Story by and Illustrations by Raina Telgemeier
Color by Braden Lamb
MG Nonfiction – Graphic Novel, 211 pages // August 26, 2014
Graphix an imprint of Scholastic Books // Buy on Amazon
Advanced copy provided by the publisher. – Opinions are my own, review policy here.
Advanced copy provided by the publisher. – Opinions are my own, review policy here.
Carefully balancing the present and the past Raina unveils her family's drama after her wish for a baby sister comes true. The present day takes mom, Raina, younger sister Amara and baby brother Will on a road trip from San Francisco to Colorado for a family reunion. The carefully placed flashbacks give the reader more background on the family's dynamics. Luckily for the reader, no matter where we're at on the timeline the humor shines through in the writing and majorly expressive illustrations. The writing is very much "To tell that story, I have to tell this story" commonly used by comedians and translates brilliantly in graphic form with each scene interweaving into a new one.
Juggling the family living space, the desire for pets, family issues and more Raina tackles relevant topics and makes the accessible to middle grade readers. The moral of the story is something all ages could take away from the novel while the big question sets up a possible focus for a third novel.
Why I'll be reading Smile and heart Raina:
I saw Raina on a graphic novel panel at BEA/BookCon back in May and was blown away. I haven't read Smile but I immediately saw her impact on young readers as we were waiting to start. Several young girls approached her for photos and signatures. She did them one better and pulled out ARCs from her bag.
I haven't read Smile but I plan to pronto! I will also be gifting these novels to any middle grade readers I know. Sisters is heartfelt and I giggled long after closing the book. The nostalgia of being a big sister was enough to be like "yup!" that's my relationship with my sister. I hope you read it and enjoy it as much as I did.
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