Girl Stories (Weinstein, Lauren R.; 2006) 237 pages; ISBN 9780805078633
An a-typical story about an actual, typical tween, Girl Stories is a series of tales told in graphic novel form by Lauren Weinstein and featuring a 13-year-old narrator named, perhaps autobiographically, Lauren. Weinstein approaches the travails of Lauren in graphic novel form. She does not sugar coat the often difficult, awkward, confusing years of pre- and early teen hood. The vignettes here tell of Lauren’s (embarrassing) hobby of playing with Barbies long after most girls have packed them away, her struggle to be accepted by the cool kids, and her brutally honest account of dropping a friend who might jeopardize her popularity index.
Weinstein explains in her intro that this book represents several years worth of work, and therefore the style of her illustrations changes over time. The straightforward pictures sometimes belie more serious topics and dialogue that address serious tween and teen issues. Angst over wanting a boyfriend or girlfriend and body issues are two such subjects, and though these can quickly evolve into more mature themes, they are also very important issues for young readers. Weinstein’s honesty in depicting one young girl’s struggle with these years is refreshing and comes across as authentic, which many tween readers will appreciate. However, that same honesty makes this titles more appropriate for older tweens than the younger or less mature readers in this group.
The graphic novel format of this book makes it an easy read for some who are put off by longer doses of text, but Weinstein’s language is challenging enough to keep strong readers plenty interested as well.
Recommended for ages 11 and up.
An a-typical story about an actual, typical tween, Girl Stories is a series of tales told in graphic novel form by Lauren Weinstein and featuring a 13-year-old narrator named, perhaps autobiographically, Lauren. Weinstein approaches the travails of Lauren in graphic novel form. She does not sugar coat the often difficult, awkward, confusing years of pre- and early teen hood. The vignettes here tell of Lauren’s (embarrassing) hobby of playing with Barbies long after most girls have packed them away, her struggle to be accepted by the cool kids, and her brutally honest account of dropping a friend who might jeopardize her popularity index.
Weinstein explains in her intro that this book represents several years worth of work, and therefore the style of her illustrations changes over time. The straightforward pictures sometimes belie more serious topics and dialogue that address serious tween and teen issues. Angst over wanting a boyfriend or girlfriend and body issues are two such subjects, and though these can quickly evolve into more mature themes, they are also very important issues for young readers. Weinstein’s honesty in depicting one young girl’s struggle with these years is refreshing and comes across as authentic, which many tween readers will appreciate. However, that same honesty makes this titles more appropriate for older tweens than the younger or less mature readers in this group.
The graphic novel format of this book makes it an easy read for some who are put off by longer doses of text, but Weinstein’s language is challenging enough to keep strong readers plenty interested as well.
Recommended for ages 11 and up.
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