New York Times bestselling cartoonists Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud have teamed up for this graphic novel about four tweens who collaborate to make comics—a story that is also a primer on comic making itself.
Howard loves to draw, but seeks story ideas, and struggles because his dad thinks comics interfere with school work. Makayla has a ton of ideas, but needs help putting them onto paper. Art likes to make all kinds of stuff, and they thought that comics sounded fun. Lynda is an exceptional artist, but focuses on her mistakes rather than her talent, and seems caught up in grief. With the encouragement of school librarian and fellow comic enthusiast Ms. Fatima, however, they form a club for making comics.
As the kids navigate their personal and collective challenges, Ms. Fatima and Art’s dad, an animator, share knowledge, ideas, and exercises to help them learn and explore concepts like narrative structure, dialogue, imagination, using body language, and even business skills. Readers will learn alongside them. Telgemeier and McCloud practice what they preach, demonstrating the ideas and techniques on the page as they weave the story. The blend of fictional storyline and practical information about the craft is pitch perfect, both compelling and informative. (And there’s a lesson here, too, for adults who see comics as lesser than other forms of literature and storytelling.)
Art’s nonbinary identity is an incidental part of the story, although when he introduces himself with his pronouns (they/them), Makayla quickly responds with her own and notes she should have said them initially, a small but nice teaching moment. And Art’s comic creation has a protagonist who is nonbinary, too, offering a message about the importance of seeing ourselves in the work we create.
This is a highly recommended volume, most obviously for comic/graphic novel lovers but also for any readers with creative inclinations (and those who don’t yet know that they have them).
Makayla is Black, Art is White; Lynda is Latina, and Howard has light brown skin and Black hair. Ms. Fatima has light brown skin and wears a hijab. Secondary characters are diverse in skin and hair tones.
