What do you think?
Rate this book
Smells Like Trouble
Winning the middle school science fair has been Dawn's dream since elementary school. Her chronic anxiety makes participating scary, but she knows she can count on her best friend and science fair partner, James---a jokester who isn't afraid of the spotlight---to do all the talking. But when James is accused of an over-the-top prank, he get's disqualifies from entering the science fair. She know's he's innocent but her anxiety stops her from speaking up. Dawn must learn strategies to manage her anxiety if she's going to go ahead with the science fair---and save her friendship.
- GenresGraphic Novels
243 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2022
3 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 10, 2023
My Rating: 5. A realistic and informative graphic novel that portrays middle schoolers with anxiety with empathy and understanding.
Thank you Avenue A Books for providing an e-book copy through NetGalley.
Synopsis:
More than anything, Dawn wants to compete in the Science Fair with James, her best friend and the practical jokester of the school. However, Dawn suffers from chronic anxiety, making it almost impossible to do “basic” social activities like eat in the cafeteria, stand out at all, or make eye contact with someone greeting her. Luckily, James understands this and takes the attention off of Dawn, so the two make a good partnership. Or so it seems, at the beginning. Over the school year, James hangs out with his own friends during lunch, leaving Dawn alone to interact with the new girl, Cassie, who is way too interested in Dawn’s life for her anxiety to deal with. As the deadline for the science fair approaches, Dawn’s anxiety rises, even as she tries desperately to tackle it, causing an accident that permanently bans James from competing in the fair. Can Dawn fix everything before the deadline, or will her anxiety keep her from living the life she wants?
What I Liked:
Smells Like Trouble is an excellent representation of anxiety disorder and all the symptoms that kids can experience in their daily school life. The comic is very well done, informing the readers about mental health issues and how they directly affect people through a first-person narrative. The story works because it doesn’t blame Dawn for her anxiety disorder, but it does hold her accountable for when she messes up. You can tell that the author did her research, talking to therapists and child counselors on how anxiety manifests in middle schoolers, and what students can do to live their lives. The characters Dawn, James, and Cassie are also fully developed and feel real, the side characters always add to the story (especially Dawn’s therapist and sister), and the art is stylized and fun, appealing to a middle school/early high school audience, while also dealing with serious mental health issues. Dawn and James are people of color, and Cassie is white.
What I Didn’t Like: Nothing!
Personal bias. I have lived with people who have anxiety disorders and I resonated with James and Cassie many times because I was in those situations before, but I also felt for Dawn. She taught me what my friends go through on a daily basis and helped me reflect on how I can be a better friend for them.
Who Would I Recommend This To: Middle schools and high schools libraries and public libraries. Any student who also has anxiety, or anyone who wants to see mental health issues represented in stories and comics. Hey Kiddo by Jarrett by Krosoczka, I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly, Guts by Raina Telgemeier, or New Kid by Jerry Kraft are good read-alikes.
Review Date: October 24th, 2022
Thank you Avenue A Books for providing an e-book copy through NetGalley.
Synopsis:
More than anything, Dawn wants to compete in the Science Fair with James, her best friend and the practical jokester of the school. However, Dawn suffers from chronic anxiety, making it almost impossible to do “basic” social activities like eat in the cafeteria, stand out at all, or make eye contact with someone greeting her. Luckily, James understands this and takes the attention off of Dawn, so the two make a good partnership. Or so it seems, at the beginning. Over the school year, James hangs out with his own friends during lunch, leaving Dawn alone to interact with the new girl, Cassie, who is way too interested in Dawn’s life for her anxiety to deal with. As the deadline for the science fair approaches, Dawn’s anxiety rises, even as she tries desperately to tackle it, causing an accident that permanently bans James from competing in the fair. Can Dawn fix everything before the deadline, or will her anxiety keep her from living the life she wants?
What I Liked:
Smells Like Trouble is an excellent representation of anxiety disorder and all the symptoms that kids can experience in their daily school life. The comic is very well done, informing the readers about mental health issues and how they directly affect people through a first-person narrative. The story works because it doesn’t blame Dawn for her anxiety disorder, but it does hold her accountable for when she messes up. You can tell that the author did her research, talking to therapists and child counselors on how anxiety manifests in middle schoolers, and what students can do to live their lives. The characters Dawn, James, and Cassie are also fully developed and feel real, the side characters always add to the story (especially Dawn’s therapist and sister), and the art is stylized and fun, appealing to a middle school/early high school audience, while also dealing with serious mental health issues. Dawn and James are people of color, and Cassie is white.
What I Didn’t Like: Nothing!
Personal bias. I have lived with people who have anxiety disorders and I resonated with James and Cassie many times because I was in those situations before, but I also felt for Dawn. She taught me what my friends go through on a daily basis and helped me reflect on how I can be a better friend for them.
Who Would I Recommend This To: Middle schools and high schools libraries and public libraries. Any student who also has anxiety, or anyone who wants to see mental health issues represented in stories and comics. Hey Kiddo by Jarrett by Krosoczka, I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly, Guts by Raina Telgemeier, or New Kid by Jerry Kraft are good read-alikes.
Review Date: October 24th, 2022
December 27, 2022
Rating: 4.75 🌟
First and foremost, I'd like to express my gratitude to Netgalley and Center for Responsive Schools for providing me with an e-ARC of this comic.
The portrayal of anxiety throughout this graphic novel for middle school students is absolutely incredible. The details of the critical matter and how the main character, with the aid of her friends and family, overcame it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews