Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Summary from Goodreads:

PLACES, EVERYONE!

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon Over Mississippi, she can't really sing. Instead she's the set designer for the drama department stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen. And when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier!

Review:

So, this is my favorite Telgemeier book (so far). There’s a new one entitled Ghosts coming out soon, and I might end up liking that one the best. I love a good ghost story. I’ve been on a good Telgemeier kick lately too. There’s something so easy, so fresh, and so fun about all of her graphic novels.

I love that I can read her books in no time at all. I love her artwork. I love how easy these books are for people to read, even if they aren’t used to reading graphic novels. It’s also nice to get middle school books that aren’t about anything too dark, war-like, or death related. These are kind of fluffy. And I particularly liked this one because of the romance element.

The romance did take a backseat to the rest of the plot, which is fine by me. I love that Callie’s love of set design takes the center stage. It’s not just some added hobby put in by the author, and then never discussed again. It’s a real thing that emanates from her person for the entirety of the book.  Also, back to the romance, it’s middle school romance for sure. Basically, Callie has a few crushes (not just one!) and the way she handles them is so real, but also so brave.

Callie puts herself out there to get what she wants, even though a lot of the time things can and do end badly or embarrassingly. I was not like that in middle school. I like to think I am this way now. I wish I was more like Callie in middle school and that’s another reason I loved this book.

I loved the LGBT characters too. Also, Callie’s friends and family members all felt very believable to me. The real stand out though of course is Callie. I love that she knows when she’s not being treated fairly by guys. And I love how she handled a certain situation with an old crush at the end of the book. I pretty much yelled out, “You, go girl!” when I read it.

This is a great book if you’re looking for something you can read fast. It’s sweet, fluffy, and kind of dramatic (as the title suggests). Basically, I loved every second of it. I give it a 10/10.