Reviews

The book Smile by Raina Telgemeier is a well written autobiographical graphic novel. I remember reading this book and many others by Raina Telgemeier when I was in elementary school. Books like Drama and Sisters were also in the graphic novel style and so fun to read. After recently re-reading the book Smile I was very happy with how much I enjoyed it. I would rate this book 4 / 5 stars. The story takes place around the early 1990’s in San Francisco. It Starts with Raina in sixth grade when an accident injures her teeth causing her to go see many dentists and get braces. The plot goes through her middle school struggles with friends, boys, and now braces. I really enjoyed her character and think other young girls around her age reading this book would find it very relatable. Her family is also in the book, but we mostly see her life at school. Other characters in the book are her crush Sammy and her toxic friends Karin and Nicole. I recommend his coming of age story to anyone between the ages of 10-15 and who resonate with middle school and dental drama. The book can be really inspiring for young girls who may feel insecure about growing older and all of the changes happening in their lives. It shows how you can still be strong and stand up for yourself after going through tough times. Even though Raina was having a hard time fitting in, she has grown up and feels much better and even confident enough to write her own stories. I recommend her other books as well!