A nonbinary protagonist navigates self-confidence and finding one’s place in this summer camp-themed graphic novel.
Middle schooler Tate Seong wants to play the viola, inspired after attending the concert of viola prodigy Eli Violet. Eli had a nervous breakdown at the concert, however, and didn’t even perform—but they are nonbinary like Tate (although Tate isn’t out to anyone yet), and clearly an inspiration.
Tate isn’t actually very good at viola—but jumps at the chance to attend a summer orchestra camp. There, they run into Eli, who is attending under a pseudonym in order to regain their confidence. Tate comes out to them and Eli takes Tate under their wing to improve Tate’s viola skills. As Tate’s playing improves, they gain the resolve to come out to other campers, while Eli learns to explore other activities besides just viola practice. Yet auditions and expectations create increasing pressure as the final performance looms. Can Tate and Eli rise to the occasion without losing themselves? With a little help from the other campers in a nice show of friendship and support, yes (though I won’t spoil the details). And Tate is even able to come out to their parents, whose reaction is surprisingly positive (albeit a tad stilted, though if this serves as a pedagogical model for other parents, I won’t complain).
While Tate’s coming out forms a significant thread, it is part of a larger whole about overcoming challenges while staying true to oneself. I also appreciate that Tate’s gender expression is fairly androgynous, while Eli’s leans a little more feminine—showing us two contrasting ways of being nonbinary. The book also happily never deadnames Tate or Eli or indicates the gender(s) they were each assigned at birth, both of which would have been unnecessary details and bad examples of usage.
Author/illustrator Caroline Palmer’s images feel manga-inspired, with warm purple, magenta, and teal tones, and swirling musical staffs on many pages to express the music the characters create. A recommended and fun tale.
Tate reads as biracial, with a Korean last name and parents who read as White and Asian; Eli is Black, and other characters are a range of racial/ethnic identities.
