What do you think?
Rate this book
Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid
Molly Bauer's first year of college is not the picture-perfect piece of art she'd always envisioned. On day one at PICA, Molly discovers that—through some horrible twist of fate—her full-ride scholarship has vanished! But the ancient texts (PICA's dusty financial aid documents) reveal a loophole. If Molly and 9 other art students win a single game of softball, they'll receive a massive athletic scholarship. Can Molly's crew of ragtag artists succeed in softball without dropping the ball?
The author of the New York Times best-selling Check, Please series, Ngozi Ukazu returns with debut artist Madeline Rupert to bring an energetic young adult story about authenticity, old vs. new, and college failure. It also poses the question: “Is art school worth it?”
The author of the New York Times best-selling Check, Please series, Ngozi Ukazu returns with debut artist Madeline Rupert to bring an energetic young adult story about authenticity, old vs. new, and college failure. It also poses the question: “Is art school worth it?”
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 13, 2024
About the author
Ngozi Ukazu
19 books1,212 followersNgozi Ukazu is an American cartoonist and graphic novelist. She is the author of the online graphic novel series Check, Please!. She studied at Yale University and the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
March 1, 2024
Molly grew up in Peachtree, Georgia, in her lesbian moms' hardware store, in the shadow of the town's prestigious and expensive art college, PICA. Every since she can remember, she's wanted to attend PICA- despite the fact that her best friend dropped out last year and says the school chews people up and spits them out. But Molly got a full ride scholarship, so her first semester should be a breeze, right? No! Because when she shows up to orientation, no one can find her scholarship or even her registration. It turns Molly will have to pay for her first year after all; she takes out some dodgy loans and scours the financial aid booklets for any other scholarship she can apply for. It turns out, if she can scrape up a full team of softball players... and they compete against other college teams in the same division... and they win at least one game over the course of the semester... the whole team gets a free tuition! Is it possible to win one game with a bunch of big-ego, burned-out, athletically-challenged artists? I loved the energy of this story, with many well-informed digs at art school culture and hypocrisy. The team has great chemistry and the art style is full of action, physical humor, and delightfully expressive cartooning.
March 13, 2024
“THERE ARE NO FURRIES IN SOFTBALL!!!”
I loved every second of this silly little story! All the characters were unique and fun, and I have never laughed so hard over a graphic novel before. I also appreciated the critiques of private education and the wonderful portrayal of teamwork and bonding!
September 21, 2023
If you’ve ever gone to art school and/or dropped out of art school (me), you will obviously enjoy this. Mad Rupert’s art is SO solid and silly and brings a lot of range to the characters. I was charmed!! I was endeared!!!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 5, 2024
My fave graphic novel so far this year!
After reading Check, Please! back in 2022 I was eager to see more from this creator. This was a hilarious and heartfelt story about a girl who’s desperate to get into art school and help change her community. When her financial aid lapses, she is forced to try to scam her way to a scholarship by creating a softball team.
I loved the ragtag group that is formed for the team. They were all so cute and funny in their own way. And as art school weirdos, they had such big personalities. I loved seeing them interact and try to get to know each other and get along.
The romance between the characters was also very cute. I loved the fantastic rep and the chemistry between everyone.
Deep down this book is about the predatory nature of fanatical aid and higher education. It shows rhetorical lengths that students go and how stressed they are to try to afford to go to college. As someone who is currently in debt, I appreciated the message. While I don’t think college is a bad idea, I don’t think it’s for everyone. Adored this graphic novel and can’t wait for more!
After reading Check, Please! back in 2022 I was eager to see more from this creator. This was a hilarious and heartfelt story about a girl who’s desperate to get into art school and help change her community. When her financial aid lapses, she is forced to try to scam her way to a scholarship by creating a softball team.
I loved the ragtag group that is formed for the team. They were all so cute and funny in their own way. And as art school weirdos, they had such big personalities. I loved seeing them interact and try to get to know each other and get along.
The romance between the characters was also very cute. I loved the fantastic rep and the chemistry between everyone.
Deep down this book is about the predatory nature of fanatical aid and higher education. It shows rhetorical lengths that students go and how stressed they are to try to afford to go to college. As someone who is currently in debt, I appreciated the message. While I don’t think college is a bad idea, I don’t think it’s for everyone. Adored this graphic novel and can’t wait for more!
