Mend: A Story of Divorce

Zuiker Teen Topics

by Sophia Recca, Anthony E. Zuiker (With), Nam Kim (Illustrator)

A Story of Divorce is the first in a series of graphic novels written by young adults for their peers.

Sophia, the fourteen-year-old author and protagonist, tells the heart-wrenching story of her parents' divorce. She was just nine years old, happy and enjoying life with her mom, dad, and little brother in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unexpectedly, one night, a violent argument disrupted her sleep and shattered her life. The next morning, her parents told her the dreaded news--they were getting divorced. Her dad was moving to California, while Sophia and her brother would stay with their mom.

Any child who has experienced the trauma of divorce will understand Sophia's First, she blamed herself. But then, she remembered a note a teacher once wrote on her report card, and was inspired to focus on bringing both parents back into her life. Even if they could not be under the same roof, she thought, they could still share in caring for her and her brother.

Sophia's story will resonate with children (and adults) who have faced a split in their family, or who have friends dealing with divorce. The book includes helpful advice for parents, as well as a special Teacher's Corner page.

Zuiker Press is proud to publish stories about important current topics for kids and adolescents, written by their peers, that will help them cope with the challenges they face in today's troubled world.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Memoir, Divorce

96 pages, Hardcover

Published November 6, 2018

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, here's where I commit myself to stop picking up these Zuiker Press books about heavy teen topics. They are nothing but horribly written treacly melodramas orchestrated by co-writer Anthony E. Zuiker, creator and producer of various CSI spinoffs.

This one has Sophia Recca getting all spiritual and reversing child/parent roles as she makes her divorced parents into some ideal fractured but whole family. It's like a weird take on Parent Trap with an added angel obsession.

The most useful part of the book was a page of divorce advice from a lawyer named Denis Scinta. If only the rest of the book were as reasonable.

[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series of books for teens written by teens strikes me as a well-intentioned but poorly thought out experiment.

I remember giving a workshop to a bunch of high school students where I gave a prompt about cats, and every single person in the workshop ended up writing about how cats were like this particular boy in their class that either broke up with them or with one of her friends.

It was very therapeutic for them, and I'm glad they were able to express themselves and bond, but Nobody Else should ever have to read those stories or hear them. It's not that they're bad, it's that they were intensely personal, immediate, and Very Teenager. Many teen's stories are so focused on themselves that they don't really belong outside of a classroom or a really supportive writing or performing group.

I don't know who this series is for, apart from whatever adults felt that there should be a series of books about teenage problems written by teenagers. Trying to inspire kids with stories about divorce and cyberbullying requires some sort of maturity away from the events that these teen writers haven't been given the opportunity to achieve.

These books feel too exploity for me to recommend to anyone.

[Teenreadsdotcom · Rating 5 out of 5]

MEND is a graphic novel written by Sophie Recca, a teen who was blindsided by her parents’ divorce when she was 9 years old. Now 14, Sophie tells the story of how her parents separated and learned to co-parent, and the pains she and her brother suffered in the process. At once raw, emotional and hopeful, MEND is the perfect read for teens going through similar issues who are struggling to cope with their changing family dynamics.

MEND is not a long read, but it packs a powerful punch through its engaging dialogue, gorgeous colors and heartfelt message. As Sophie navigates her parents’ divorce, she gives readers an inside look at her thoughts, feelings and hopes. For teens dealing with their own families’ divorces, Sophie’s voice is refreshing for its reality --- she does not rebel or act out, and her pain leaps off the page. As a reader, you can truly feel the hurt in the visceral way that a child would.

The art in MEND is vivid and action-packed. Though some scenes felt a bit cheesy early on, the style redeems itself in its real “comic book” feel, adding some gravity to the already deeply felt story. What I truly loved about the art, however, was the coloring, done by Fahriza Kamaputra. Kamaputra’s use of color made the scenes easy to follow --- and that is coming from someone who does not typically read graphic novels.

Divorces are not uncommon and thus many parents and other adults may feel as though their children will “get over it” or feel okay again after a good cry. MEND reminds us that that is not always the case and that divorces affect children just as much --- if not more than --- their parents. Sophie’s bravery in welcoming readers into her mind and heart makes MEND a valuable read, and one that will bolster teens enduring their own challenges with divorce. Paired with fun, engaging graphic art, Sophie’s story is an easy read, but an important one.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is a 2.5 for me. What I like about these books and this series is their graphic novel format and the fact that the stories are told in the own voices of teens dealing with various life issues. Both of these aspects make the books relatable and accessible for their intended audience, especially reluctant readers. It strained my belief that the author styled herself as an angel whose mission was to help others. Something about that just bothered me even though the intentions there were good. Sophia, the author, seems to have had one of those picture-perfect lives growing up--at least until her parents' arguments escalated, and they divorced. At first and for a period of time, Sophia blames herself for the break-up, but eventually she realizes that there were other factors at play. She turns her efforts toward getting her parents to realize that if they want the best for their children, they will have to learn to get along and live fairly close to each other. While the techniques suggested here worked for Sophia, they won't work for everyone, and all parties would need to be willing to compromise, something that isn't often the case when trying to mend a family broken by divorce. Still, many middle grade readers will see themselves and their families in this story.

