\'The Prince & the Birch Tree\' is the first comic in the 15-part Seeds of Spring series. Naguset begins to learn the origin of her nickname, which means birch tree. She remembers her mother, who died when she was a child, bonds with her sister, and begins to read Kropotkin\'s biography, in which his family life parallels her own experience. In this innovative serial graphic novel, Naguset, a modern Canadian Mi\'kmaq teenager, exchanges books and mix tapes with her pen pal, Chris. Her imagination sparks when he sends her a biography of the 19th century Russian anarchist Peter Kropotkin. The story juxtaposes Naguset\'s personal and political coming-of-age in her loving family home with Kropotkin\'s rocky upbringing in a princely palace. These two stories of eventful lives and bold hearts are interwoven with Kropotkin\'s theories of freedom, Mi\'kmaq vocabulary and social history, and an uplifting punk soundtrack, creating a unique reading experience bound to inspire readers to think in new ways about the issues of our time. (W) Christopher Coquard (A) Sacha Ravenda