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BODY IMAGE

BECAUSE ALL BODIES ARE GREAT BODIES

From the Lorimer Deal With It series

An introduction to the power of positive thinking.

You are perfect just the way you are!

Many people struggle with how they look. Whether someone does not like how skinny they are, is worried about a pimple, or feels self-conscious over not having perfectly straight teeth, negative body image will surface for almost everyone at some point in their life, even if only fleetingly. Body image can be influenced by family, peers, media/society, and/or past experiences. What is most important to remember, though, Hohn emphasizes, is that “our bodies are more than just a collection of physical parts.” This informational book is packed: The pages are busy, and the text is small. This book does not attempt to give medical advice, nor does it pose suggestions for how to heal from a serious medical issue. Instead, it boosts positive thinking and proffers tips on finding and incorporating support into the everyday lives of both readers and their loved ones. Those truly suffering are advised to seek professional medical help. The illustrations are in full color, but all of the people in the book are illustrated in shades of gray and with minimal facial features, a strategy that seems at odds with the attention paid to racial and cultural diversity. This is evidenced in naming conventions and depictions and descriptions of Afro-textured hair. Throughout each of the four chapters are bullet lists of “Dos & Don’ts,” quizzes, myth debunking, readers’ questions asked and answered, and guided scenarios.

An introduction to the power of positive thinking. (helplines, websites, further reading) (Nonfiction. 9-14)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-4594-1453-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: James Lorimer

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021

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PLAY LIKE A GIRL

A sincere, genuine, and uplifting book that affirms the importance of being true to yourself.

Middle school drama hits hard in this coming-of-age graphic memoir.

Natural competitor Misty has faced off against the boys for years, always coming out on top, but now they’re moving on without her into the land of full-contact football. Never one to back away from a challenge, Misty resolves to join the team and convinces her best friend, Bree, to join her. While Misty pours herself into practicing, obviously uninterested Bree—who was motivated more by getting to be around boys than doing sports—drifts toward popular queen bee Ava, creating an uneasy dynamic. Feeling estranged from Bree, Misty, who typically doesn’t think much about her appearance, tries to navigate seventh grade—even experimenting with a more traditionally feminine gender expression—while also mastering her newfound talent for tackling and facing hostility from some boys on the team. Readers with uncommon interests will relate to the theme of being the odd one out. Social exclusion and cutting remarks can be traumatic, so it’s therapeutic to see Misty begin to embrace her differences instead of trying to fit in with frenemies who don’t value her. The illustrations are alive with color and rich emotional details, pairing perfectly with the heartfelt storytelling. The husband-and-wife duo’s combined efforts will appeal to fans of Raina Telgemeier and Shannon Hale. Main characters present as White; some background characters read as Black.

A sincere, genuine, and uplifting book that affirms the importance of being true to yourself. (Graphic memoir. 9-13)

Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-06-306469-0

Page Count: 272

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022

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JUST PRETEND

A rich and deeply felt slice of life.

Crafting fantasy worlds offers a budding middle school author relief and distraction from the real one in this graphic memoir debut.

Everyone in Tori’s life shows realistic mixes of vulnerability and self-knowledge while, equally realistically, seeming to be making it up as they go. At least, as she shuttles between angrily divorced parents—dad becoming steadily harder to reach, overstressed mom spectacularly incapable of reading her offspring—or drifts through one wearingly dull class after another, she has both vivacious bestie Taylor Lee and, promisingly, new classmate Nick as well as the (all-girl) heroic fantasy, complete with portals, crystal amulets, and evil enchantments, taking shape in her mind and on paper. The flow of school projects, sleepovers, heart-to-heart conversations with Taylor, and like incidents (including a scene involving Tori’s older brother, who is having a rough adolescence, that could be seen as domestic violence) turns to a tide of change as eighth grade winds down and brings unwelcome revelations about friends. At least the story remains as solace and, at the close, a sense that there are still chapters to come in both worlds. Working in a simple, expressive cartoon style reminiscent of Raina Telgemeier’s, Sharp captures facial and body language with easy naturalism. Most people in the spacious, tidily arranged panels are White; Taylor appears East Asian, and there is diversity in background characters.

A rich and deeply felt slice of life. (afterword, design notes) (Graphic memoir. 10-13)

Pub Date: May 18, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-316-53889-3

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021

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