I enjoyed Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novel Drama but missed her highly-acclaimed graphic memoir Smile. So, I was glad for the chance to review its sequel, Sisters, another excellent graphic memoir for middle-grade readers (and appealing to teens as well).
Sisters focuses
on young teen Raina and her younger sister, Amara. As a young girl, Raina
begged her parents for a sister, but things between her and Amara have been
rocky ever since. As the memoir opens, Raina, Amara, and their mother are
getting ready for a long road trip from their home in California to a family
reunion in Colorado. That’s right – three weeks in the car with the sister whom
she fights with constantly (as well as their little brother). To make matters
worse, adolescent Raina is worried about what her cousins will think of her,
since she hasn’t seen them in many years.
Raina and Amara’s nonstop bickering and Raina’s insecurities
aren’t the only tensions in this story, though. Through flashbacks and scenes
of getting ready for the trip, it’s obvious that things are also stressful
between Raina’s mom and dad. This is one of the many strengths of Telgemeier’s
latest book – there are many layers of emotion here, despite the colorful, fun
cartoon style of the drawings. It’s a meaty story about underlying tensions in
a family and how they affect all family members.
All in all, Sisters
is a clever, funny, warm graphic memoir with plenty of emotional depth. It
tells the real-life story of a typical family, with marital tensions and
sibling rivalry…but also plenty of fun and love. The drawings are filled with
telling details that often provide even more information than the text. The
overall tone is warm and fun with an undercurrent of serious issues. Younger
kids will simply enjoy the story, while older kids and teens (and adults, like
me!) may see aspects of themselves in this universal story about family and
sisters. And, I also enjoyed the photos of the real-life Raina and Amara at the
back!
197 pages, Graphix (an imprint of Scholastic)
You can check out a 7-page sample of Sisters at this link.
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