February 6, 2024
Having read and loved Check, Please!, I had high hopes for this book. Maybe I should have lowered them before I read it and I would have enjoyed it a bit more.
The writing was classic Ukazu. Very funny and chaotic. As well, there was a wacky cast of characters that all attended this art school. They all needed extra funds for one reason or another (or just wanted more friends!). It was fun to see how this group of characters from all different backgrounds and with completely different interests played off of each other. That's a good way to get some interesting dialogue.
The plot was a bit boring to me, if we're being honest. I stuck around because the writing was funny enough, but I wasn't sucked in. The magic and chemistry I felt in Check, Please! wasn't quite here for this book. Maybe that's because I love Bittle so much and it's hard to find a main character to compare to him. I don't know. But this book was missing that thing.
Overall, this was an okay read. If you like a ragtag, kooky cast of characters and enjoy graphic novels, you'll probably enjoy this one. Otherwise, check back in when Ukazu realizes their next novel.
The writing was classic Ukazu. Very funny and chaotic. As well, there was a wacky cast of characters that all attended this art school. They all needed extra funds for one reason or another (or just wanted more friends!). It was fun to see how this group of characters from all different backgrounds and with completely different interests played off of each other. That's a good way to get some interesting dialogue.
The plot was a bit boring to me, if we're being honest. I stuck around because the writing was funny enough, but I wasn't sucked in. The magic and chemistry I felt in Check, Please! wasn't quite here for this book. Maybe that's because I love Bittle so much and it's hard to find a main character to compare to him. I don't know. But this book was missing that thing.
Overall, this was an okay read. If you like a ragtag, kooky cast of characters and enjoy graphic novels, you'll probably enjoy this one. Otherwise, check back in when Ukazu realizes their next novel.
July 24, 2023
*4.25 Stars*
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Molly Bauer has lived her whole life in a university town. And all she's ever wanted was go to said university, PICA. But on orientation day, she finds out her grant has been rescinded and she can't actually attend school unless she comes up with the cash. She takes on a bunch of loans and finds out she can get a scholarship if she's part of a softball team that wins at least a game. So it's recruitment time! But not all is done, now they actually have to find the people and actually train them... And what if PICA wasn't actually the paradise Molly always thought it was?
I really liked this book. It was a fun, fast read and just overall captivating. I liked the talks of gentrification, of the problems with the whole university system as a whole. And I really liked the characters, Molly, of course, but also the other people on the team. It had me rooting for so many of them. I was into the story from beginning to end, I just wished it had been a little bit longer, that we could have gone deeper on some topics and storylines. Overall, though, this was simply very good and I had a good time with it. And I really liked the illustrations as well.
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Molly Bauer has lived her whole life in a university town. And all she's ever wanted was go to said university, PICA. But on orientation day, she finds out her grant has been rescinded and she can't actually attend school unless she comes up with the cash. She takes on a bunch of loans and finds out she can get a scholarship if she's part of a softball team that wins at least a game. So it's recruitment time! But not all is done, now they actually have to find the people and actually train them... And what if PICA wasn't actually the paradise Molly always thought it was?
I really liked this book. It was a fun, fast read and just overall captivating. I liked the talks of gentrification, of the problems with the whole university system as a whole. And I really liked the characters, Molly, of course, but also the other people on the team. It had me rooting for so many of them. I was into the story from beginning to end, I just wished it had been a little bit longer, that we could have gone deeper on some topics and storylines. Overall, though, this was simply very good and I had a good time with it. And I really liked the illustrations as well.
February 24, 2024
"That's part of being on a team. You can't pick and choose when it hurts."
March 17, 2024
I loved this!! I've been anticipating this book for ages and it didn't disappoint. I've been a fan of "Check, Please!" for so long, and this book has a similar tone. Molly is such a wonderful protagonist! The story is light and fun while still touching on deeper topics (gentrification, student debt, furries). The illustrations are detailed, vibrant, and dynamic--especially the panels depicting the softball games.
September 26, 2023
If I had a nickel for every time a Ngozi Ukazu graphic novel got me interested in a sport that I previously knew nothing about, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
Bunt! is the perfect graphic novel for college students to read, especially first-generation students who are trying to navigate the college experience and financial aid for the first time or by themselves. Nothing bonds people together more than a mutual dislike of financial aid departments and generally frustrating institutions, which is exactly what brings most of the wonderful cast of Bunt! together in the first place.
