Lat, otherwise known as Kampung Boy, returns in this second volume of his life story, "Town Boy," detailing the second half of his adolescence in the small town of Ipoh in Malaysia. It's an autobiographical tale and Lat masterfully shares with us his tale of growing up in the 1960's in Malyasia--relating not a tale of someone famous or that has great life changes happen to them, but that of the everyday person. A person that we can all relate to, because we can connect with him. We can see our own friends and classmates in the people that Lat describes and remember our own slightly awkward adolescence. And even though Lat illustrates how things are different in his world, there is much that is similar. And while it's illustrations are seemingly simple, they are compelling and help us know the characters better. I highly recommend this book and it's prequel (Kampung Boy) to anyone and everyone, but particularly to the younger generation. Not as a chance to illustrate the differences between cultures, but a chance to illustrate the similarities between cultures and across generations. ( )

4P: Mat moves to "town", Ipoh, Indonesia. He attends middle and high school and makes a posse of friends, including Frankie, who is Chinese. All born in the early 1950's, the boys are listening and dancing to the best of rock and roll from the early days-edgy, raw, forbidden. Mat's friend Walter has records and a phonograph, so they make friends through listening to rock and roll and continue to spend lots of time together.
More fun from the artist, but now darling Mat is a teen. Probably more relevant to YA's, but who could skip the charming "Kampung Boy" and miss getting to know Mat as a little boy in the kampung (village)? After al, many teens have little brothers. ( )

In this sequel to Kampung Boy, Lat continues his autobiography from when he starts school and he and his family members become "town people" to when he finishes school. It's amusing, just as KB was, and the glimpse into a childhood from another culture is enlightening. I agree with reviews that say it lacks the focus of KB and that makes it somewhat less successful. Lots of details are provided in the illustrations, but they're not supported in the text, which may leave some readers in the dark. Also, it jumps around from event to event with no clear idea of how much time has passed, which made me feel like I was missing something. A bit disappointing after I liked Kampung Boy so much. ( )

I loved Kampung Boy, and had high hopes for Town Boy. Both books are rich in the sense-experience of living being a particular age in a particular time and place, but what held together in Kampung Boy became scattered and distracting in Town Boy. I would have liked to have seen this volume broken down into several stories, each discussing either a shorter period or a smaller number of throughlines, and giving more attention to its subjects.