The One Summer reviewed by Danya-Graphic Novel

Genre: Graphic Novel

This One Summer

Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki

This New York Times best selling graphic novel touches on so many different coming of age topics, in addition to the intricacies of family relationships. The novel follows teenage Rose as she and her family head out to their summer cabin at Awago Beach. There, she and her friend Windy discuss everything from boys, to boobs, to pregnancy, to drugs, and their families. Windy comes from a family with just her mother and grandmother, while Rose is the only child of her mom and dad’s. While the girls experience summer, Rose is dealing with the tension between her parents and the unknown of why her mom is always so upset.  This graphic novel encompasses so many important topics and its story can be extremely relatable for high school students.

Since it does expose so many coming of age scenarios, I think it would be best suited for high school students. The book can also raise many questions for students so it is important that there is some discussion around the novel, whether it be with peers, teachers, or parents.

This is the first graphic novel I have read and I am extremely impressed with the illustrations! The comic book type illustrations vary in size and are easy to follow. Though each page is different in terms of how many illustrations or different sizes of illustrations, the text and the illustrations have a great flow. The story is strong, and even better as it is enhanced by these wonderful drawings. A truly interesting and easy read that brings up such important topics to discuss with coming of age teenagers-no wonder it is a best seller!