Drama

 In 2011, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Smile by Raina Telgemier and have been recommending it to readers of all ages and genders. So when I saw the graphic novelist write another book, I jumped at the chance to read it. Though geared particularly to junior students with issues of crushes, friendship, and sexual identity, I think it would be welcomed with many readers just like Smile. 

Description: Callie rides an emotional roller coaster while serving on the stage crew for a middle school production of Moon over Mississippi as various relationships start and end, and others never quite get going.

Review: Callie is a middle schooler who loves the theater. Though she knows she can't participate as an actress since she doesn't have the vocal talent, Callie is fine being the set manager. When her school puts on one of her favorite musicals, Callie volunteers as part of the stage crew with a promise that she will wow everyone. She goes all out to make the most dramatic and memorable stage scenes. Not only is there a lot of drama onstage, there is even more backstage as Callie navigates her capricious, hormone driven heart. 
 Callie is an endearing protagonist. She reminds us of ourselves during the weird transition phase that is called middle school. She is neither the most popular nor the prettiest of her class, but an ordinary girl who is passionate about her favorite subject. Like her middle school status, her ever changing crushes is common. Telegeimer handles the complexities of young love with honesty, comedy, and warmth in equal measures. We see Callie go from from being so excited to be with her long-time crush to being very sad as she feels like a wet towel when her crush drops her and gets back with his girlfriend and his brother, who seems have a thing for Callie, all of sudden gives her the cold shoulder. Callie's attention is now drawn to two new students who happen to be twin brothers. Callie's feelings for the brothers as they become closer pin back and forth between friendship and crush. 
  Telegeimer ventures into the murky waters of young tweens trying to discover their own sexual identity and she swims it quite well. We find out certain characters are gay while others are still questioning or uncertain. Sexual identity while explored and pondered by the characters don't overtake the story and as a reader you are simply rooting for the characters to be themselves and hope that whatever choice they make they will be happy. I'm glad that tweens and teens have a graphic novel like Drama that not only have warm colors and stylish art work, but a story that is open and has a welcoming yet realistic, sympathetic story that shows how complicated relationships can be. There is no doubt that Telgemeier has a keen eye for young teen life.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. I think this graphic novel is geared towards to middle school and up where kids are discovering themselves including their sexual orientation. Recommended for Grades 6 and up.

If you like this book try: Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks, Re-Gifters by Mike Carey

Anything But Typical

  I've read a few books that feature characters who have autism and for the most part really enjoyed them. It helps me look at the world with a different lens. Anything But Typical is a middle grade novel that successfully tells a story about autism with heart and universal appeal.

Description: Jason, a twelve-year-old autistic boy who wants to become a writer, relates what his life is like as he tries to make sense of his world.

Review: Baskin tells an enlightening story entirely from the point of view of Jason, an autistic boy who is a gifted creative writer, but is mainly viewed as the odd ball by the neurotypicals (i.e. normal people) both at school and at home because he can't comprehend human emotions and social interactions. He is most comfortable in an online writing forum called Storyboard, where his stories explore his rich imagination and eventually kindles an e-mail-based friendship with a girl. His excitement over having a real friend (and maybe even girlfriend) turns to terror when he learns that his parents want to take him on a trip to the Storyboard conference, where he'll no doubt have to meet her in person.
  With short chapters and precise word usage, Baskin describes Jason's attempts to interpret body language and social expectations, revealing the extreme disconnect created by his internalization of the world around him. Jason is an empathetic character and quite witty. He moves through his failures and triumphs with the same depth of courage and confusion of any boy his age. His story, neither overly heartbreaking nor saturated with saccharine sweetness, shows that the distinction between normal and not normal is hard to distinguish yet we ironically have no problems to label things as "different" and "defective". Since I have no personal experience with autism, I can't atest to the authenicity of Jason's voice, but I do appreciate Baskin for making Jason's story universal.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 4 and up.

If you like this book try: Rules by Cynthia Lord, Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, for a YA read try Marcelo in the Real World by Franciso X. Stork

Wonder

 Wonder by R.J. Palacio has been one of the most popular middle grade book released in 2012. I really think it is a strong contender for the Newbery Award. It has already received several starred reviews along with strong reading recommendations from libraries as well as booksellers.

Description (from Goodreads): I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.
  August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

Review: I think I did a disservice to reading Wonder after I read Sharon Draper's phenomenal Out of My Mind, one of my favorites from 2012. Both books have a similar theme of children being ostracized by their peers due to their disabilities. Out of My Mind is a grittier and realistic portrayal of the hardships endured by the main character while Wonder has a much more upbeat tone.
  Wonder is the story of a boy named August Pullman's, commonly called Auggie among his family and friends, first year at school. Auggie is a ten-year-old boy born with a facial anomaly that has required him to undergo countless operations, which have restored his physical features normally. His physical deformity has instantly made him an outsider with the outside world. Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents, but now they feel it is time for him to be acclimated with normalcy and thus enroll him in middle school. Wonder is book about journeys. Of course it highlights Auggie's personal struggle, but it is also shows his family's journey of slowly loosening their grip on Auggie and trying to be hands off as much as possible even though it breaks their hearts to see him in so much pain.
  Auggie's story is surprisingly told from six different perspectives. Auggie's point of view is a lot cheerier than I expected. He knows he is being isolated by his peers and how frightening he can look, but he doesn't let these problems drag him down too much. He is a lot more stoic than I could imagine being at that age. To be honest, I didn't feel like his point of view was realistic and had a bit too much of an after school special tone to it though I do admire his optimism and I can sympathize with him.
  In addition to Auggie, we also have his older sister Via, her boyfriend Justin, her friend Miranda and Jack and Summer, two kids August befriends at school. We clearly have both male and female perspectives as well as varing ages ranging very young to older teens, but I thought all these voices very much sounded a lot alike. While I liked knowing what the outside of Auggie, I felt that some points of view didn't really add to the story.

  Like a lot of readers, the only voice that struck a chord with me is Auggie's sister, Via. Funny enough, the voice that got to me the most wasn't August's but his sister Via's. Some may call her selfish or petty, but her plight of always living in the shadow of her little brother made her real to me. I felt her voice with nuanced with guilt and shame for wanting attention from her parents and giving her brother a reality check. Hearing from Via made her a real, memorable, three dimensional character. I kind of wish the author had used only her voice and juxtaposed it with Auggie throughout the story, the book would have been stronger and the tone would have been a bit more balanced. 
  In general, the writing is kept simple, fitting and true to the ten-year-old responsible for most of the narration, but I did cringe with the heavy use of the word "dude" which really got on my nerves. I think that's just a personal pet peeve as I hear it every day at work. The parents were just a bit too nice and the villains were a bit too obvious and well, mean.

   I don't think Wonder is a perfect book, but I do believe it would lend itself to some great discussion. I would highly recommend it especially for parents looking for a bright, upbeat contemporary novel for young readers.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: This is a relatively clean read. There are some incidents of bullying and there is a brief mention of seventh graders smoking, but nothing that you wouldn't see on TV. Recommended for Grades 5 and up.

If you like this book try: Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, Angel in My Pocket by Ilene Cooper, Firegirl by Tony Abbott, Larger-than-life Lara by Dandi Daley Mackall