Review Tuesday: Raina Telgemeier (Author)

Hey Everyone,

First of all, I would like to apologise for this post being late as I was having computer issues yesterday and was unable to post anything. Thank you all for understanding.

Today's review post is a little bit different to my previous posts as today I will be reviewing an author rather than just book. I plan to do more of these in the future, so please let me know what you think about it. Today's author review is of a graphic novelist by the name of Raina Telgemeier.

Raina Telgemeier is an American graphic novelist that both writes and illustrates her own work. She has currently released three books that have all been best selling graphic novels, all whist also working with Ann M. Martin, in creating graphic adaptations of Martin's well loved series, "The Babysitter's Club". Her books are a mix of fiction and non fiction with the non fiction retelling stories from her childhood. So in todays author review I would like to review the three books Telgemeier has published through Graphix Publishing which is an imprint of Scholastic.


Title: Smile
Publication Year: 2009
Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6393631-smile
Summary: Raina just wanted to be like everyone else in her sixth grade class but after bad fall that leaves her without her front teeth, will she still fit in even with her new braces? 
Review:This is Telgemeier's first graphic memoir that retells her journey through her middle school years as she goes in and out of dental appointments as well as dealing with all the teenage problems such as friends and boys. A great book about personal growth and life as a teenager. This graphic novels follows Raina through middle school into high school filled with all the ups and downs of adolescence. It is very relatable as most teenagers go through the same struggles of self image, creating friendships and discovering their interests in the opposite sex and Telgemeier does a great job at wonderfully illustrating and writing about it. She is able to tell her story while also making it fun for children and adults to read about. Her illustrations are full of colour and detail that help portray the emotions she was feel while having braces. What I really loved about this book was seeing her personal story of her struggles with friendship which I don't see much in children's books. She shows her different friendship groups and how they made her feel and how she was treated by different people. It was great to read as I feel like a lot of people can relate in that way of learning who their real friends are. I would highly recommend this book to children as well as adults as it is a great read for everyone especially those who are going through the same personal struggles she did in school.
Star Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: Drama
Publication Year: 2012
Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13436373-drama
Summary: Callie loves everything about the theatre especially the sets. As an aspiring set designer she helps her middle school with their stage production of "Moon Over Mississippi". While there may be drama in the show, there seems to also be a lot of drama off stage as well. Can Callie pull off an amazing set design while also dealing with the crew drama?
Review:  I have read this book multiple times and I can definitely say that it is so far my favourite work of Telgemeier's. This was her first full fiction work that is set in a middle school scene like her previous book "Smile".  What I loved the most were the illustrations which was what attracted me to reading this book the first time. The art is really detailed and colourful which I enjoyed. It really helped with the story especially since it is set in a school theatre. I also really loved the story as it follows a girl who is passionate about something and already knows where she wants to go in her future. I also loved reading about her relationships with other students and how she felt about particular characters. The storyline is quite basic but I thought that it was really relatable as a lot of readers may have experienced these events even if it wasn't in the same setting. It's a self discovery story about knowing who you are and knowing what you want to be which I think a lot of people with deep interests and passions can relate to. I continue to love it more, the more times I read it. A highly recommended read for all ages.
Star Rating: 5/5 Stars

Title: Sisters
Publication Year: 2014
Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18225810-sisters
Summary: Raina was really excited to have a new sibling until Amara was born. Being the complete opposite to herself, the two fail to get along. Now forced to spend time together as they journey across the country for a family reunion, Will these sisters be able to bond after being stuck together for three weeks?
Review: Raina Telgemeier writes her personal story of her relationship with her younger sister, Amara in her second graphic memoir. This book takes place on one of the summer vacations mentioned in Raina's previous book "Smile". It follows the story of Raina and her sister, Amara with bits and pieces from the past up until the main trip they are on during the book. To me this wasn't her greatest book but it was still enjoyable. I again loved the full coloured artwork as she used the colour and detail to separate scenes which made it easier to tell if a scene was from the past or present. I also loved the way the story was told especially the flashback moments between the sisters (which were presented on yellow pages) as it showed the growth of the sisters from the very beginning of their lives together. A lot happens in this book which is better left unknown until you read it as it teaches the reader a lot about family and sticking together through the good and bad despite not having anything in common. I don't read a lot of books about family and so this was a refreshing read which is great for anyone who has siblings. I myself have 3 sisters and know the ups and downs of my relationship with each of them so this book was some what relatable. 
Star Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

OVERALL: Raina Telgemeier never seems to disappoint me as I love her work even when I don't fully engage in the story. She has amazing art skills and is able to tell great stories full of humour as well as emotion that are relatable. She is definitely one of my favourite graphic novelists and I would highly recommend her. She is great to read for anyone who are starting out in the comic scene and her work is children friendly as well. I hope that she continues to write more biographical and fiction books as I plan to continue to read anything she publishes in the coming years. She is absolutely amazing!!

I hope you enjoyed my first author review as I hope to do more in the future, so please let me know some of your favourite authors and I might review them next.

I hope you all have an amazing day!

~Louise