I'm not sure if I love Dramacon Ultimate Edition or Nightschool The Weirn Books better, but now I'm certain Awkward will be one of my new favorites. Svetlana Chmakova is one of my favorite cartoonists and a fabulous writer.
And, seriously, make sure this is in both your school and public library because this needs to be available to kids everywhere. Highly recommended for fans of Raina Telgemeier and of Roller Girl. That was strange to me but maybe it's an accurate reflection of contemporary families, I have no idea.
So far, Letitia and Felicity are the sole representation of sisters in the school the three households we get to visit are only child households. I have never encountered so many single-child families represented in a middle grade book. The one weird thing I've noticed, though, is a lack of siblings. Adults are supportive, for the most part - no Dahlian parents or teachers here! You know, had my middle school been peopled with these characters, I'd have had crushes on 90% of the population, both teachers and students! Shyness, bullying, social acceptance, competition, working together, friendship, forgiveness, parental pressure to succeed, family fighting, and daily middle school survival are all themes in this story.Ĭharacters have defined personalities beyond the way they're drawn, which are built up further in Brave. Regardless, it's a great start, following the very likeable and relatable Penelope as she enters a new school and makes a mistake the very first day, a gaffe that haunts her for weeks to come. Everything that comes off so gracefully in the next book - diverse characters, middle-school problems, family problems - feel a little more forced, less organic, in this first volume. Awkward is a little awkward, it doesn't quite have its flow, yet. I'm glad I read the second book, Brave, first because it put this one into a more favorable context I think I'd have been peevish in my reading had I not known what comes next.
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