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Words Apart
Aimee Lucido's hybrid middle grade novel explores the fraught relationship between sisters as they navigate their differences and their parents’ divorce—beautifully told in words and comic panels.
Olive collects words. Rare words, common words, fancy words, funny words. She expresses herself through definitions, poetry, and crossword puzzles that she creates.
Her sister, Mattie, could not be more opposite. Mattie struggles with words and prefers pictures instead, expressing herself through cartoons and sketches.
Despite their differences, the two girls are inseparable. Or at least they were. After their dad moves to Durham, North Carolina, where he works as a professor during the week, and Olive develops a crush on Max Tucker and begins making friends other than Mattie, the sisters' dynamic changes. With their dad gone and acting suspiciously when he's home, their mom hovering over them about grades, and their own relationship fracturing, Olive and Mattie, through crossword puzzles and sketches, definitions and doodles, come to realize that love doesn't always look how we envision and it and that sometimes letting someone go is the best way to show you love them.
Olive collects words. Rare words, common words, fancy words, funny words. She expresses herself through definitions, poetry, and crossword puzzles that she creates.
Her sister, Mattie, could not be more opposite. Mattie struggles with words and prefers pictures instead, expressing herself through cartoons and sketches.
Despite their differences, the two girls are inseparable. Or at least they were. After their dad moves to Durham, North Carolina, where he works as a professor during the week, and Olive develops a crush on Max Tucker and begins making friends other than Mattie, the sisters' dynamic changes. With their dad gone and acting suspiciously when he's home, their mom hovering over them about grades, and their own relationship fracturing, Olive and Mattie, through crossword puzzles and sketches, definitions and doodles, come to realize that love doesn't always look how we envision and it and that sometimes letting someone go is the best way to show you love them.
400 pages, Paperback
First published September 23, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 28, 2025
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Mattie and Olive are two years apart, but both in the 6th grade. Mattie struggles in school and was held back in kindergarten, while Olive is academically advanced. Both are struggling as their father is working at Duke as an adjunct linguistics professor for the summer while the girls and their mother remain at home. Mattie is frequently bullied by children at school, and tries to protect Olive from the same treatment, warning her sister that she shouldn't share too much, lest children laugh AT her rather than with her. Mattie loves to draw, and the idea of going to a summer art camp keeps her going. Olive has a crush on Max, who seems nicer than some of the other kids, but when he asks Mattie to draw for the school newspaper, The Weekly Wombat, Mattie tells Olive he is just fooling with them, trying to be mean. Mattie's teacher is concerned that she isn't doing well, and asks Mattie if she would like to be tested for learning differences, but, again, Mattie doesn't want to trust anyone. It's especially hard, since her beloved father isn't always visiting as much, and Mattie becomes convinced that something is wrong. Olive begins to feel trapped by her sister, and wants to hang out with Max and the other students from the newspaper, especially since they publish a crossword puzzle that she has created, and the other students seem to like it. Increasingly angry about her circumstances, Mattie acts out by drawing mean cartoons of her classmates and posting anonymous copies of them around the building. When she catches her father on the phone with a woman named Vivian, she becomes even more angry, and draws mean cartoons about Olive's friends. Eventually, Mattie has to come to terms with her parents' divorce, get help from her learning differences, and make amends with Olive.
Strengths: This book is told in a mixture of verse and graphic novel panels, which makes it rather unique. The illustrations are pleasant. There are also a plethora of advanced vocabulary words as well as some wordplay and crossword puzzles, adding to the novelty. Mattie and Olive are best friends, but experience some rocky times as the world around them changes. Many children are in middle school when their parents get divorced, and there are many more novels when a parent dies than there are about parents divorcing. It was good to see that Olive was able to make friends, and that both girls had supportive adults around them.
Weaknesses: I'm not sure I've read many middle grade novels where a parent is discovered to be cheating on a spouse by a child. Since the cover of this is rather young, I wish this had been handled differently. It seemed odd that a 6th grade teacher would assign both Little Women and Treasure Island to 6th graders. Most language arts teachers today try to find more diverse, current titles when at all possible.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want a graphic novel about difficult family circumstances, like Knowles Someone's Gonna End Up Crying or Lynch's Reel Life.
