Junior High Drama: A Graphic Novel

by Louise Simonson, Sumin Cho (Illustrator)

Overview

Welcome to Memorial Middle School, where drama fills the classrooms and follows students home on the bus. Social awkwardness. Mean girls. Hallway gossip. It's all part of life in junior high, but maybe it helps to know you aren't alone. Can Lucia avoid the boy-girl party? Will Kamilla overcome her self-consciousness and try out for the play? Can Allie keep anyone from finding out her secret? Told in graphic formal, Junior High Drama shows that while you can't escape the drama, you can certainly survive it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496547125
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	02/01/2019
Series:	Junior High Drama
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	327,011
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Louise Simonson writes about monsters, science fiction and fantasy characters, and superheroes. She wrote the award-winning Power Pack series, several best-selling X-Men titles, Web of Spider-Man for Marvel Comics, and Superman: Man of Steel for DC Comics. She has also written many books for kids. She is married to comic artist and writer Walter Simonson and lives in the suburbs of New York City.

Interviews

Safe graphic novels that appeal to girls' taste and sensibilities. Diverse illustrator Sumin Cho creates expressive characters that readers relate to. Diverse cast of characters, reflective of today's American middle school.

Editorial Reviews

Winter 2018

Gr 3–6—Four stories follow the girls at Memorial Middle School as they deal with bullying, self-esteem, and more. In "The School Musical Meltdown," vocalist Kamilla is torn between her desire to shine in the spotlight and her self-consciousness about her weight. "The Middle School Mean Queens" sees Lilly befriend the coolest girls in school, only for them to turn on her. "The Runaround Rumor" centers on track star Allie, who becomes mired in gossip when, out of embarrassment, she lies to hide her new diabetes diagnosis. Finally, in "The First-Date Dilemma," Lucia feels out of place among her boy-obsessed friends. However, when she meets a guy who shares her love of reading and nature, she starts to reconsider her views. Sensitive and never preachy, this work focuses on the very real problems young teens face. Each tale ends with facts about the issue covered and an interview with the character. Complex, flawed characters learn through experience and the support of family and friends. The cast is diverse and realistically depicted, and the art is expressive, with a palette of pinks and purples. VERDICT With its mix of wisdom and fun, this title will be a hit with most middle grade readers.–Lara Goldstein, Orange County Public Libraries, NC

School Library Journal

2018-11-12

As the title indicates, Memorial Middle School is chock full of junior high drama.

Kamilla is self-conscious about the weight that she's gained over the summer. Though she has a fantastic singing voice, she has become shy about just going to school, let alone performing in the new play. When she lands the leading role in the school musical after the girl who was cast must drop out, Kamilla reluctantly takes it on. Meanwhile, Lilly is torn between her desire to hang out with the popular mean girls and her wish to maintain her friendship with her nerdy Dungeons and Dragons-playing friend, Franny. In yet another plot thread, track enthusiast Allie discovers she has Type 1 diabetes and must learn how to manage her new diagnosis even as she tries to hide it from her friends. The collection ends with Lucia, who is anxious about attending the big party of the year until she meets her first crush, Adesh, and is forced to confront her social anxiety. With informative interludes between stories, each vignette provides insight into navigating the myriad challenges middle schoolers confront every day. Cho successfully showcases a diverse student body, normalizing a multicultural environment where all students share the same generational ups and downs. Kamilla is black, Lilly and Lucia are Latinx, and Allie is white; the secondary cast is diverse in race, ethnicity, and body type.

An engaging graphic novel that entertains and educates. (Graphic novel. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews