Drama [Paperback]

Well, I first found Smile in a book store and I loved it so much, I brought it EVERYWHERE. Even to the Grand Canyon. Then I showed Smile to my friends mom and SHE loved it. So when I told her there was another book, Drama, she told me I should get it. So I did. Then I ended up bringing it Everywhere. I am 11 and I am perfectly ok with the material in the book. It is definitely appropriate for even an 8 year old. This was a great book!!!!!!!

Callie loves the theater. She knows she can't sing (she and her family discovered that early on) but she's a fantastic hand for the stage crew. This year she's the set designer and she's planning on creating a set that will put all others to shame. One small problem...they don't have much of a budget. And ticket sales just don't seem to be there yet. Plus there's all kinds of middle school drama around and she just might have her first crush or two! How will the play ever happen with all of the drama? But Callie and her friends will make it happen or collapse trying.

Just like Smile this book is sure to have a bit of controversy because Raina writes about real life, such as relationships both male and female and male and male, which is bound to cause some readers angst. But here's the thing...everything that Raina writes about in this book is stuff that kids face in real life, regardless of whether parents and adults want to admit it. Raina accurately captures the feelings of confusion, infatuation, of the journey of discovering yourself, that we all experience in middle school and this is what her readers relate to. And it's why this is such a great book, because even as a male reader I related to Matt and his confusion over how to approach Callie (which is something that still confuses me to this day.)

Raina's art style is deceptively simple, but I love it. It reminds of "The Kids Next Door" cartoon (and yes that's a good thing) with how things are drawn and the colors choosen. She quickly and accurately captures the movement of characters and brings them to life with the expressions on their faces. They're expressions that I remember seeing growing up (and still see today come to think of it) that make the characters feel real. The colors are spot on perfect as well. But my favorite scenes of the book come right at the beginning, when we see the stage curtain go up. It sets the tone for the entire book and makes everything fantastic.

In short, Raina once again captures the essence of what it's like to grow up in the real world and she has created a charming and unforgettable story that will appeal to her readers. Raina's fans are sure to love this book just as much as Smile if not more. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars and I eagerly await the next book from Ms. Telgemeier as she continues to grow and thrive as an artist and a storyteller.

Last year, I was a sixth-grade teacher. I conducted a graphic novel unit, and mentioned to my students that if the girls hadn't read a graphic novel before, I'd heard that one called "Smile" was excellent. I heard a few initial rave reviews from the brave souls who tried it out, and so I read Smile for myself. Despite not being the target audience, there were many aspects of the book that resonated strongly for me and I encouraged the rest of my students to read it as well. By the end of the year, about 80% of my class had read and subsequently fallen in love with Smile. I was somewhat concerned that Drama would not live up to its predecessor. This concern was altogether unwarranted.

It's clear that Drama, though not autobiographical in the same sense as Smile, is still heavily influenced by Telgemeier's own experiences. She brings a wealth of knowledge of the inner workings of theater crews to the pages and provides a rare look at the important role played by the people behind the scenes of a dramatic production. However, to say that this book was just about theater crews would be doing it a great disservice. Like Smile, Drama is really about relationships. It does an incredible job of conveying the minefield that naturally occurs when people who are still trying to figure out who they are have to deal with other people in the same boat.

A good book allows its target audience to strongly connect to it; a great book is able to transcend barriers and speak to people beyond the group for whom it is written. Drama, like Telgemeier's Smile, falls squarely in the "great book" category. Job well done!