I consumed this book in one sitting, and I wish it never ended. The authors have a talent for making large casts of little weirdos so loveable and hilarious. Each character is so unique and strange in their own way, you can't help but be intrigued (even while simultaneously cringing in some moments), and the story is full of plenty of laugh out loud moments.
I desperately hope we can see more of these characters in some capacity in the future, whether it's doodles posted online from the authors or a short story or even a sequel of some sort. I feel like the ending is satisfying as-is, but it could also lead into another book exploring what happens with Molly and Susanna.
This is a great read that I plan on buying the physical copy of and would highly recommend, especially for fans of Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu.
Thanks to Netgalley and First Second Books for a copy of this ARC.
Bunt! is the perfect graphic novel for college students to read, especially first-generation students who are trying to navigate the college experience and financial aid for the first time or by themselves. Nothing bonds people together more than a mutual dislike of financial aid departments and generally frustrating institutions, which is exactly what brings most of the wonderful cast of Bunt! together in the first place.
I consumed this book in one sitting, and I wish it never ended. The authors have a talent for making large casts of little weirdos so loveable and hilarious. Each character is so unique and strange in their own way, you can't help but be intrigued (even while simultaneously cringing in some moments), and the story is full of plenty of laugh out loud moments.
I desperately hope we can see more of these characters in some capacity in the future, whether it's doodles posted online from the authors or a short story or even a sequel of some sort. I feel like the ending is satisfying as-is, but it could also lead into another book exploring what happens with Molly and Susanna.
This is a great read that I plan on buying the physical copy of and would highly recommend, especially for fans of Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu.
Thanks to Netgalley and First Second Books for a copy of this ARC.
June 29, 2023
Softball and financial aid. Not two subjects I would see put in the same story, but it works. The story is also about a band of misfits who come together to play a game they know nothing about, to end up fighting for what they believe in and making life long friendships. I will say that the story sometimes seems a little jerky, bouncing from character to character. There were times I had to go back and reread a page or two. Great graphics, all the same color as the fictional PICA University. Thanks NetGalley and First Second Books for the arc.
March 4, 2024
ARC courtesy of the publisher.
Full review: https://noflyingnotights.com/blog/202...
Full review: https://noflyingnotights.com/blog/202...
February 23, 2024
HONEST TO GOD 5 STARS THIS TIME GUYS, THIS IS A HISTORICAL MOMENT! OMG!! this is the first graphic novel I've rated 5 stars after I started reading consistently! (Technically, that's what I thought about "Snapdragon", but I read that back in 2022 and didn't log it...) And thank you to my Booksta mutual, Raven, for recommending this one on her Goodreads! I haven’t read “Check, Please” yet, so this is my first experience with Ngozi Ukazu’s work, but it’s definitely not going to be the last!
All the characters had large personalities that just oozed off the page, from some absolutely hilarious dialogue to impeccable designs! They truly felt like college students, in all their essence. (Virginia Slaughter was my favorite of the teammates!!! <3 perhaps i just love tall scary women but also her & her country family were so goofy + her relationship with Jasmine was so cute) Despite this, they meshed with each other very well on-page, and the progression of their companionship/group dynamic felt believable. I got the ending spoiled for me unfortunately(well..half of it) so I was expecting it, but all I'll say is that it's unconventional for a story like this, but leads to some cool character growth with Molly! Molly in particular changes more than expected throughout the story, but for the good.
Also, the rep!! Of course there's queer people in the main cast, the main setting is an art school. Fork found in kitchen. But!! We got sprinklings of adorable sapphic romance(loved the chemistry) and an oddball nonbinary character in the form of Kaci. That was pretty cool to see. (+ the cast is of all different shapes and sizes, which isn't just neat on a silhouette/design level but also for diversity y’know??)
While this is a lighthearted, silly read, it also works well as a satire about how colleges prey on students. This is an unbelievable, fictional story yes, but it shows the downsides of depending on financial aid, and the lengths Molly goes to not only try to save herself from debt, but also to follow a dream that she steadily becomes more unsure of.
I think that should be all my thoughts, or at least a good place to cap things off unless I want to truly go off the rails and ramble? TL;DR: please, go read this book!!!
