Horn Book Review
This sensitive, realistic coming-of-age graphic novel by Eisner winner (most recently, for her Wrinkle in Time graphic novel adaptation) Larson beautifully captures the experiences of finding ones own rhythm and place in a family and among changing friendships. Its the summer before eighth grade. Binas longtime BFF and next-door neighbor Austin, away at soccer camp, stops responding to her texts. Bored and impressionable, Bina starts hanging out with Charlie, Austins older sister, who shares her love of music. Bina is pushed outside of her comfort zone, into babysitting gigs, flirting with boys, and other awkward, true-to-life situations. Through it all, Bina has her guitar, which she plays in reflective, private moments. When Austin returns from camp, the two must confront what is going on with their friendship--still platonic--and how it will evolve as they grow older. Dialogue (shown through texts, phone conversations, and traditional speech bubbles) is both endearing and believable. Close-up images of chord fingerings at the start of each chapter reflect progressions in both time and melody, while the use of a monochromatic palette with sunny oranges brings to mind sunrises and sunsets, beginnings and endings. Unobtrusive panels and lettering allow Larsons depictions of small, indelible moments of summer (playing mini-golf, becoming a first-time aunt, and seeing a favorite band play a gig) to shine. Give this to fans of This One Summer (rev. 7/14), Roller Girl (rev. 3/15), and The First Rule of Punk (rev. 7/17). elisa gall (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Summer adventures begin when Bina accidentally locks herself out of her house in Larson's newest middle-grade graphic novel.The summer before eighth grade is a season of self-discovery for many 13-year-olds, including Bina, when her best friend heads off to soccer camp and leaves her alone to navigate a SoCal summer. Without athletic Austin around to steer the ship, Bina must pursue her own passions, such as discovering new bands and rocking out on her electric guitar. Unexpected friendships bloom, and new members are welcomed into her family. Though her sphere grows over the summer, friendship with Austin is strained when he returns, and Bina must learn to embrace the proverb to make new friends but keep the old. As her mother wisely observes, "you're more you every day," and by the end of summer Bina is more comfortable in her own skin and ready to rock eighth grade. Larson's panels are superb at revealing emotional conflict, subtext, and humor within the deceptively simple third-person limited plot, allowing characters to grow and develop emotionally over only a few spreads. She also does a laudable job of depicting a diverse community for Bina to call home. Though Bina's ethnicity is never overtly identified, her racial ambiguity lends greater universality to her story. (In the two-toned apricot, black, and white panels, Bina and her mother have the same black hair and gold skin, while her dad is white, as is Austin.)A coming-of-age story as tender and sweet as a summer evening breeze. (Graphic fiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
