True Colors: Growing Up Weird in the '90s

by Elise Gravel, Montana Kane (translator)

Growing up is always just a little too much for a kid to handle, but taking your time is all it takes

Tweeny-bopper Elise knows she’s different, but kind of just chalks it up to being a weirdo. And in the 90s, who isn’t? Other girls might be shifting their attention to boys, but Elise is putting the freeze on all that adult stuff to get lost in play with her besties and pour her energy into making her art. Besides, what’s the point in rushing when being a kid is such a blast?

In True Colors: Growing Up Weird in the 90s, Elise invites readers into the pages of her diary and takes them back to a radically different time before smartphones and home computers. It’s a world where fun means going to the mall and making mix tapes on cassette, and where imagination reigns supreme! It’s also a world where making new friends can be confusing, nerve-wracking, and utterly mind-boggling.

Creative and curious kids, anybody dealing with anything from not fitting in, to anxiety―or even an ADHD diagnosis―will see themselves in the pages. And through it all, Gravel shows the power of art and creativity to transform, as we see Elise turning her differences into her superpower in this funny and encouraging artistic origin story.

Genres: Memoir, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Coming Of Age, Nonfiction, Humor, Comics

188 pages, Paperback

Published August 19, 2025

Reviews

[Librariann · Rating 4 out of 5]

** I received a digital advance copy from the publisher, because I am a librarian and librarians are awesome **

Huzzah for weirdos! Especially those who grew up in the 90s.

Though lots of Elise Gravel's weird animal books appeal to our younger elementary kids, and they'll likely be drawn to the bright cover, Puberty Topics make this most suited for Jr. High age readers.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting look at growing up with ADHD told in a graphic novel. I enjoyed this - all the illustrations were so vibrant and fun. We’ve all been there with worries about friends and being unloveable! Good fun!

[YSBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

This newest book from Elise Gravel will satisfy fans plus introduce her to a whole new group of readers who love humorous diary-style offerings. It’s 1991 and across the faint blue lines of her journal, we meet Elise, whose spongey pink brain (recognizable from her This Is My Brain!: A Book on Neurodiversity) can’t stop obsessing over social interactions, changes in her body, and the state of the world in general. In this meta-narrative, Elise finds herself consumed with creating the most awesome study planner ever, which we get to see evolve over the course of the school year as it swells with stickers, notes, and even facsimile pop-up elements. Luckily, she has a best friend, Asma, who totally gets her obsessions and weird sense of humor and their goofy conversations are both cringe-worthy and laugh-out-loud funny. Those who already know and love Gravel’s work will recognize her totally off-topic flights of fancy, bubble lettering, and deceptively simple doodles, and those who are meeting her for the first time will feel like they’re getting to know the weird but talented kid who you always suspected would grow up to be the cool one. The book is packed with 90s touchstones (mixtapes, Joy Division, phones with actual cords) but most of what Elise moons over is completely timeless, including body image, crushes, boredom, and school work. The first-person confessional voice explores the mortifying evidence of encroaching puberty with frank descriptions of weird smells, body hair, and even a celebration of inserting a tampon for the first time all while tackling the main character’s anxiety in a respectful and even celebratory way. Elise is white and famously French-Canadian, Asma is of East Asian ancestry, and Camille (Asma’s eventual girlfriend) is Black. An author’s note from Elise at the back of the book names her condition as ADHD and explains that this is a fictionalized diary. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Girl stresses about not having a firm grasp on serious friendships outside of her and her BFF – she doesn't know if she fancies girls or boys, can't see the purpose of kissing, or marriage, or much along those lines, and is determined to not change one iota to attract any other friends in the first place. In other words she's happy being insular and lonely and self-doubting to the max. So when a third girl comes along and makes the two a three…

This was alright, but didn't really educate or entertainment me a great deal. As far as comic books goes it's along the lines of a full-coloured Tom Gates (how on earth the 'translators' (from the original French Canadian) managed to get all the coloured bubble writing and highlighting and so on I'm not sure), and doesn't really have much more scope than those books. I guess it could have some nostalgic qualities, and certain readers will find details that take them back to their own teenaged awkwardness, but again, this felt a touch slight on the outcomes of being such a quirky character.

[Neurospicy Potato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been in a slump this entire month, this graphic novel was perfect to fire things up a little again. It's about Elise (who is also the author), her friends and their daily adventures. Elise has ADHD, which we didn't know much about in the 90s. Back then, you were just called weird.

From the very start of this novel I just felt the neurospiciness of it, as well as that there were queer details. Just something about the way it was written, the art style and the overall vibe.

