Varian Johnson

Coretta Scott King Honor author Varian Johnson teams up with rising cartoonist Shannon Wright for a delightful middle-grade graphic novel! Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran -- a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable outfits that set her apart from Maureen. A girl who seems happy to share only two classes with her sister! Maureen and Francine are growing apart and there's nothing Maureen can do to stop it. Are sisters really forever? Or will middle school change things for good?

Twins (Twins #1)

Sarah Sammis

What makes this book work is the character growth of the twins, their parents, and their friends. While they're are misunderstandings and miscommunications, everyone does eventually talk. Arguments happen. Feelings are hurt. People apologize. Hurt feelings are mending. Characters grow.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comm...

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

Digital Review Copy (DRC) provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Author Varian Johnson posted a discussion starter on Twitter in March 2019 about the lack of graphic novels starring tween Black girls:

"Seriously, are there NO graphic novels featuring black girls? There's gotta be some out there, right? Right? Somebody point me in the right direction. 1/2"

"Obviously, @shannondrewthis and I have one coming out in 2020, but that doesn't help me today. Graphic lit has turned my daughter into a voracious reader...and I'm frustrated that I can't find any stories that clearly center her in the narrative. 2/2"

https://twitter.com/varianjohnson/sta...

At the time, I jumped in and shared a title that hadn't been talked about yet in the thread, Akissi: Tales of Mischief, read the comments and suggestions from all over the world, and agreed wholeheartedly that, as an international school librarian and mom to two amazing Ethiopian-American children, there were not many graphic novels at all where Black or brown tween girl comics readers could see themselves even as side-kicks, let alone main characters. In my middle school library collections, I can't keep the perennially popular realistic middle grade favorites by Raina Telgemeier and Victoria Jamieson and Jennifer L. Holm on the shelves, and knowing how graphic novels can inspire and enthral all kind of readers, I use my budget to find and purchase stories that star children from all kinds of backgrounds and reflect all kinds of racial diversity. 

I went back and re-read that Twitter thread as I just finished Johnson's middle grade realistic fiction graphic novel Twins starring rising sixth-grade sisters Maureen and Francine who are identical twins. This story, a series-opener (Hallelujah!), is a breath of much-anticipated fresh air that will fly off the shelves, physical and digital, in the fall! An identical twin himself with daughters of his own, what could be more fun than writing a tale about sisters who begin middle school trying to figure out how to be identical in so many ways and yet stand on their own, cultivating their own nicknames, personal style, extracurricular passions, and friendships? 

I read this as a DRC with most of the coloring incomplete, which made some of the events confusing for my rising sixth-grade son who was reading with me (the characters are identical twins after all!), but we both found the school setting compelling and real, with the heartfelt struggles between Maureen and Fran both vying for class president and understandable blow-ups, cool-downs, and hugging-it-outs as the campaigns progress reflecting many of the experiences of tweens navigating new opportunities to grow through elections-as-sibling-rivalry and increased pressures to perform in class. The twins have a warm, dynamic family life including an older brother who provides some needed cool-older-brother advice just at the right times, while allowing the twins to work through real conflicts between themselves and their parents as secrets are revealed and carrots are dangled (my son did not fail to see the new phone angle the parents floated at one point!), finding ways to explore their relationship and create new spaces to pursue their interests. 

I highly recommend Twins for ages 8 and up/Grades 3 and up.

Sabrina D. 

I loved this book! NO THAT WAS NOT ME CRYING AT THE END.... you can’t prove it T-T. Such a cool, cute, heart warming story about twin sisters who are trying to figure out who they are with out the other. I loved all of the characters, even the minor ones. I recommend this to anyone with siblings, a twin, or an inseparable bond. I recommend it to kids and adults and definitely middle schoolers. Thank you Varian and Shannon <3

Eilidh 

Defiantly a very quick read, read it in probably 2 - 3 hours, but a good graphical novel in all.

Twins (Twins #1)

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