SUPPER CLUB

Three best friends face the end of high school with trepidation and nostalgia.

Nora isn’t ready for things to change. When senior year starts, and she can feel the cracks beginning to form in her longtime friendships with Iris and Lili, she scrambles for an activity that will keep the three connected. Her solution? Supper Club. Nora, Iris, Lili, and some other friends come together to share food, laughter, and memories. Nora, who is Italian American, makes rainbow cookies and lasagna. Lili, who is cued as being of Chinese heritage, celebrates the Lunar New Year with steamed sea bass and high school graduation with braised pork ribs and spring bao. Iris, who is White, brings in mac and cheese and her mom’s banana bread. Their other friends contribute to the cultural mélange with mofongo, challah, and flautas. Each friend weathers her own challenges—sick parents, anxiety attacks, alcohol use, and romantic pursuits gone wrong, to name a few. These bumps in the road don’t leave their friendships unscathed, but the story is ultimately reassuring. The richly colored art is full of movement and personality, gestures and facial expressions bringing intensity to every character. The text relies on dialogue for exposition, trusting readers to connect the dots and build connections between events that take place in the characters’ lives over the course of the school year.

Bursting with flavor.