Svetlana Chmakova

In his daydreams, Jensen is the biggest hero that ever was, saving the world and his friends on a daily basis. But his middle school reality is VERY different - math is hard, getting along with friends is hard...Even finding a partner for the class project is a big problem when you always get picked last. And the pressure's on even more once the school newspaper's dynamic duo, Jenny and Akilah, draw Jensen into the whirlwind of school news, social experiment projects, and behind-the-scenes club drama. Jensen's always played the middle school game one level at a time, but suddenly, someone's cranked up the difficulty setting. Will those daring daydreams of his finally work in his favor, or will he have to find real solutions to his real life problems? The charming world of Berrybrook Middle School gets a little bigger in this highly anticipated follow up to Svetlana Chmakova's award winning Awkward with a story about a boy who learns his own way of being Brave!

Brave

Sarah Sammis

Reading this as an adult, it's clear from the first page that Jensen is being bullied. There are the two boys who he tries to avoid. There are other so called friends who doesn't let him speak and push him around verbally. He's tied into emotional knots.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2019/comm...

Nora 

SUNSPOTS! Jensen, a character briefly met in Svetlana Chmakova’s previous book Awkward, has an obsession about warning the world of the horrors of sunspots. We all remember that period when we had a passion that no one seemed to understand. Continuing the fantastic middle school universe from Awkward, we see Jensen trying to navigate warring friends, bullies, and finding a way to have his voice heard. I loved how the author spotlights that we should never trivialise bullying, and uses Jensen and his friends as a way of showing kids how to deal with these situations. That we shouldn’t run away, but try to be brave.

Maggie Gordon

Awkward is another absolutely delightful middle school graphic novel from Svetlana Chmakova dealing with complex issues that kids in that age bracket have to contend with on a daily basis. The star of this book is Jemsen, a fat kid who loves to daydream and struggles in school (perhaps neuroatypical as well, depending on how you read him). He's a sweet kid who is constantly bullied by friends and strangers alike. The story is about him realising that how he is treated is not okay, and working with others to change how people behave at his school. I think many kids will relate to Jemsen, or see themselves as people who aren't treating their own Jemsen's very kindly. The focus on how to make things better is a great tactic to take, particularly for kids in this age group. 

I wasn't very fond of the school uniform side plot as I thought the narrative really glossed over what goes on in that debate and failed to really dig into the whole suspension business. Even for a book aimed at younger readers, the handling felt clumsy and untied to the overall bullying plot. 

But all in all, another strong comic for the younger crowd that deals directly with issues in their daily lives. It feels very Mr. Rogers for school age kids in that respect, and there's always room for more of Mr. Rogers-style education!

Ken Yuen

Ah this guy. Second hand embarrassment. Annoying in the "this was me in the past, I'd use a time machine to punch myself" kind of annoying.

But then he has one of the saddest character arcs I've ever seen, and I just felt bad for the guy.

It's an ambitious book. We have our usual band of colorful characters (I didn't realize all these books take place in the same middle school). The social issues are what you'd expect (loneliness, bullying, not fitting in, dealing with peers, etc.) but I'm a bit surprised by how ambitious the story is in the ways it attempts to deal with these issues.

It's kind of satisfying in that it doesn't feel like an easy answer. The author understands these are complicated issues and that it's hard work to address systematic, perennial problems like this.

Nadine 

I loved awkward but thought this successor was somewhat more contrived and laboured. Theme of bullying but the carefully inserting every manifestation of it plus all possible permutations of how the aggressors / bystanders behave / react. So a big part of me was thinking author checklist rather than becoming involved in the story. 
Probably/ possibly the intended audience won’t notice this.

Samantha Seeman

Another cute book by author Svetlana Chmakova. I LOVED Awkward, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that she came out with another book that took place in the same middle school. I really loved Jenson, and his story. I believe that a lot of kids kind of shoulder the kind of abuse that Jenson does because they think it is coming from friends. But friends should never be mean like that, and I am glad that they addressed why in this book. Bullying is so tough, and unfortunately timeless, which means we always have a need for describing it in books (and movies/tv etc.). People are complicated, and you never truly know what someone else is thinking or going through, but being kind is never a bad idea.

Katy B

This wasn't a bad read by any means, but this was lacking something (but I can't quite place my finger on what it's lacking) that the first book had. The storyline is for sure relevant in middle school life for today so students will easily be able to relate and identify with characters in this book.

The Myth Echo

Corinne Few

Wes Michaud

Ana Cob

A follow-up to the Eisner Award-nominated Awkward finds a misfit art club targeted by the school's bullies while Jenny and Akilah try to raise awareness, only to find their friendship tested by differing perspectives.

Brave

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