Mouse's Corner, The Sunday Edition: Smile by Raina Telgemeier

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by the wonderful Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by the great Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently.



Happy Sunday! Sundays here have become Mouse's Just Dance days. Just Dance is an interactive game in which Mouse dances to songs in the game and earns points. Sometimes her dad and I join in. It is a good work out!

Mouse is almost a month and a half into the second grade, can you believe it? We are finally settling into our routine for the school year, balancing school and extracurricular activities. Both Girl Scouts and rehearsals for The Nutcracker kicked off earlier this month. There were also princess birthday parties for Mouse's friends, and, all on her own, Mouse started her very own vlog series. So far she has had a prince week, a dragon week, and a Halloween edition. (I am afraid her vlog is not available for the general public--it is strictly an offline affair.)


New to the Shelves: 

Mouse's Book Fair purchases:

Battle of the Bands and Scarlet's Big Break (Major Eights) 

by Melody Reed, illustrated by Émilie Pépin

Barbie You Can Be a Soccer Player

Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures: The Great Cake Race

Half Birthday Gift (picked out by herself):

The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey

What Mouse is Reading: Mouse and her dad did quite a bit of reading together this past summer. Right now they are reading On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers.  I am a little sad she has not asked me to read her more of War and Peace or Les Miserables in the last couple months. Oh well.

On her own, Mouse is currently reading January Joker (Calendar Mysteries) by Ron Roy. She seems to like mysteries.

Mouse's first read for the school year was Raina Telgemeier's graphic memoir, Smile, which she checked out of her classroom library. I had heard of it, but hadn't read it before. Mouse really took to it and enjoyed reading it. I thought it was quite ambitious of her given it's length. One night I took the opportunity to read it for myself and enjoyed it. I can see why Mouse took to it. Raina, like her, is a Girl Scout, and even though Raina is in sixth grade at the beginning of the novel, she is very relateable. 

Smile (Smile #1) by Raina Telgemeier  

Scholastic, 2009

Nonfiction (Graphic Novel); 224 pgs

Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there’s still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly. This coming-of-age true story is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever been in middle school, and especially those who have ever had a bit of their own dental drama. [Goodreads Summary]

I think the opening picture of the Raina and her family going into the dentist's office is a great opening to the story, especially given the context. See how Raina hangs behind? It's clear she doesn't want to be there. The panels that follow say a lot in few words. "Smile!!" And then the camera goes off. The awkwardness of the moment is captured so well.

From page 56:

 These few panels resonate with me. Raina does not like that she has to wear not only braces, but headgear as well. Her mom tries to comfort her by telling her it is something other kids go through too, but do not talk about it. Raina makes a good point in the last two panels on the page. "Well, Maybe someone should start talking about it!!" And silently adds, "Maybe it would make us feel less like freaks." This could apply to so many different experiences and aspects of life . . .

Raina was younger during the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989, and a lot closer to the epicenter than I was. Reading about her experience brought back memories just the same. In fact, a lot of the little details throughout the novel reminded me of my own growing up years. I never had to wear braces, but Mouse likely will. She may not remember this book when the time comes, but it might be one to have on hand and revisit.

I admit to being a little concerned about the section about Raina and her friends hitting puberty, but in the end felt it was age appropriate. I am glad I read the book myself so that I was able to help her with any questions she had.

Mouse gave this book five stars, and I have to say I liked it quite a bit too. The artwork was engaging and Raina Telgemeier's story is one I think will appeal to all ages.

Some of Mouse's other recent reads (and re-reads):
The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation (The Princess in Black #4) by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying (Junie B. Jones #4) by Barbara Park, illustrated by Denise Brunkus
Dear Girl, by Dear Girl, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal, illustrated by Holly Hatam
Pinkalicious: Mother's Day Surprise by Victoria Kann

Flashlight Friday at school

---

© 2018, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.