Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

At four years old, Raina wanted a new sister, badly—and then she got one. Now she’s fourteen, and she and Amara still fight frequently; while they occasionally establish common ground, such as their mutual mixed feelings about the arrival of their little brother, more often they bicker over colored pencils, pet snakes, and punch bugs—a real problem when the girls, their brother, and their mom take a road trip from San Francisco to Colorado for a family reunion. That journey is the anchor for this graphic novel memoir, which flashes back through the girls’ relationship, contentious from its earliest days. Telgemeier clearly remembers how it feels to be fourteen, as well as how it feels to have and be a sister, and she adeptly relays those emotions and experience though accessible dialogue and expressive depiction of characters. While the artwork breaks no new ground, the approachable style Telgemeier used in Smile (BCCB 3/10) successfully conveys this particular chapter in her coming of age, and photos of the real-life Raina and Amara add an engaging point of further access. Her streamlined, cartoony style is easygoing and flexible, effectively representing time shifts and capturing the rare but important moments where the sisters draw on each other for strength: characters grow and change but remain recognizable, just like Raina and Amara over the course of their road trip. Give this to any kid with siblings and wait for the knowing nods, sighs, and laughter to begin. [End Page 70]