Every week, the comic book artist Riad Sattouf has a chat with his friend's daughter, Esther. She tells him about her life, about school, her friends, her hopes, dreams and fears, and then he works it up into a comic strip. This book consists of 52 of those strips, telling between them the story of a year in the life of this sharp, spirited and funny child. The result is a moving, insightful and utterly addictive glimpse into the real lives of children growing up in today's world.

"Riad Sattouf is one of the great creators of our time" - Alain de Botton

"The portrait of an era, drawn with a smile" - L'Express

"Riad Sattouf sketches everyday life brilliantly, bringing out society's great problems through Esther's minor troubles" - Culturevnews

"Esther is a mini social phenomenon... It's a joy to fall back into our childhoods with her" - Elle

"Chronicles the everyday life of a Parisian child, with all its ups and downs, its flights of fancy and its confrontations with crushing reality... Enchanting [and] eye-opening" - Financial Times

"These funny, well-observed stories... contain immense daring and depth... Sattouf has drawn a portrait of a generation" - Observer, Graphic Novel of the Month