In Smile we meet Telgemeier in the 6th grade, just about to get rather routine braces to correct an overbite. Following her initial orthodontics appointment however, Telgemeier trips and knocks out her two front teeth. This kicks off a very extensive orthodontic journey that is both unique and highly relatable (I suspect) to anyone who suffered through braces as a child. It may sound like a small thing, but I really appreciated how seriously this book took braces because panic attacks into my adulthood included feeling like I had braces again. I also struggled with my braces breaking a lot, despite severely restricting my diet as instructed, and I was always blamed by the orthodontist. For something that was so mainstream growing up, I do feel like we should talk about the trauma of braces a bit more.

The second volume, Sisters, looks to tackle rocky relationships - especially the familial kind. Raina has a hard time getting along with her sister Amara, the story centers around a road trip to see some relatives that their mother doesn't seem to get along with, and their parents also don't seem to be getting along. Although that part felt like it got dropped off at the end. Objectively speaking, I feel like this struggle (that I could also relate to) is important to validate in child lit, but it still ended up being the weakest volume, in my opinion.


The third volume, Guts, circles back in time a bit but focuses on Raina's stomach trouble due to anxiety, phobias, and IBS. Raina also highlights her time in therapy in this book and bullying is also a fairly central theme. Like the other two volumes, it felt like this book didn't really talk down to its audience so it does come across as fairly all ages.


Reviews of Ghosts:
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Transcript: [ Ссылка ]

Find Me Elsewhere: [ Ссылка ]
2021 Reading Challenge: [ Ссылка ]
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