Mattie and Olive are two years apart, but both in the 6th grade. Mattie struggles in school and was held back in kindergarten, while Olive is academically advanced. Both are struggling as their father is working at Duke as an adjunct linguistics professor for the summer while the girls and their mother remain at home. Mattie is frequently bullied by children at school, and tries to protect Olive from the same treatment, warning her sister that she shouldn't share too much, lest children laugh AT her rather than with her. Mattie loves to draw, and the idea of going to a summer art camp keeps her going. Olive has a crush on Max, who seems nicer than some of the other kids, but when he asks Mattie to draw for the school newspaper, The Weekly Wombat, Mattie tells Olive he is just fooling with them, trying to be mean. Mattie's teacher is concerned that she isn't doing well, and asks Mattie if she would like to be tested for learning differences, but, again, Mattie doesn't want to trust anyone. It's especially hard, since her beloved father isn't always visiting as much, and Mattie becomes convinced that something is wrong. Olive begins to feel trapped by her sister, and wants to hang out with Max and the other students from the newspaper, especially since they publish a crossword puzzle that she has created, and the other students seem to like it. Increasingly angry about her circumstances, Mattie acts out by drawing mean cartoons of her classmates and posting anonymous copies of them around the building. When she catches her father on the phone with a woman named Vivian, she becomes even more angry, and draws mean cartoons about Olive's friends. Eventually, Mattie has to come to terms with her parents' divorce, get help from her learning differences, and make amends with Olive.
Strengths: This book is told in a mixture of verse and graphic novel panels, which makes it rather unique. The illustrations are pleasant. There are also a plethora of advanced vocabulary words as well as some wordplay and crossword puzzles, adding to the novelty. Mattie and Olive are best friends, but experience some rocky times as the world around them changes. Many children are in middle school when their parents get divorced, and there are many more novels when a parent dies than there are about parents divorcing. It was good to see that Olive was able to make friends, and that both girls had supportive adults around them.
Weaknesses: I'm not sure I've read many middle grade novels where a parent is discovered to be cheating on a spouse by a child. Since the cover of this is rather young, I wish this had been handled differently. It seemed odd that a 6th grade teacher would assign both Little Women and Treasure Island to 6th graders. Most language arts teachers today try to find more diverse, current titles when at all possible.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want a graphic novel about difficult family circumstances, like Knowles Someone's Gonna End Up Crying or Lynch's Reel Life.
November 3, 2025
Five stars from myself as a neurodivergent person and learner. I’m rating this as both my adult self and my younger self -- who was much like Mattie but whose Achilles subject was (and still is) math and anything with numbers, even on my remote control.
This was a beautiful balanced novel whose heavier themes were often diffused with a great joke or a beautifully drawn comic cell. It was a wonderful step back into my sixth-grade self and the challenges of not learning best under the strict proscriptions of school. I also had my own Olive—a sister who skipped a grade and was a math whiz. Yes, I used to get her to do my math homework just to prove she could. Score one for Sue.
What I loved about this book is not just its representation of learning differences and styles, but also the bond of sisterhood. It invites readers back into those preteen and tween years when sisterhood begins to strain with age, and when those bonds are tested by friendships and the need to protect each other. Lucido captures this beautifully in a complex story that held my attention as an older adult. It’s delightfully innocent and written with puns, plays on words, blank verse poems, and crossword puzzles.
Olive’s interior world comes alive through her loquacious thoughts and naïveté—thoughts that propel her through the traditional classroom world. Mattie’s story, by contrast, draws readers into the older sister’s world of uncertainty and unsettling real-life situations. Her learning differences thrive in the creative arts and visual representation, and the illustrators work seamlessly with Lucido to bring her world to life.
The story deepens as Mattie begins to pick up on clues that her father may be cheating on her mother. This, along with the fear of summer school and loss of art camp are blended with shifting family dynamics as her fathers job moves him to anew city for work leaves Mattie’s world tilting on its axis.
