Module 6 Book Review #3: Smile

-
*This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.*

Image result for smile raina telgemeier

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Telgemeier, Raina. (2010). SMILE. New York, NY: Graphix. ISBN 9780545132060

PLOT SUMMARY
It all started in sixth grade when Raina was racing some of her friends and accidentally fell and knocked out some of her front teeth. She was going to get braces eventually, but because of this incident, Raina had to go through various orthodontic procedures in order to get her teeth back to normal. As if this wasn’t enough, Raina also has to juggle other problems as time progresses, such as drama with “friends”, boy crushes, and just simply fitting in with everyone else.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
It is known that many middle and high school students go through self-image dilemmas. Because of this, how they look becomes their main priority, making it easy for them to overlook the other necessary and important issues in life. Raina’s journey in Smilebegan when she was in sixth grade. With her braces and other orthodontic procedures, she felt that she probably would be weird-looking forever and that this awkward stage in her life was there to stay. It didn’t help that the “friends” she had during this transitional journey always brought her down about her feelings and appearance. Even though they claimed they were only messing with her, it was obvious that their actions were actually a version of bullying. This made Raina strive harder to fit in, something she felt that she would never accomplish. It wasn’t until her freshman year of high school when she realized that she wasn’t going to allow this type of negativity to stay in her life. The themes then became very apparent in the story. The lessons were to always love and stand up for yourself. Raina did just that, and when she got rid of the toxic external factors, she was able to find a new group of people to love and appreciate her for who she was. She was then able to recognize that things eventually do get better, and there’s always something to “smile” about in life. Which brings us back to the title. Smilemay seem to cater to the orthodontic part of Raina’s story, but it really just represents that everybody needs to stay positive, even when things seem to be going wrong.

Smile is an amazing graphic memoir that features different challenging experiences Raina Telgemeier went through during her coming-of-age years. When looking at the illustrations, they are definitely visually appealing, for they are truly colorful and filled with detail. It’s like reading an actual comic book! What’s also great about it is the fact that readers don’t just have to read about Raina’s self-image issues, they can actually witness them through the pictures themselves. Readers are able to relate to these problems by seeing how the protagonist encounters and conquers them firsthand. The comic route is truly timeless, which is why even early high school teens would also find Raina’s pictorial route to finally accepting herself for who she was extremely interesting.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
*2011 Will Eisner Award
*Publishers Weekly Review:"Charming...This book should appeal to tweens looking for a story that reflects their fears and experiences and gives them hope that things get easier."
*BooklistReview: "Telgemeier's storytelling and full-color cartoony images form a story that will cheer and inspire any middle-schooler dealing with orthodontia."
*Kirkus Reviews Review:"Irresistible, funny and touching - a must read for all teenage girls, whether en-braced or not."

CONNECTIONS
*Sisters is another graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier about her past life experiences. It is a great companion to Smile, especially since it covers her relationship with her younger sibling, something that most readers can definitely relate to.
*Students can create their own colorful graphic memoir about a time they were worried about their self-image. This will be a great companion activity when discussing personal narrative elements.
* https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/braces.htmlis a website that provides a good amount of information about health obstacles children and teens tend to go through (i.e. getting braces, puberty, etc.). 

 PICTURE SOURCE
https://www.amazon.com/Smile-Raina-Telgemeier/dp/0545132061

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Module 1 Book Review #2: Orson Blasts Off!

-
Image
*This book review was written for one of my MLS courses at SHSU.* BIBLIOGRAPHY Col ón, Ra úl. (2004). ORSON BLASTS OFF. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689842783 PLOT SUMMARY Frustrated at the fact that his computer is no longer in service, Orson becomes extremely bored and begins to imagine/dream about all the adventures he would be able to go on in the outside world. From discovering the North Pole, confronting a hurricane, and even taking off to outer space, Orson is exposed to the many possibilities he would encounter if he was to not depend solely on using technology for leisure. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Ra úl Col ón’s plot in Orson Blasts Off! significantly exhibits how children can be intrigued by the many wonders of the outside world if they give it a chance. In the beginning of the picture book, Orson is furious and says out loud, “You dumb computer, how could you?”. This allows the reader to see the character’s feeling of betrayal a...
Read more

Module 3 Book Review #3: Hidden

-
Image
*This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.* BIBLIOGRAPHY Frost, Helen. (2011). HIDDEN. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. ISBN 9780374382216 PLOT SUMMARY Both at age fourteen, Wren and Darra attend Camp Oakwood, a summer camp in Michigan. They never personally met each other before then; however, their lives did connect at one point six years earlier. Darra’s father stole Wren’s mother’s car from a gas station, but he was not aware that Wren was actually still in the car. Frightened, eight-year old Wren hid in the back of the car so she wouldn’t be seen by her kidnapper, and when they arrive at his house, she stays hidden in the garage since there was no way to escape. Darra, who knows that her dad stole the car, hears from the news that Wren was missing, so she is convinced that Wren was somewhere in their garage, scared with no way out. Eventually, Wren gets out of the garage through a small pet door, and later on finds help. As a result, Darra’...
Read more

Module 4 Book Review #2: Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember

-
Image
*This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.* BIBLIOGRAPHY Jenkins, Steve. (2009). NEVER SMILE AT A MONKEY: AND 17 OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Children. ISBN 9780618966202 PLOT SUMMARY We are all aware that there are many different animals that humans should definitely not mess with, especially the wild ones. However, there are many other animals in which people just assume are safe to be around and are completely harmless, but Steve Jenkins’  Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember  proves this wrong. From venomous bites to being kicked with total might, it is important for everybody to recognize these different dangers to protect themselves if they ever encounter any of these species. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Steve Jenkins dedicates one to two pages per animal he describes in this informative book. Each of them gets a short little paragraph, which is more than enough whe...
Read more