Name: Be Prepared
ISBN: 9781250313812

Vera Brosgol

"Beautifully drawn, brutally funny, brilliantly honest. Vera is such a good cartoonist I almost can’t stand it.” —Raina Telgemeier, author of Smile In Be Prepared, all Vera wants to do is fit in—but that’s not easy for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. Vera’s single mother can’t afford that sort of luxury, but there's one summer camp in her price range—Russian summer camp. Vera is sure she's found the one place she can fit in, but camp is far from what she imagined. And nothing could prepare her for all the "cool girl" drama, endless Russian history lessons, and outhouses straight out of nightmares!

Be Prepared

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

Where can you go to finally fit in? Almost 10 years old, Vera desperately wants to be like the other girls in her class with their expensive American Girl dolls, fancy sleeping bags and Carvel ice cream cakes for every birthday party sleepover. Her Russian American immigrant family, divorced mom and dad with dad MIA, has different ways of celebrating and a very different budget. And as they cuddle their dolls, all her friends talk endlessly about summer camps. Summer camp? Vera figures out that this is something she could be a part of, something she could finally have in common with the other girls because there is a summer Russian Orthodox camp just for kids like her living in the States. She begs her mom to let her and her little brother go and it is definitely a case of be careful what you wish for. Preteen Vera is no match for the experienced 14 year-olds she shares a tent with, and the camp counselors have no time to help her settle in. The latrines are particularly disgusting. Once again, Vera finds herself feeling alone and different even surrounded by other Russian kids like herself. It takes some courage for her to discover that she doesn't have to try so hard to get the others to like her, that being herself can help her make a place for herself at camp, can allow her to avoid the major drama meltdowns of her tent mates, and show her that being on the outside looking in isn't without its benefits as two weeks at camp turn into four unexpectedly. Every middle grade tween can relate to Vera's hopes and fears, epic fails and startling successes in this fictionalised graphic memoir.

Tiffany Robinson

I really enjoyed this book! It was funny and the coloring throughout the book.

Jane The Bookaholic

⭐️ 3 Stars ⭐️

It was nice and cute, I loved seeing all the Russian culture in this graphic novel! I’m also Russian in a non-russian country and I related on a personal level to many things.
It was fun seeing the food and traditions, I think it’s a cute graphic novel to pass the time with.

All Vera wants to do is fit in—but that’s not easy for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. Vera’s single mother can’t afford that sort of luxury, but there's one summer camp in her price range—Russian summer camp. Vera is sure she's found the one place she can fit in, but camp is far from what she imagined. And nothing could prepare her for all the "cool girl" drama, endless Russian history lessons, and outhouses straight out of nightmares!

Hayley 📖🌈💜🌸

Stefie 

CW: Bullying.

Another book that I pick on whim in the library after I saw the beautiful illustrations inside. 
Be Prepared is a memoir in a form of graphic novel. 
About Vera, the author herself, who went to a summer camp and expected to be a happy place but ended up making her feel even more lonely. This is a book about finding a true friendship and show you that a journey to know yourself can be a lonely road. But at the end of the day you only need to be yourself and hope that there is true friend who will love you for who you are.

Be Prepared

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