Book 1: Positively Izzy by Terri Libenson ★★★★
Positively Izzy is a graphic novel (GN) about the ups and downs of middle school. This GN is told through alternating perspectives. The chapters alternate between Izzy and Bri: two very different girls. Izzy loves nothing more than being creative and acting. It's pretty much all she thinks about, which means her school work suffers tremendously. When Izzy's mom grounds her for not completing a take-home test, it means that she will not be able to perform in the school talent show. There is no way that Izzy can let that happen.
Bri is known as "the brain," a nickname she'd rather not have but definitely lives up to. While Izzy is busy preparing her one-woman skit for the school talent show, Bri is trying to avoid it at all costs. Unfortunately, Bri's mom is the school's beloved drama teacher. When a member of a two-person skit can't perform, Bri's mom begs her to fill in. Will Bri be able to break out of her shell so that show can go on?
I love that graphic novels can cover difficult, important topics in a really light-hearted format. Colorful pictures and minimal text is much less intimidating than hugely thick chapters. That being said, this graphic novel didn't tackle any major life lessons. It certainly shows readers that everyone is different, and we need to embrace our differences. It also teaches us that trying new things can be scary but worthwhile. Because I didn't feel deeply moved by the plot, I gave it 4 stars. However, I think this book is a fun read that can engage reluctant readers.
Fair warning: this book includes a huge plot twist at the end. I promise that you'll be rethinking everything you read once you finish the last chapter but in a good way.
Book 2: A Good Day for Climbing Trees by Jaco Jacobs ★★★★
A Good Day for Climbing Trees is a super short novel that takes place in South Africa. It was originally written in Afrikaans and translated to English. Therefore, there a few words that were unfamiliar for me (South African foods, drinks, etc); strange words aren't a problem for me because I can read right over them, but younger readers may struggle to get over that hump. I wasn't really sure that I was going to like this book; I honestly didn't even want to read it, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
The Plot
Marnus is the middle child in a family of three boys. His older brother is good looking, athletic, and spends his time giving kissing lessons to local girls. His younger brother is extremely smart and has an excellent business sense (he is making money off all of those kissing lessons happening in his backyard). Marnus is spending his Christmas break doing all his little brother's chores because he needed to borrow money from him. He is really sick of opening the door for all the "kissing lesson" girls; when Lelia shows up at his door, she has a very different question for him. She asks Marnus to sign her petition to save the "tree at the center of the universe," which is about to be cut down by the town. Marnus agrees to check out the tree with her. When Leila climbs the tree and says she won't come down until the town agrees not to remove it, Marnus decides to join her cause and climbs into the tree as well. Their simple protest garners lots of attention. Marnus is overjoyed that their protest seems to be working but can't understand why Leila still seems unhappy. She is still waiting for the attention of someone else, but who?
This is a sweet story about the importance of finally being seen, whether that is by the entire town or simply one's family.
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