All the characters had large personalities that just oozed off the page, from some absolutely hilarious dialogue to impeccable designs! They truly felt like college students, in all their essence. (Virginia Slaughter was my favorite of the teammates!!! <3 perhaps i just love tall scary women but also her & her country family were so goofy + her relationship with Jasmine was so cute) Despite this, they meshed with each other very well on-page, and the progression of their companionship/group dynamic felt believable. I got the ending spoiled for me unfortunately(well..half of it) so I was expecting it, but all I'll say is that it's unconventional for a story like this, but leads to some cool character growth with Molly! Molly in particular changes more than expected throughout the story, but for the good.
Also, the rep!! Of course there's queer people in the main cast, the main setting is an art school. Fork found in kitchen. But!! We got sprinklings of adorable sapphic romance(loved the chemistry) and an oddball nonbinary character in the form of Kaci. That was pretty cool to see. (+ the cast is of all different shapes and sizes, which isn't just neat on a silhouette/design level but also for diversity y’know??)
While this is a lighthearted, silly read, it also works well as a satire about how colleges prey on students. This is an unbelievable, fictional story yes, but it shows the downsides of depending on financial aid, and the lengths Molly goes to not only try to save herself from debt, but also to follow a dream that she steadily becomes more unsure of.
I think that should be all my thoughts, or at least a good place to cap things off unless I want to truly go off the rails and ramble? TL;DR: please, go read this book!!!
February 6, 2024
Molly is an incoming freshman who is thrilled to be attending PICA, a prestigious art university in her hometown when she discovers her scholarship has fallen through. Afraid to tell her two moms, she researches other options and finds a loophole that enables her to earn an athletic scholarship if she can field a softball team and win at least one game. There is the expected comedy of errors as she assembles a motley group of artists and wrangles her art school drop-out best friend to coach them. Molly is depicted as Black, and her group of teammates is a diverse mix of different cultures, sexualities and sizes.
Author Ngozi Ukazu, known for her popular Check, Please graphic novel duology, has once again created an appealing coming-of-age college narrative. Illustrator Mad Rupert has a fun and cartoony art style, bringing the college campus and ragtag team to life. However, a lot is stuffed into the story, as it touches on gentrification, school loans and whether paying for school is worth it, but then the entire story receives a feel-good but unrealistic conclusion.
Verdict: This breezy graphic novel tries a bit too hard to check all the boxes, but nevertheless is a charming story that will have readers rooting for Molly to persevere against the odds.
I read and reviewed this book for the School Library Journal magazine.
Author Ngozi Ukazu, known for her popular Check, Please graphic novel duology, has once again created an appealing coming-of-age college narrative. Illustrator Mad Rupert has a fun and cartoony art style, bringing the college campus and ragtag team to life. However, a lot is stuffed into the story, as it touches on gentrification, school loans and whether paying for school is worth it, but then the entire story receives a feel-good but unrealistic conclusion.
Verdict: This breezy graphic novel tries a bit too hard to check all the boxes, but nevertheless is a charming story that will have readers rooting for Molly to persevere against the odds.
I read and reviewed this book for the School Library Journal magazine.
Shelved as 'read-comix'
March 4, 2024“Win or lose, whatever decision you make will be the right one. You’ve worked your ass off to get into PICA, you’ve worked your ass off to stay at PICA. If you leave, you’ll just work your ass off somewhere else. For something else.”
PICA, Peachtree Institute of Collegiate Arts, is Molly’s dream school, and she’s set to start her freshman year on a full scholarship. Until she isn’t.
She discovers that PICA awards a sport scholarship to every member of a team that wins at least one varsity-level game, so she has the bright idea to start a softball team. With her best friend Ryan’s assistance, they round up a racially diverse group of artists with varying degrees of athletic ability to play!
The whole cast and story were delightful. Each character was fully developed and their individual personalities really shined. I was smiling and laughing at their antics the entire time. It was the charm of CHECK, PLEASE combined with the humor of SAKANA, which was the perfect combination. I need to find a crew like this to play softball with.
Student loans suck. The debt is so stressful, but so is being pressured to attend college. I appreciated how this topic was handled with humor, and the book also shed some light on gentrification.
PICA, Peachtree Institute of Collegiate Arts, is Molly’s dream school, and she’s set to start her freshman year on a full scholarship. Until she isn’t.
She discovers that PICA awards a sport scholarship to every member of a team that wins at least one varsity-level game, so she has the bright idea to start a softball team. With her best friend Ryan’s assistance, they round up a racially diverse group of artists with varying degrees of athletic ability to play!
The whole cast and story were delightful. Each character was fully developed and their individual personalities really shined. I was smiling and laughing at their antics the entire time. It was the charm of CHECK, PLEASE combined with the humor of SAKANA, which was the perfect combination. I need to find a crew like this to play softball with.
Student loans suck. The debt is so stressful, but so is being pressured to attend college. I appreciated how this topic was handled with humor, and the book also shed some light on gentrification.
January 2, 2024
This was SO much fun! I have had my eye out for Ukazu to put something new out since absolutely LOVING her earlier queer hockey romance series, Check, Please! This did not disappoint! Although less focused on the squishy delectable romance, this is another sports-centric college graphic novel, this time set at an expensive private art school. This was a super satisfying story of decidedly (mostly) un-sporty art kids banding together on the field. If you love fish out of water, found family, sticking it to the man, and a tiny bit of queer romance (and some *hilarious* misquoted titles and sayings, seriously, guffawed so loudly) - this is a grand slam. (Did I do that sports right?)
October 23, 2023
I had no idea this would be coming out, so when I came across a glowing review on Instagram, I RAN to request it. And I had an absolutely amazing time reading it. It's utterly delightful. It's so funny, with a rag-tag team of characters who worked so well together and provided so much chaos. I could see myself rereading this loads!
March 4, 2024
A really cool graphic novel about a young woman who finds out her first day of freshman year at her dream school, that she doesn’t have any financial aid.
When she finds out that she could be eligible for a scholarship if she forms a softball team and wins one game. Enter a ragtag group of individuals who work hard, and play harder. This was a fun and endearing read. I enjoyed it.
When she finds out that she could be eligible for a scholarship if she forms a softball team and wins one game. Enter a ragtag group of individuals who work hard, and play harder. This was a fun and endearing read. I enjoyed it.
December 29, 2023
4 stars
A cute, silly, and heartfelt little tale!
A cute, silly, and heartfelt little tale!
March 10, 2024
Wasn't expecting this to give me so much anxiety, but with a kid being unclear on her art school paper work, here we are.
Read
March 13, 2024Very good. Love the art and Ngozi is always killer with stories.
April 10, 2024
The body representation. The personality representation. The different backgrounds representation. Babyyyy, it was a good read.
March 11, 2024
Everything Ngozi writes is just charming and funny and so damn good! The art by Mad Rupert is also just so fantastic! It brings the characters to life and made me giggle. I sent several panels and pages to friends to try and get them to read it!
March 27, 2024
This felt like a surface level book where "it was inside you all along." If any part of this story went a bit deeper it would have been on another level.
May 9, 2023
the FUNNIEST graphic novel i’ve ever read!!!
love all these characters (especially kwan and kavi lol). this was so much fun <3
love all these characters (especially kwan and kavi lol). this was so much fun <3
March 18, 2024
I wanted to like this more than I did. I appreciate the wacky, diverse cast of characters- but some of them come across more as stereotypes than anything else. It was also a bit slow and predictable. Not a bad read, but just ok.
December 8, 2023
A typical graphic novel where the main characters trying to go to art school, but her scholarship is revoked. She goes for a new scholarship where she has to put a team together to play softball. The characters are very immature especially for being college students. The characters in the pictures were tails and cat ears and wings. I guess that’s because they are students and art students are quirky? The plot is very basic, the characters feel very immature and are struggling with problems that seem more like a high school or young adult dilemma. The art was fun to watch the characters expressions but overall this was a very average graphic novel.
February 13, 2024
Rating: 5
Genre: Realistic
Thank you First Second Books for providing an e-copy through NetGalley
Summary:
Molly Bauer has dreamed of attending PICA, the prestigious art college of her hometown. But the moment she steps foot on campus, her hopes are utterly destroyed. Her name isn’t on any of the freshmen lists because her full-ride scholarship has completely disappeared! There is no way she can attend without it, but she refuses to tell her struggling parents. After stressful research, Molly finds a loophole in the school policies: If she forms a sports team and they win one game, she and the whole team can receive an athletic scholarship. Determined to beat the system, Molly brings together a ragtag crew of artists - from steamer furries, to shy port artists, to snarky designers, confident fashionistas, and troubled sports fans, - and recruits them to join her brand new. With the help of a PICA dropout and best friend, can Molly and her crew become good enough at softball to win one game and triumph over the academic financial system? Or is it all for nothing?
