I've recently read a ton of graphic novels and memoirs - some I loved and others not so much but were still a thrill to read. Guts by Raina Telgemeier I am always on the lookout for Raina Telgemeier's comics, so when I found Guts available at my library's Overdrive catalog last year, I had to request it right away. Her comics are always delightful, designed for the middle-grade audience, and written very well. Guts is a continuation of her Smile nonfiction graphic memoir series (see Smile and Sisters ) and recounts a period in her childhood when she experienced IBS for the first time. When Raina wakes up one night with an upset tummy, she just assumes it's a stomach bug as her mom is also showing the same symptoms. But when it doesn't go away soon but is instead influenced by the daily highs and lows of being a middle grader - good friends, not so good ones, and then the bullies, she realizes there's something else going on. If you have not read the previous
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In Drama, seventh-grader Callie is part of the stage crew that designs sets, costumes, lighting effects and props, among other things. She has had a long fascination with drama and theater, having even auditioned once for a role (she sucked as a singer). Before long, she found out that designing sets is what she loves to do. In this book, the stage crew decides to put up "Moon over Mississippi" and they begin auditions. Between planning for the show and her struggling non-existent love life, Callie was going to have a very difficult year at school.
If you haven't read Drama, you should be heading now over to your library or bookstore and grabbing it from the shelf. If someone else is holding the library/store's only copy of the book, feel free to nudge and bug that person until you can get hold of it. Drama was a very refreshing quick read. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to read it again. Poor Callie is falling in love with all the wrong/unavailable guys. And there is one guy trying hard and rudely to get her to notice him. Luckily for her, she has stage work to distract her. Being in charge of set design, she has been very effusive about her ideas for this year's drama, including using a real cannon as a prop. Of course, that isn't accepted, but there's still a cannon and oh boy, poor Callie just doesn't seem to be able to get that to work. It was delightful reading how she treads through her seventh grade with all these problems over her head.
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