Summary from Goodreads:
A coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel about summer and
friendships, written and illustrated by the Eisner Award–winning and New York Times–bestselling Hope Larson.
Thirteen-year-old Bina has a long summer ahead of her. She and her best friend, Austin, usually do everything together, but he's off to soccer camp for a month, and he's been acting kind of weird lately anyway. So it's up to Bina to see how much fun she can have on her own. At first it's a lot of guitar playing, boredom, and bad TV, but things look up when she finds an unlikely companion in Austin's older sister, who enjoys music just as much as Bina. But then Austin comes home from camp, and he's acting even weirder than when he left. How Bina and Austin rise above their growing pains and reestablish their friendship and respect for their differences makes for a touching and funny coming-of-age story.
Thirteen-year-old Bina has a long summer ahead of her. She and her best friend, Austin, usually do everything together, but he's off to soccer camp for a month, and he's been acting kind of weird lately anyway. So it's up to Bina to see how much fun she can have on her own. At first it's a lot of guitar playing, boredom, and bad TV, but things look up when she finds an unlikely companion in Austin's older sister, who enjoys music just as much as Bina. But then Austin comes home from camp, and he's acting even weirder than when he left. How Bina and Austin rise above their growing pains and reestablish their friendship and respect for their differences makes for a touching and funny coming-of-age story.
Review:
I’m a big Hope Larson fan. I adored Compass South and Knife’s
Edge. I have also been super into the increase of girl middle grade
contempory graphic novels. This had the look of Sunny Side Up by Holm and Smile
by Telgemeir going for it. And I had high hopes.
I guess maybe my expectations were a little too high. The
art was really good, though very different from the author’s past graphic
novels –more subdued. It was still easy to get into the story because of how
fun and simple the artwork was. It was more the story that I just didn’t love
as much. There wasn’t a lot going on.
Larson definitely captured how bored a young person can be
when left alone all summer. But, that doesn’t’ necessarily make for the best
reading material. The book moved slowly, as I’m sure the summer did for Bina. I
liked the storyline with Austin’s sister. I found that to be interesting and
believable. I guess I just wanted more to happen there though, overall. And I
also kind of hated Austin. He did not deserve Bina’s friendship. She was super
quick to forgive him, and maybe kids are like that, but I had a harder time
letting things go, as a reader.
Also, I’m not sure they read as 12 to me. First Austin was
too cool to have a girl best friend. Like he’d have cooties or something and
get made fun of by the soccer guys. And two seconds later, we’re supposed to
believe he’s emotionally ready to have this soccer girlfriend? Like what?
I also got confused about the timing of it. The clothes
suggested 70’s/80’s, but then the kids were texting, so I decided to read it as
current. But, then records and record players happened….along with pharmacy soda
shops? Was it a weird combo of decades? I kept getting pulled out of the story,
trying to determine the timing of it, and I don’t think that’s a good thing.
All in all, I didn’t hate this. But, I definitely didn’t
love it either. I’m thinking maybe I’ll just stick to the fantasy stories by
this author. I give this one a 6/10.
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