What I Liked:
Bunt! is a hilarious and honest look at art school, from its rigorous and overwhelming workload, to its massive debt and the lengths as which students have to succeed, asking the overarching question: Is art school worth it? Molly as a protagonist is fantastic - funny, energetic, intelligent, and passionate to see her plan through and get to her dreams. Throughout the story, Molly realizes that her dreams aren’t so pretty in reality and that sometimes, in order to be happy, they have to change. Each of her friends bring wildly different backgrounds, energies, and support, with character designs that reflect their personalities. Each never loses that spark, and readers will love the whole softball team, both as individuals and as a whole. The art style is bright, cartoonish, and expressive, reminiscent of Scott Pilgrim, bringing light-hearted joy and amusement as readers watch the team learn, struggle, and slowly crawl to victory. Underneath the crazy hijinks and fun personalities of the crew lies the serious undertones of how massive college debt, inane and predatory academic policies, and stressful assignments affect young adults and budding artists, discouraging many for a number of factors. Is it worth it to put yourself through such stress just to be in a near financial crisis in your adulthood? Overall, Bunt! is a wonderful graphic novel for young aspiring artists who want a fun yet contemplative story about finding friends, making solutions to large problems, and realizing dreams can change, many times for the better.
What I Didn’t Like: Nothing!
Review Date: February 13, 2023
Genre: Realistic
Thank you First Second Books for providing an e-copy through NetGalley
Summary:
Molly Bauer has dreamed of attending PICA, the prestigious art college of her hometown. But the moment she steps foot on campus, her hopes are utterly destroyed. Her name isn’t on any of the freshmen lists because her full-ride scholarship has completely disappeared! There is no way she can attend without it, but she refuses to tell her struggling parents. After stressful research, Molly finds a loophole in the school policies: If she forms a sports team and they win one game, she and the whole team can receive an athletic scholarship. Determined to beat the system, Molly brings together a ragtag crew of artists - from steamer furries, to shy port artists, to snarky designers, confident fashionistas, and troubled sports fans, - and recruits them to join her brand new. With the help of a PICA dropout and best friend, can Molly and her crew become good enough at softball to win one game and triumph over the academic financial system? Or is it all for nothing?
What I Liked:
Bunt! is a hilarious and honest look at art school, from its rigorous and overwhelming workload, to its massive debt and the lengths as which students have to succeed, asking the overarching question: Is art school worth it? Molly as a protagonist is fantastic - funny, energetic, intelligent, and passionate to see her plan through and get to her dreams. Throughout the story, Molly realizes that her dreams aren’t so pretty in reality and that sometimes, in order to be happy, they have to change. Each of her friends bring wildly different backgrounds, energies, and support, with character designs that reflect their personalities. Each never loses that spark, and readers will love the whole softball team, both as individuals and as a whole. The art style is bright, cartoonish, and expressive, reminiscent of Scott Pilgrim, bringing light-hearted joy and amusement as readers watch the team learn, struggle, and slowly crawl to victory. Underneath the crazy hijinks and fun personalities of the crew lies the serious undertones of how massive college debt, inane and predatory academic policies, and stressful assignments affect young adults and budding artists, discouraging many for a number of factors. Is it worth it to put yourself through such stress just to be in a near financial crisis in your adulthood? Overall, Bunt! is a wonderful graphic novel for young aspiring artists who want a fun yet contemplative story about finding friends, making solutions to large problems, and realizing dreams can change, many times for the better.
What I Didn’t Like: Nothing!
Review Date: February 13, 2023
April 2, 2024
Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid is another hit by Ngozi Ukazu, and the artwork by Mad Rupert captures Ukazu's fun and energetic storytelling style.
PICA is no different from every other university out there. You think everything is perfect, that you are starting a new phase of your life then suddenly you find out that there is some sort of issue with your financial aid. Some scholarship doesn't pull through, or a cost you weren't aware of makes itself known within the first week, or a loan you were banking on is suddenly denied and you are left wondering how in the world are you going to afford the semester, let alone the year. I certainly was one of those kids when I started college, and I took on predatory loans and scrimped and scrounged for money where I could.
Molly Bauer faces this reality when she finds out the full ride she was guaranteed actually fell through and now she has to come up with thousands of dollars so she can attend PICA. She desperately wants to go to PICA because its her home school. She's lived across the street from it her whole life. Molly decides that she'll have to find a way to get the scholarship money she needs to continue attending PICA by finding an obscure loophole in the PICA guide that states a sports team that manages to win one game during its season will be guaranteed a scholarship.