Perfect for readers in that 8-12 range, but for older readers, this is a quick, engaging read. Olive’s neologisms and made-up words add humor and pacing. The large font, off-white thick paper, and short chapters make this book accessible to readers of all skill levels and learning styles.
📚 Note for caregivers: This would be a wonderful family discussion book or a mother-daughter read. Mattie’s relationship with her parents is supportive and emotive, but her fears and uncertainties may strike a chord. A well-timed “How’s the reading going?” could open up meaningful conversations and strengthen your own connections.
This was a beautiful balanced novel whose heavier themes were often diffused with a great joke or a beautifully drawn comic cell. It was a wonderful step back into my sixth-grade self and the challenges of not learning best under the strict proscriptions of school. I also had my own Olive—a sister who skipped a grade and was a math whiz. Yes, I used to get her to do my math homework just to prove she could. Score one for Sue.
What I loved about this book is not just its representation of learning differences and styles, but also the bond of sisterhood. It invites readers back into those preteen and tween years when sisterhood begins to strain with age, and when those bonds are tested by friendships and the need to protect each other. Lucido captures this beautifully in a complex story that held my attention as an older adult. It’s delightfully innocent and written with puns, plays on words, blank verse poems, and crossword puzzles.
Olive’s interior world comes alive through her loquacious thoughts and naïveté—thoughts that propel her through the traditional classroom world. Mattie’s story, by contrast, draws readers into the older sister’s world of uncertainty and unsettling real-life situations. Her learning differences thrive in the creative arts and visual representation, and the illustrators work seamlessly with Lucido to bring her world to life.
The story deepens as Mattie begins to pick up on clues that her father may be cheating on her mother. This, along with the fear of summer school and loss of art camp are blended with shifting family dynamics as her fathers job moves him to anew city for work leaves Mattie’s world tilting on its axis.
Perfect for readers in that 8-12 range, but for older readers, this is a quick, engaging read. Olive’s neologisms and made-up words add humor and pacing. The large font, off-white thick paper, and short chapters make this book accessible to readers of all skill levels and learning styles.
📚 Note for caregivers: This would be a wonderful family discussion book or a mother-daughter read. Mattie’s relationship with her parents is supportive and emotive, but her fears and uncertainties may strike a chord. A well-timed “How’s the reading going?” could open up meaningful conversations and strengthen your own connections.
July 15, 2025
Words Apart is an act of literary brilliance that masterfully blends dual formats — verse and graphic panels — bridging the quiet space between words and pictures, communication and silence, closeness and drifting apart.
Lucido’s gift lies in her ability to turn internal conflict into art, weaving linguistic and visual play. Together, the styles achieve something rare — they make us feel the emotional dissonance between the sisters before we can even name it.
I will never see words as just words again. Lucido treats language as though it takes physical form — embodying tone and intent. This imaginative flourish adds powerful depth: words aren’t merely spoken, they’re lived — collected, shaped, and sometimes even withheld. The crossword elements were an ingenious touch and a delight to engage with.
This is a story where resolution doesn’t mean going back to how things were, but discovering a new way of being close — a new way of saying, “I still love you,” even when everything else is changing.
I absolutely loved reading this book and can’t wait to see it in color prints.
Lucido’s gift lies in her ability to turn internal conflict into art, weaving linguistic and visual play. Together, the styles achieve something rare — they make us feel the emotional dissonance between the sisters before we can even name it.
I will never see words as just words again. Lucido treats language as though it takes physical form — embodying tone and intent. This imaginative flourish adds powerful depth: words aren’t merely spoken, they’re lived — collected, shaped, and sometimes even withheld. The crossword elements were an ingenious touch and a delight to engage with.
This is a story where resolution doesn’t mean going back to how things were, but discovering a new way of being close — a new way of saying, “I still love you,” even when everything else is changing.
I absolutely loved reading this book and can’t wait to see it in color prints.
August 27, 2025
Words Apart is a wonderful middle-grade novel that incorporates language and art in exceptional ways. This is just the right type of book that will appeal to reluctant readers or graphic novel readers that aren't sure about embracing regular prose-based literature. Sisters Mattie and Olive provide two different perspectives, and their views are interwoven spectacularly through comics, crosswords, poetry, and definitions.
