Review: Drama

Drama
By Raina Telgemeier
Published 2012 by GRAPHIX

Callie loves the theater - not being on stage (she can't sing), but creating the scene. She's the set designer for her middle school and she is determined to bring a Broadway caliber set to the production of Moon Over Mississippi. But, of course, the action onstage is not the only drama around...

I really enjoyed Smile, Telgemeier's graphic autobiography of dental mishaps, and had heard great things about her latest. I didn't get around to it until I picked it up for YALSA's The Hub Reading Challenge, Drama having been awarded a Stonewall Honor. I was glad to have an excuse to move this book to the top of my TBR pile. As a graphic novel, it's a quick read, but that doesn't mean it's all light and fluffy. I liked the pacing of the story and I think it definitely deserves its Stonewall Honor - we don't see a ton of books about diverse sexualities for the middle-grade audience and I think it's important that when we find a good one, we recognize it. I thought Telgemeier handled the GLBT issues well - and I love that the story unfolds against the drama department backdrop. I was a huge theater geek in middle and high school and so much of this story resonated with me. I like that she includes a character who could be identified as questioning - this is even rarer than the other identities in tween fiction (or even teen fiction for that matter). I love Telgemeier's artistic style. The colors are so vivid and the characters leap off the pages. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will continue to anticipate her future works!