He tries to object but soon realises there might be a good reason to stay in Spanish class. That reason is a girl called Kristi.

At home with his family, his dad asks him to fetch something from the basement for him. Iggy comes across an urn and quickly realises it’s his grandfather’s (Abuelito) ashes.

Creeped out he fumbles and the urn smashes – with horrifying results. His abuelito is now with him constantly. Not only with free Spanish lessons advice, but advice about impressing Kristi. Most of it, it turns out…is terrible.

Iggy turns to someone else who might be able to help with Spanish. Marisol is someone he bumped into (literally) on is first day. As he gets to know her, he learns that she works hard – at her studies, and after work in a cleaning job with her parents. She does not have legal papers for their country of USA.

This becomes much more stressful as the 2016 US election looms and Trump slanders families like Marisol’s.

Division occurs both in school and home as the election looms, and Iggy learns even more about Marisol.

This full colour graphic novel is the perfect window into a divisive and stressful time for many during the 2016 US Election. Many issues were thrown about as electoral promises and lies, and Call Me Iggy shows the human toll of it, even in high school.

It’s essentially a story about belonging, identity, and being proud of it. Iggy prefers this nick name to his full Ignacio which his Columbian parents named him – but through a ghostly connection with his grandfather, begins to dig deeper into his roots.

Although set in America around the historic 2016 elections, Iggy’s identity journey is the same around the world.

Author – Jorge Aguirre

Illustrator – Rafael Rosado

Age – 13+

(2024, School, Immigration, Mexican, Columbian, Legal Papers, Cleaning job, Family, Secret, Ghost, Graphic Novel, Spanish lessons, Crush, Siblings, Brothers, High School, Identity, Generations, Ancestors)