I usually don't like biographies, but this one didn't feel like one. Mostly because it was done in a vibrant and fun graphic novel style. It's funny and silly, but also doesn't shy away from the more serious subjects.

Honestly, I think this would be a really good book to explain ADHD to elementary school kids.

Disclaimer:
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

My teacher-librarian friend, Jill, recommended this to me, knowing my deep appreciation for (obsession with?) ‘90s nostalgia. Nailed it; what a delightful read! As a kid growing up in the ‘90s and early 2000s, I loved reading diary-style books/series (Amelia’s Notebook, Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, Tru Confessions, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Speak), and I would have loved this, too. The author tells a story about the awkward, confusing, magical era of being a preteen in the ‘90s that I’m sure most millennials would find relatable. The younger version of me would have found comfort in knowing that I wasn’t the only quirky kid with a massive tiny eraser collection whose brain kept me up at night with random, anxious thoughts. I’d recommend this book to YA fans and to my peers who would like to indulge in some nostalgia!

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

True Colours is a bright, honest picture book/graphic novel inspired by Elise Gravel’s own experience growing up with undiagnosed ADHD. She draws on that to show how it feels to be curious, energetic, sensitive, or different—and to turn those traits into something to celebrate. With her trademark mix of humour and heart, Gravel reminds kids that all feelings and quirks are part of what makes them unique. The lively illustrations and simple language make big ideas about emotions and self-acceptance easy to grasp. It’s an interesting and comforting read, especially for kids who sometimes feel out of step with everyone else.

[Matt Glaviano · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this. I think my biggest complaint is that it didn't really go anywhere. And while I understand that it's kind of true to the author's lived experience, Gravel points out in the afterward that characters outside of the protagonI are not real people. Which is fine - but if it's a work of fiction, it needs a better story arc and more of a conclusion.

My library has this categorized as biography. Given Gravel's afterward, I'm not sure that's the best place for this book.

On a personal note - less juvenile fiction about the nineties, please. I don't think it has a ton of appeal to the intended audience.

[Kit Feral · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thinking all the way through "I hope she knows about her ADHD now" so was happy to see the author's note haha (I say this lovingly as someone else diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.) This felt very relatable for someone who grew up during that time period with similar struggles, and similar weirdo triumphs. A lot of fun but with an important underlying message.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this fictionalised autobiography. The art and colours were fun, and I loved all the 90s references. I would recommend it to anyone who has ever felt like they don't fit in, whether that's because of neurodivergence, questioning their sexuality or any other reason.

[Free ARC from NetGalley]

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elise Gravel shares her (fictional) diary to illustrate what High School was like for her with undiagnosed ADHD. The book is funny and silly with unexpectedly poignant moments. Relatable and entertaining.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neurodivergent teen girl struggles with her anxiety and insomnia, with art and her bff as her own outlets. When a new girl joins her very small circle of friends, she worries that she will lose her only friend.

[lucy black · Rating 3 out of 5]

True Colors is a sweet and short comic about coming of age and dealing with young teen stuff in the 80s/90s. The main character ponders on maturity, sexuality and anxiety. It’s cute and has cute details but it’s quite dorky and bright.

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spunky and fun!
I can't figure out if this is better for 6th grade or late 5th grade. Honestly maybe more for 6th grade.
Relatable and pretty honest depiction of undiagnosed ADHD.
Worth the read :)

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tween… with ADHD… writing a journal… growing up in the 90s.

I mean… what a blast. Embracing the weirdness is totally my jam!

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so cute and I loved the characters. Also, it brought me back to growing up in the nineties and being a little different, too.

#WeNeedDiverseBooks #ADHD

[Laurie Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun and relatable graphic novel from beloved Montreal's Drawn and Quarterly about growing up weird in the 90s.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elise's bio growing up in the 90s with undiagnosed ADHD. Weird and charming, and very relatable to someone who was also a tween and teen with undiagnosed ADHD in the 90s!

[Shana Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too stream of consciousness for my taste, but I think pre-teens and elementary school kidd will like how zany and all over the place it is.

[Kip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

As soon as I read this, I was like, well she has "ADHD", which was revealed later. There were some parts I did relate to.

[Margaret Martin]

I’m not sure who the audience for this is. Tweens? Teens? Nostalgic Gen Xers? There isn’t a clear plot, which may be part of the point.

[laney ruth (taylor’s version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

as a fellow weird girl, i loved this so much

[Richard Thornley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sweet and charming book from the amazing Elise Gravel!

[Lbsantini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just kept thinking about the word weird. It doesn't work for me.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming but slight.

[A Yusuf · Rating 5 out of 5]

this felt like coming home. thank you elise, we're more similar than I would have thought I would be to another person.