Thrilling funny fresh and surprising From Above is a one-of-a-kind graphic novel that is
impossible to put down. As the Washington Post noted: “Panchaud’s diagrammatic style informed
by his dyslexia is conceptually fresh " This innovative award-winning graphic novel uses
the visual language of infographics to tell the story of Simon—an average teenager whose brush
with a fortune teller sends him on a surreal adventure. From Above is an internationally
acclaimed groundbreaking graphic novel that tells its story from a bird’s-eye view. Characters
are depicted as colored circles in a graphic and strikingly designed visual approach
reminiscent of Chris Ware' s. Readers are encouraged to actively engage with the story as
its relatively simple setup unfolds into a shocking and surreal adventure. Simon is an
unpopular and awkward 14-year-old boy. Overweight eager to please and well-meaning no matter
how hard he tries his lot in life is to be bullied by the neighborhood children and neglected
by his absentminded parents. But one day everything changes for Simon when he does a favor
for a fortune teller who rewards him by telling him the name of the winning horse at the Royal
Ascot. Simon becomes an overnight millionaire when he bets his father’s life savings on the
winning horse. But as he returns home he discovers that his mother is in a coma and his father
has disappeared. Simon can’t collect his winnings without finding his father and he can’t
help his mother until he solves the mystery of her sudden condition. With time running out can
Simon change his fortune?
