Callie is a theatre geek who works backstage as a tech and set designer for her junior high drama club. In the midst of dealing with her first unrequited crush, and trying to pull off the most spectacular pyrotechnics ever to be used in a school play, she meets twin brothers Justin and Jesse, who help her gain confidence and realize that who you are on your own is much more important than who you are in a relationship with. This story has a lot of great lessons for a girl of Callie's age, including self empowerment through work, hobbies, and intellectual pursuits and the normalization of LGBTQ youth. It's a simple, cute little story, probably a little too far below the reading level of an adult to be entirely enjoyable (I read the whole thing in probably 45 minutes), but absolutely brilliant for 9-15 year olds.
Peanut reads as having a little bit of an older audience than Drama. Sadie Wildhack has just moved to a new town, and is looking for a way to stand out and make friends at her new school. Inspiration strikes when she meets a girl at the mall wearing a medic alert bracelet for her peanut allergy. Sadie feels that a peanut allergy is just quirky enough to give her something to talk about and seem interesting, and is soon knee deep in a lie that becomes increasingly harder to maintain. Having built all of her new friendships and personality on a charade, she becomes ever more aware of how pervasive peanuts are in day-to-day life, and her stress over her secret begins to wreak havoc on her life. Both her friends and her mother wonder why they cannot meet one another. Things get even worse as she grows closer and closer to her boyfriend Zoo. How long can she keep it up? I think out of the three, this is the book I identify with the most. In high school, I did my fair share of sneaking around and getting into things I shouldn't have. And yes, it did backfire, on more than one occasion. This book really made me recall that stress, of juggling lies and keeping appearances. A good lesson for any teen, although I fear that reading about it in a book won't make the same impression as getting busted yourself.
Wilhelmina "Will" Huxstep is the oldest of our teen girl line-up, entering her senior year of high school. Despite how the cover looks, this book is not a romance. Will lives a slightly unconventional life: after the death of her parents the year before, she began living with her loner aunt whom she helps to run the family antiques shop. In the meantime, she spends every spare moment dedicated to her hobby of building unique and unusual lamps out of found objects. However, it isn't just that Will is a creative soul. Ever since childhood, she's been afraid of the dark, and it has only gotten worse since the accident that took her parents' lives. Add in a freak hurricane (Hurricane Whitney) that blows out the entire town's electricity for a whole week, and Will is going to have to fight off some of her demons. There to help are her best friends, an extroverted puppeteer and the shy chef who adores her, her aunt, and a troupe of carnival performers who want to help her shine. Just like Page by Paige, this book comes with all sorts of extra goodies at the end, including a playlist for every chapter, a cookie recipe, and cards to cut out. Also, there is a butt-ton of geeky references and easter eggs sprinkled throughout for anyone with a good eye.
So there you have it! Three great coming-of-age graphic novels that I would recommend to any young person, boy or girl. And they're all available for checkout at the library. ;)
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