The Golden Hour

by Niki Smith

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
88	9	308,508	(4.24)	1
After witnessing a violent attack at school, Manuel struggles with anxiety but his cell phone camera helps him find anchors when he dissociates, and an unexpected friendship opens up new possibilities.

all members

▾Members

Recently added by

transwa.org, maryriii, BackstoryBooks, ischoolccb, AlexisW13, ebredberg, boopingaround, arrmcdonald, ReubenWoods, shmusername

▾Tags

2022 (2) 4-H (2) agriculture clubs (1) anxiety (2) cameras (2) cattle farms (1) childrens graphic (1) cows (2) dissociating (1) farm (4) fiction (5) friendship (7) graphic (2) graphic novel (16) graphic novels (6) gun violence (2) lgbt (2) LGBTQ (5) mental health (4) middle grade (6) panic attacks (3) photography (5) PTSD (9) queer (2) read (2) romance (2) school shootings (2) therapy (2) to-read (9) trauma (3)

▾LibraryThing Recommendations

▾Lists

None

▾Will you like it?

▾Conversations (About links)

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 1 mention

▾Member reviews

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 9 (next | show all)

Gr 4–7—New friendships and photography help Manuel cope with post-traumatic stress disorder and panic attacks
after witnessing gun violence at school. Evocative artwork uses stark color changes and panel bleeds to convey
emotion. Depicting resilience, vulnerability, and a blossoming queer romance, this is a stunning portrayal of selfdiscovery in a rural setting.

BackstoryBooks | Apr 1, 2024 |

Perfectly paced and wholesome! Manuel’s dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event, triggering PTSD. He finds his anchor in photography, his friends, farming, and what seems to be the beginnings of a crush.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and loved the artwork. The way the author shows Manuel’s struggles were well-done. The tidbits about photography and composition were nice as well. (

)

DestDest | Dec 9, 2023 |

5/5

Jennitza | Dec 8, 2023 |

6/10, it was ok. (

)

Law_Books600 | Nov 3, 2023 |

The Golden Hour is a gorgeous graphic novel for teens that tells the difficult story of Manuel's experience with PTSD and the event that caused it. Manuel's story is handled gently with beautiful artwork and a lot of kindness, silliness, and support from new friends. (

)

kamlibrarian | Dec 23, 2022 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 9 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

no reviews | add a review

▾Other authors

» Add other authors

▾Series and work relationships

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Notable Lists

The Best Children's Books of the Year (2022)

Great Graphic Novels for Teens (2022)

Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List (Grades 3 – 5 – 2022)

New York Public Library Best Books: For Kids (Graphic Novels – 2021)

Read for Empathy Collections (Secondary Guide, Graphic & Verse Novels, Graphic & Verse Novels – 2023)

Red Dirt Reads (Nominee – High School – 2024)

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2021)

view history

▾Common Knowledge

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.

For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Canonical title

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2021-10

People/Characters

Important places

Kanwaka, Kansas, USA

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

To all the teachers who believed in me.

First words

I know this is really sudden, and this isn't how you were expecting to come back from spring break . . . If anyone needs someone to talk to, you can stop by the guidance counselor's offices anytime. Your teachers will be happy to write you a hall pass.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

▾Book descriptions

After witnessing a violent attack at school, Manuel struggles with anxiety but his cell phone camera helps him find anchors when he dissociates, and an unexpected friendship opens up new possibilities.

▾Library descriptions

No library descriptions found.

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Haiku summary