Item: Operatic
Rating: 5.00
Author: nicolelynnreads

by Kyo Maclear

A story of friendship, first crushes, opera and the high drama of middle school told by award-winning Kyo Maclear in her debut graphic novel.

Somewhere in the universe, there is the perfect tune for you.

It’s almost the end of middle school, and Charlie has to find her perfect song for a music class assignment. But it’s hard for Charlie to concentrate when she can’t stop noticing her classmate Emile, or wondering about Luka, who hasn’t been to school in weeks.

Then, the class learns about opera, and Charlie discovers the music of Maria Callas. The more she learns about Maria’s life, the more Charlie admires her passion for singing and her ability to express herself fully through her music. Can Charlie follow the example of the ultimate diva, Maria Callas, when it comes to her own life?

Key Text Features
speech bubbles
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Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

Loved this graphic novel! The illustrations are stunning and the story was sweet & relatable. I loved how Charlie’s story played out.

Charlie is in her last year of middle school. While doing an assignment for her music class, she connects with the music from famous opera singer Maria Callas. Through exploring music, Charlie also begins to reflect on insecurities & how they influence everyday actions.

Maclear does a fabulous job of discussing insecurities growing up and finding confidence in who you are. I really connected with Charlie’s story because growing up music meant everything to me and was a way (besides through books) that I could deal with emotions and life situations.

Eggenschwiler’s illustrations were some of my favorites that I’ve seen lately. The artwork really captures this story & I loved how music was visualized within this graphic novel. Absolutely stunning & will definitely be looking into what other work Eggenschwiler has created.

Overall this was a fast read, but definitely one that left an impression.

Operatic

by Kyo Maclear

Reviewed by Nicole Lynn on Apr 23, 2019

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