Easy enough! Molly decides to form a softball team...at an art school...
What follows is a wonderful story about friendship, gaming a system preying on overworked students, and realizing that there are some things more important than money.
When I first started reading, I had a hard time keeping up with the pace. The story was a bit erratic and zany, so I had to stop reading a few times to really wrap my head around it. Once my brain did catch up with the speed of the story, it was smooth sailing. The characters are so vibrant and fun. Everybody felt familiar, as if these were people I knew in real life. (My college was hardly as fun despite being an art and architecture university, but my best friend went to an art college and the people she met were just as colorful and talented as the characters present in this story.)
The romance is subtle but present between Molly and Suzanna. I found myself loving everything about this graphic novel. The only thing that I wish we had gotten more of was some backstory on the other characters. I wanted to know more about Molly's best friend and the rest of the friends on the softball team. I would definitely love to see more if there was ever a continuation, but this also ends on a very satisfying note.
PICA is no different from every other university out there. You think everything is perfect, that you are starting a new phase of your life then suddenly you find out that there is some sort of issue with your financial aid. Some scholarship doesn't pull through, or a cost you weren't aware of makes itself known within the first week, or a loan you were banking on is suddenly denied and you are left wondering how in the world are you going to afford the semester, let alone the year. I certainly was one of those kids when I started college, and I took on predatory loans and scrimped and scrounged for money where I could.
Molly Bauer faces this reality when she finds out the full ride she was guaranteed actually fell through and now she has to come up with thousands of dollars so she can attend PICA. She desperately wants to go to PICA because its her home school. She's lived across the street from it her whole life. Molly decides that she'll have to find a way to get the scholarship money she needs to continue attending PICA by finding an obscure loophole in the PICA guide that states a sports team that manages to win one game during its season will be guaranteed a scholarship.
Easy enough! Molly decides to form a softball team...at an art school...
What follows is a wonderful story about friendship, gaming a system preying on overworked students, and realizing that there are some things more important than money.
When I first started reading, I had a hard time keeping up with the pace. The story was a bit erratic and zany, so I had to stop reading a few times to really wrap my head around it. Once my brain did catch up with the speed of the story, it was smooth sailing. The characters are so vibrant and fun. Everybody felt familiar, as if these were people I knew in real life. (My college was hardly as fun despite being an art and architecture university, but my best friend went to an art college and the people she met were just as colorful and talented as the characters present in this story.)
The romance is subtle but present between Molly and Suzanna. I found myself loving everything about this graphic novel. The only thing that I wish we had gotten more of was some backstory on the other characters. I wanted to know more about Molly's best friend and the rest of the friends on the softball team. I would definitely love to see more if there was ever a continuation, but this also ends on a very satisfying note.
April 7, 2024
Molly’s dream of attending her favorite art and design school, PICA, is dashed early when a snafu at the financial aid office means her full-ride scholarship has suddenly vanished. Despondent and determined to make her dreams a reality, Molly scours the school’s obscure legal documentation and finds an interesting loophole - all she has to do is form an athletic team and win a single game that year to have her (and her teammates’) tuition fully covered. But PICA’s students are not the stellar athletes she was hoping for, so her softball team continues to struggle. Will they be able to pull out the win they so desperately need?
Bunt! is a graphic novel about a student trying to game the tuition system at her elite art school after mysterious legal precedents take away her full-ride scholarship. It’s fiction but has some parallels to real-life issues with college financial aid - complicated scholarship requirements, vague communication, and high-interest loans that can really put a drag on any student’s bright future. Molly finds a really obscure athletic scholarship in her school’s offerings that just might work - and she only needs a team good enough to win a single game. There’s a cast of characters across a diverse spectrum, all with different quirks, who Molly starts to form into a team. It becomes clear that she’s missing out a little on the fun of being part of a team while she stresses about her risky tuition plan, and the team also struggles with some commitment issues that make it hard for Molly to believe this plan might work. Meanwhile, she never told her moms what’s going on, and her new loans are quickly threatening to become a real problem. I think the story felt pretty solid, a little muddled and crowded with characters, and I could have used a bit more time to get to know everyone. I would also have appreciated a bit more of a dive into her new school’s supposed ill-intended buy-ups of nearby town buildings and subsequent restoration projects - a side plot that is pretty underdeveloped throughout the story. Sure, a school buying people out of businesses sounds suspicious, but how does this relate to Molly’s dreams and her love of the school for its great architecture program? I think it was nice that things ultimately work out for Molly, although not in the way she expects, and the ending felt a little muddled - including Molly’s own trajectory. Bunt! was entertaining but not as fully fleshed out as I was hoping for, and there was more hidden knowledge than actual up-front plot or world-building that keeps it from being a stellar read for me.
