THE NEW GIRL

The highs and lows of a first crush are easier to navigate with the steady support of family and friends.

In this lively sequel set in Montreal, Romanian immigrant Lia Iordache is back from winter break. She develops a crush on Julien, a boy who’s also on the school’s magazine committee. A distracted Lia struggles to focus on schoolwork or be a supportive member of her wonderful friend group, especially toward Wan Yin, whose trusts she betrays. Short chapters offer glimpses into Lia’s daily life. She’s dealing with crippling period pain, but the doctor dismissively tells her she’ll “learn to deal with it” and refuses to refer her to a specialist; her supportive mother is outraged. Lia is embarrassed when pads fall out of her backpack, and new magazine committee member Jade laughs at her. Although Julien and Lia’s relationship grows closer, his friendship with Jade, who calls Lia “pad girl,” causes jealousy. This work gently explores being true to oneself while feeling the strong pull of first romantic love. Honesty in friendships is another strong theme. Lia’s family is kind, offering her boundaries and advice while allowing her to make mistakes and grow. Navigating her relationship with Julien helps Lia realize that she must focus on her own choices: to show up for friends and persist when she makes mistakes. Calin’s vibrant, emotive illustrations add humor and depth to the dialogue, and cleverly color-coded speech bubbles indicate different languages.

Insightful, quirky, and hopeful.