Spring 2019, Wild Readers 5 discussion

I read "Smile" by Raina Telgemeier which is a memoir in the form of a graphic novel. It takes place when main character Raina is in middle school. This story had several ups and downs and kept interest on each page. The story begins when Raina is racing her friends home and she trips and knocks out her two front teeth permanently. Throughout the story you see Raina struggle with her appearance through her dental transformations of braces, fake teeth, and headgear till her teeth are straighter than ever were in the end of the story. You also get to see who she thought were her real friends but were actually making fun of her the entire time. This is sad to see because she feels isolated after confronting them. However, you see she makes new real friends and you can’t help but smile for her. You also see her struggles when she tries to get boys her age to like her. The story shows a lot of the boy and girl drama we see in middle schools today. This story is full of the typical issues everyone encounters when they're in middle school. It is full of self-discovery and realizations that you learn once you're past those awkward teen years of your life. I think this is an amazing young adult novel that a lot of girls should read because it shows a lot of similarities many girls can compare to their own lives. I loved this book because it is real and so relatable. I would definitely recommend this novel.