I read the book in only one sitting because I was so invested in the story of these two sisters--opposites and yet best friends. Growing up is hard. Growing apart is hard. Learning to advocate for yourself is hard. This is the kind of book I would not hesitate to hand to my own children. Some will identify with art-loving Mattie and others will enjoy the way Olive plays with words. The illustrations, use of fonts, and novel-in-verse really help this book to shine.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.
I read the book in only one sitting because I was so invested in the story of these two sisters--opposites and yet best friends. Growing up is hard. Growing apart is hard. Learning to advocate for yourself is hard. This is the kind of book I would not hesitate to hand to my own children. Some will identify with art-loving Mattie and others will enjoy the way Olive plays with words. The illustrations, use of fonts, and novel-in-verse really help this book to shine.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.
June 19, 2025
I received an electronic ARC from Versify Harper Collins through Edelweiss+.
Powerful story told through verse and drawings as readers meet two sisters. One writes; one draws, and both experience sixth grade together. Lucido captures the love the surrounds a family as well as the shattering pain when family members hurt each other. Olive and Mattie are a solid team but have difficulty letting others in. Mattie has strong trust issues and a need to nurture her younger sister. Olive lives in her world of words - invented and collected. Both have to figure out who they are in middle school. When their father breaks up the family through his actions, readers see the way they connect and support each other as well as their mom. The ending is a bit of a surprise but a chance for a fresh start for Mattie.
Powerful story told through verse and drawings as readers meet two sisters. One writes; one draws, and both experience sixth grade together. Lucido captures the love the surrounds a family as well as the shattering pain when family members hurt each other. Olive and Mattie are a solid team but have difficulty letting others in. Mattie has strong trust issues and a need to nurture her younger sister. Olive lives in her world of words - invented and collected. Both have to figure out who they are in middle school. When their father breaks up the family through his actions, readers see the way they connect and support each other as well as their mom. The ending is a bit of a surprise but a chance for a fresh start for Mattie.
December 12, 2025
I drawn to this book because if the cover and then the title. I have to admit that I was a bit intimidated for the first few pages. I really like the way it was challenging me , daring me to continue to read on. But, I was like this us a young person’s book, you got this. So I took on the challenge and learned some new words and to find out that it has 3 real crossword puzzles in it. This was a great book. The author did a wonderful job with the characters, building up moments and crashing moments. How there are real definitions, made up ones, sisters, family, lies, uncertainty, friends and more.
November 14, 2025
Sisters Mattie and Olive couldn’t be more different. Mattie expresses herself through comics and drawings, while Olive is a wordsmith. The two have always been each other’s protectors. But when Olive finds a new group of friends at the school newspaper, the sisters’ relationship takes a turn. Lucido tells the story from alternating points of view using graphics, poetry, acrostics, and crossword puzzles. This book gets five gold stars on the storytelling structure alone. Add the character arcs and heartfelt themes and you’ve got a masterpiece. I’ve never seen anything like it.
January 8, 2026
Middle grade issues of siblings that are friends, changing friend groups, crushes, and family trouble. I really liked the comic panels from one sibling and the verse from the other. We all have strengths and this format supported the strengths of both siblings. I do think middle school kids will like the book. It just did not hold me. I tried. I really tried.
I had high hopes of loving this book. I love words. I love word puzzles. I love middle grade kids. I could not finish the book. First abandoned book in quite a long time for me.
I had high hopes of loving this book. I love words. I love word puzzles. I love middle grade kids. I could not finish the book. First abandoned book in quite a long time for me.
November 19, 2025
It's a rare book that will appeal to young readers who love words as well as to those who find it easier to express themselves in pictures. This is one of those rare books. Add to that, this is a heartfelt exploration of both the love and tensions within families. It's also an encouraging coming-of-age story as sisters Olive and Mattie take their first steps outside their comfort zones. This is a winner!
