Smile: A Graphic Novel by Raina Telgemeier

Smile: A Graphic Novel

by Raina Telgemeier

Raina just wanted to be a normal girl, but one night after Girl Scouts
she trips and falls severely injuring her two front teeth.
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 not be so friendly.

Reviewed by inlibrisveritas on

4 of 5 stars

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Hullo awkward years…I just want you to know I don’t miss you, even if I did willing read and enjoy a book about you.

Smile is a graphic novel about those really awkward years that take place in middle school and the beginning of high school. We’ve all been there…unless you haven’t, in which case you’re weird and lucky. Smile takes place in the 90s, which is awesome because it resembled most of my childhood and awkward years perfectly. You get the whole package here: the braces, retainers, acne, boys who are friends, boys you wish would be your ‘friend’, fake friends, and siblings that drive you crazy.

Smile takes those awful moments and turns it into something almost nostalgic. You get to see Raina grow up, learn to like herself and free herself from friends who don’t deserve her attention.I could totally relate to pretty much everything, including the stupid retainers and having braces…twice…I really wish this had been around when I was still that age because I would have given anything to know that I wasn’t the only one having a tough go of it.

It’s definitely a great little book that is really entertaining and highly relatable.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 16 August, 2014: Finished reading
  • 16 August, 2014: Reviewed