Awkward

Sarah Sammis

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova is the first graphic novel in a series about middle school. It begins with Peppi Torres breaking her cardinal rule: don't get noticed by the mean kids. She does this by accidentally knocking over Jaime Thompson. Now she's been dubbed his "nerder girl friend."

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Emelie

poopsoup

Maggie Gordon

I think I may be dying of cuteness! Svetlana Chmakova's Awkward is one of the most adorable graphic novels I have had the pleasure of reading, and captures the feeling of the title emotion quite perfectly! If you are a fan of Raina Telgemeier's work, I would definitely recommending picking up Awkward as well!

The story follows Peppi who has just moved to a new middle school. She's an anxious and twitchy little thing, so of course the first thing that happens to her is she trips and scatters her belongings throughout the main hall of the school. A quiet young boy helps her pick things up, but bullies intervene and start teasing them. Peppi freaks out and pushes the boy away, and then feels extraordinarily guilty about it. But, of course, she finds herself too embarrassed to say she's sorry!

The book details not only the development of her friendship with this boy (Jamie), but also her work in school's art club. Together they help put a stop to the rivalry between the science and art clubs, and learn how to deal with interpersonal conflict without so much terrible awkwardness :) There are a lot of good lessons for kids to take from this book about being mature and being a leader. 

The art in Awkward is impressive as well. It's very cartoonish, but consistent. The characters are all very detailed and so diverse! The backgrounds are also quite detailed, so it's easy to get a sense of place, something a lot of graphic novelists struggle with. 

All in all, Awkward is a lighthearted read that is sure to delight!

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

Peppi is the quintessential new girl in middle school. Within a few minutes of arriving for her first day of classes, she manages to fall down in front of everyone, throwing her books everywhere, and is helped up by one of the biggest Science geeks in school, Jaime Thompson. Before she knows it, she is reading the room and watching, with mounting horror, the circle of mean kids who started out laughing at her for being a nervous klutz quickly switch to laughing at the nerd who dared to help her pick up her things. And in the panic of not wanting to be noticed by the resident meanies, she shoves Jaime away telling him to leave her alone. 

The rules of middle school can be as harsh as the students are awkward, super unfair really, and Peppi finds herself agonizing over how she treated Jaime while trying to make friends and fit in. She unknowingly takes sides in an epic battle between the Art Club, where Peppi finds friends and an exciting artistic outlet, and the Science Club, where Jaime explores his passion for science and tolerates the intense competition between the other Science Club members and the Art Club across the hall. When her science teacher, the glorious Miss Tobins, who has a rocking white streak in her hair like the Bride of Frankenstein, tells Peppi that she has set up a tutor for her in the library and that tutor is, of course, Jaime, Peppi's humiliation is complete. She tries and tries and tries again to work up the courage to finally apologize to Jaime, all while their tentative friendship grows through their tutoring sessions and shared projects. Then one afternoon, Peppi has a near miss bicycle accident right in front of Jaime and his mom who are taking a walk. Jaime's mom, who is also an artist, kindly helps Peppi see a way to tell Jaime she is sorry.

Hand this to every middle school student you know. They will laugh, they will cringe, they will totally understand. And then they will clamor for the rest of the series! They will also totally respect the representation at the heart of this story, a multicultural school full of characters and personalities that are simultaneously unique and individual. The artwork is a fun mix of Japanese manga styling and Raina Telgemeier-esque pacing and character expressions. Realistic fiction that is funny and heartfelt, taking the sting out of Peppi and Jaime's awkward stumbles and replacing them with kindness and friendship.

Nadine 

#GN great new graphic novel. Hits all the right buttons and is sure to be a hit amongst my Smile/Sisters fans. It is also fantastic to finally have a diverse set of individuals portrayed without it being the focus of the work.

Awkward

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