[Sophia Recca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi, I'm Sophia Recca, author of the full-color graphic novel, MEND: A Story of Divorce. My story is that I'm currently 14 years old and I attend a private high school in Las Vegas, Nevada.

When I was just 11 years old, my parents got divorced and my Dad moved to Los Angeles. It took me a while to figure it out, but I finally "flipped the script" on them and got them to focus on my needs as well as theirs.

My experience was turned into a full-color graphic novel by Anthony and Michelle Zuiker and the team at Zuiker Press. These are the same people behind the hit TV series, C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation. They have committed to telling the stories of remarkable teens dealing with extraordinary issues.

If you've read MEND: A Story of Divorce, I hope you will review it here. If you haven't, I hope you'll look for it at your library. Zuiker Books has a strong library support program, so if your library does not have my book, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Thank You!!!
Sophia

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recca, Sophia Mend. 50 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Zuiker Press 2018. $10. Language: G (0 swears) Mature Content: PG Violence: G

Sophia has a happy home life and can’t imagine anything changing. Until one day her world does change. As her mother and father work through their tumultuous divorce right in front of her, she scrambles to keep her family together and try not to blame herself.

This was a pretty flimsy interpretation of how a child would actually feel during their parent’s divorce. It makes a lot of surface observations but there is little to no depth in the narrative. I don’t even know what the target audience for this book would be, as it’s too simplistic for a middle schooler but too advanced for a young child.

MS – OPTIONAL. Jewels
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...

[Meredith Ritchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mend is the story of a girl whose parents get a divorce and she has to figure out how to find a normal life again. It has a bit of an obvious moral- it was clearly written to help others. So the story is pretty straight-forward and predictable. It was written by a teenager and I commend giving a voice to an actual teenager about an authentic life event. It is written as a graphic novel and the heart-breaking topic of divorce is well represented in the images; I think being a graphic novels strengthens the story. It reads like a teenager wrote it (which typically means possibly inappropriate language- but there is none in this short book) so I can definitely see a place for it in a high school library to have as a resource but I won't really desire to re-read it or anything.

[Princess · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I think the idea of books written by teens for teens can be good (Outsiders as a classic example) but sometimes it falls flat. I saw this book in our school library (I teach junior high) and it drew me in because I am divorced and I wanted to see if I could find additional insight as to how my own children might have viewed things. The beginning was much better than the end. It seemed to come together too nicely and not very realistically at the end. However, I am definitely not the intended audience and I know our students will probably really like it.

[Amanda Lucero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Take it for what it is, a book written by a 14-year old. The artwork is done by other people and the style is odd and doesn't fit well with the story's events. There is a page where the dad is depicted as physically abusive, but it is never mentioned in the prose, and he comes off as perfectly loving throughout the rest. Also, since this was written by a teenager, the events surrounding her parents' divorce are overly simplified.

It's cool that there is a publishing company who is publishing teen writing, but it isn't amazing literature by any stretch of the imagination.

[Sue Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel about a girl who is trying to navigate her parents' divorce is part of a nonfiction series written by young people for young people. The authors all tell about a serious problem that they struggled with and overcame. The art work is well-done and the stories are complete, if a little bit difficult to follow in some parts. The back matter, which has photos of the actual authors and advice for parents, is useful and interesting.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written by a child of divorce and is based on her own personal experiences with it. She wrote it while still a teen. While I admire her for having the courage to tell her story, I don't know how well this graphic novel will resonate with most kids. A lot of it seemed just a little too sweet and not very believable, with her solutions a bit simplistic. Oddly enough, the book just didn't ring true.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book great series

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the artwork full color style.

[Cait · Rating 4 out of 5]

One book in a series of YA short graphic reads. The kind of book I know my childhood friends going through divorce would’ve appreciated to feel less alone, get some grounding and hope.

[Siani Hilario]

A great story about how it's okay if your parents get divorced because in the end you have your family.

[Nicholle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read to evaluate for the collection.
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2024 Extreme Book Nerd Challenge - Book published in 2018

[anum · Rating 1 out of 5]

meh