Book Review: "Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid" by Ngozi Ukazu and Mad Rupert

A few years ago, I fell head over heels for Ngozi Ukazu’s graphic novel series, Check, Please!. Recently, when reading an article ranking the top queer fiction books, I came across a mention of Ukazu’s latest graphic novel, and I had to jump on it at once.

Molly has wanted to go to art school at PICA, which is in her hometown, for as long as she can remember. But on the first day, she discovers that her full-ride scholarship no longer exists. Desperately wanting to go to school while keeping this from her mothers, Molly takes loans to stay afloat while looking for a solution.

In looking through PICA’s often-overlooked financial aid manual, Molly discovers a loophole. If she can recruit 9 of her fellow art students to play in a softball league, and if they win 1 game, everyone on the team will get major athletic scholarships.

Of course, at an art school, finding people willing to step outside their comfort zone and play an organized team sport is a bit of a challenge. But with the help of her best friend Ryan (himself a PICA dropout), who promises to coach the team, she begs, bribes, and cajoles students into joining the team. Some of the students are actually athletically inclined, while some are definitely not.

The team starts off horribly, even though there is definite promise. There are one or two ringers, plus a fashion student who can hit but refuses to run because it isn’t ladylike. But all they need is to win one game, and they find out that depending on one another and being part of a team feels good, too.

This was such a fun read, full of drama, joy, found family, and queer students finding their confidence. Mad Rupert’s illustrations are fantastic, and once again, Ukazu’s storytelling hit me in the feels.