Bunt! is a graphic novel about a student trying to game the tuition system at her elite art school after mysterious legal precedents take away her full-ride scholarship. It’s fiction but has some parallels to real-life issues with college financial aid - complicated scholarship requirements, vague communication, and high-interest loans that can really put a drag on any student’s bright future. Molly finds a really obscure athletic scholarship in her school’s offerings that just might work - and she only needs a team good enough to win a single game. There’s a cast of characters across a diverse spectrum, all with different quirks, who Molly starts to form into a team. It becomes clear that she’s missing out a little on the fun of being part of a team while she stresses about her risky tuition plan, and the team also struggles with some commitment issues that make it hard for Molly to believe this plan might work. Meanwhile, she never told her moms what’s going on, and her new loans are quickly threatening to become a real problem. I think the story felt pretty solid, a little muddled and crowded with characters, and I could have used a bit more time to get to know everyone. I would also have appreciated a bit more of a dive into her new school’s supposed ill-intended buy-ups of nearby town buildings and subsequent restoration projects - a side plot that is pretty underdeveloped throughout the story. Sure, a school buying people out of businesses sounds suspicious, but how does this relate to Molly’s dreams and her love of the school for its great architecture program? I think it was nice that things ultimately work out for Molly, although not in the way she expects, and the ending felt a little muddled - including Molly’s own trajectory. Bunt! was entertaining but not as fully fleshed out as I was hoping for, and there was more hidden knowledge than actual up-front plot or world-building that keeps it from being a stellar read for me.
December 3, 2023
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Bunt! for review from NetGalley.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, I (metaphorically) picked up this (digital) book (arc) and could not put it down until I’d finished it.
Molly is such a wonderful and relatable character—the perfect character to get lost in. She won my heart at the beginning of the book, letting herself get emotional in the face of a horribly unfair financial aid crisis (which I can also relate to, as probably most of us can), and not being afraid to stand up for herself and fight for what she knew she deserved. And she kept my heart through the highs and lows of art college softball, while she learned more about what she wanted in her life, and how to work a system that had no one’s best interest at heart (God Bless Molly Bauer).
The full cast of characters were delightful to get to know. Every one of them was unique and fun, but also definitely people I know, people I’ve gone to school with, people who don’t usually get made into characters in media. Between Kavi and Ally I knew that Ngozi Ukazu was not afraid to depict the reality of university students, specifically art college students.
The characters were relatable and lovable, the plot hit me right in my student-loan-having soft spot, and the tension left me flipping through the book’s (digital) pages furiously, needing to know what happened next, next, next!
Wow was that last game tense! I had to get up and walk around my room burn off some restless energy.
It was so exciting to read Ngozi Ukazu’s latest published work, and it absolutely did not disappoint.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, I (metaphorically) picked up this (digital) book (arc) and could not put it down until I’d finished it.
Molly is such a wonderful and relatable character—the perfect character to get lost in. She won my heart at the beginning of the book, letting herself get emotional in the face of a horribly unfair financial aid crisis (which I can also relate to, as probably most of us can), and not being afraid to stand up for herself and fight for what she knew she deserved. And she kept my heart through the highs and lows of art college softball, while she learned more about what she wanted in her life, and how to work a system that had no one’s best interest at heart (God Bless Molly Bauer).
The full cast of characters were delightful to get to know. Every one of them was unique and fun, but also definitely people I know, people I’ve gone to school with, people who don’t usually get made into characters in media. Between Kavi and Ally I knew that Ngozi Ukazu was not afraid to depict the reality of university students, specifically art college students.
The characters were relatable and lovable, the plot hit me right in my student-loan-having soft spot, and the tension left me flipping through the book’s (digital) pages furiously, needing to know what happened next, next, next!
Wow was that last game tense! I had to get up and walk around my room burn off some restless energy.
It was so exciting to read Ngozi Ukazu’s latest published work, and it absolutely did not disappoint.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews