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sjclay122's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, and Homophobia
melmattocks21's review
emotional
sad
fast-paced
4.5
This was a very powerful graphic novel memoir about a boy growing up with trauma due to the devastating murder of his mother and incessant bullying due to his gender and sexuality.
I found the writing a bit hard to follow at times, as it jumped around a lot. Also, the ending was very abrupt. I wish we got to learn more about post 7th grade life, rather than a 4-5 page summary.
I found the writing a bit hard to follow at times, as it jumped around a lot. Also, the ending was very abrupt. I wish we got to learn more about post 7th grade life, rather than a 4-5 page summary.
Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, and Bullying
lettuce_read's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Murder
jessoehrlein's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
3.0
Damian attempts to avoid being bullied in a new school, and his strategy of not talking (to avoid drawing attention) backfires.
About processing lots of things and how those impact middle school kids: past family trauma, death in the family, poverty, being gay (and especially being a more femme boy).
About processing lots of things and how those impact middle school kids: past family trauma, death in the family, poverty, being gay (and especially being a more femme boy).
Graphic: Death of parent, Bullying, and Homophobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Death
bookiesncookies's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia and Bullying
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Grief
readingwithcats's review
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Bullying and Homophobia
betweentheshelves's review
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Alexander doesn't shy away from difficult topics in this autobiographical graphic novel. He really digs deep into his exploration of his sexuality, and the ways that trauma affected his time in school. There's a lot to like in this graphic novel, from the distinct art style to the writing. There are middle grade readers that will for sure relate to the story.
One of the things that felt most authentic to me for this book was Damian's journey to discovering that he likes boys instead of girls. Throughout the book, he constantly talks about ways he's different than the other boys in his class, but it's not until middle school that he really realizes that he has different romantic feelings, too. There's alos a positive representation of therapy, and Damian finally gets the help that he needs.
Overall, this is an effective graphic novel that would definitely have a home on any school or library shelf.
One of the things that felt most authentic to me for this book was Damian's journey to discovering that he likes boys instead of girls. Throughout the book, he constantly talks about ways he's different than the other boys in his class, but it's not until middle school that he really realizes that he has different romantic feelings, too. There's alos a positive representation of therapy, and Damian finally gets the help that he needs.
Overall, this is an effective graphic novel that would definitely have a home on any school or library shelf.
Graphic: Cancer, Bullying, Death of parent, and Homophobia
Moderate: Grief
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