January 15, 2026
3.5... close to 4. I'm glad I noticed this one on display at the library, otherwise it might never have been on my radar! The format is unique--1/2 graphic novel and 1/2 novel in verse--with each sister taking the part of the story most appropriate for their talents and personalities. It didn't all make sense, but was probably a realistic representation of the world through the eyes of a 6th grader. It's a good representation of fraught family dynamics and learning differences too.
July 24, 2025
EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
This story about friendships and family is told from the perspective of two sisters, one who draws comics and one who writes in verse (with some great vocabulary choices). Readers will relate to the situations the sisters experience-whether it’s making new friends, working through learning problems, or parents’ divorce.
This story about friendships and family is told from the perspective of two sisters, one who draws comics and one who writes in verse (with some great vocabulary choices). Readers will relate to the situations the sisters experience-whether it’s making new friends, working through learning problems, or parents’ divorce.
November 12, 2025
I loved the style of this book moving from free verse to graphics and the bonus crossword puzzles were wonderful. But I didn’t need quite so many storylines including sisterly rivalry, learning differences, school bullying, school crushes, and parents having marital differences. But maybe that is realistic for middle school life and I just blocked that out from my memory.
November 16, 2025
Words Apart was awesome — I’ll put it as Olive might.
It was absotively, posolutely, stupendous. The puntastic verbiage amalgamated with enthralling narration and exquisite commentary on sisterhood, maturation, and infidelity made for a poignant experience.
I give my *perusal*
O
N
E
H
U
N
D
STARS
E
D
It was absotively, posolutely, stupendous. The puntastic verbiage amalgamated with enthralling narration and exquisite commentary on sisterhood, maturation, and infidelity made for a poignant experience.
I give my *perusal*
O
N
E
H
U
N
D
STARS
E
D
November 19, 2025
I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! This story has so many intertwining themes and really resonates with how difficult middle school can be and how difficult family dynamics can be. And a great depiction of learning differences. Plus it’s told in such a creative format. A must read for middle schoolers and grown ups too!
November 21, 2025
very unique format makes this difficult topic easy to approach. discovering horrible things about a parent is never easy and the stress of that takes a toll on everyone in the family. but olive and mattie come through in the end and support each other. the story earned 3 stars but the awesome format earned it that extra star.
November 26, 2025
Loved this! It's the story of two sisters, Olive who thinks in words, and Mattie who thinks in pictures. It's a great exploration of sister relationships, friends, and a family falling apart. The alternating graphic novel and verse parts worked so well to show their different points of view.
The two silent spreads (illustrations by Phillippa and Rachael Corcutt) at the end really got me.
The two silent spreads (illustrations by Phillippa and Rachael Corcutt) at the end really got me.
December 30, 2025
I so dearly want there to be halves! This was a 4 1/2 star book for me because the blended format really, really worked. Not only that but it was a book that my daughters and I all loved, likely for different reasons. My only quibble is that it felt potentially TOO plot-heavy in the interest of eventually too-tidily resolving matters for one of the sisters' learning.
June 2, 2025
In WORDS APART, Lucido tackles the realistic and difficult complications of family life with love, grace, and humor. Highly recommended, especially if you are interested in books with unique formats! I think this would be a great one to hand to a reluctant reader.
October 29, 2025
Words Apart: DNF. The frequent switching between verse and comics in order to show both Olive's and Mattie's views of a situation, while interesting for character development, really slowed the plot down. It also caused some issues with e-book formatting.
November 26, 2025
Brilliant format! The seamless transition from Olive's perspective, written in verse to Mattie's in graphic novel format will have a wide appeal for middle-grade readers.
Middle school and families are complicated! Lucido does a fine job of NOT wrapping this up all so very neatly.
Middle school and families are complicated! Lucido does a fine job of NOT wrapping this up all so very neatly.
December 25, 2025
A good book, although I didn't particularly like one element of the plot. I did enjoy the going back and forth between words and graphics to fully illustrate each character's thoughts and perspectives.
January 10, 2026
An interesting writing style. The book is written from the point of view of 2 sisters, one who writes in verse and one who writes in comics. The plot was a kinda hard to follow, and not well written, but I still enjoyed.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews