Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Penelope just wants to survive Middle School, but an awkward fall on the first day leads to an even more embarrassing encounter with a student, leaving her flustered and acting out horribly. She pushes the boy who tries to help her, just because some mean kids tease tease them, and then has the hardest time trying to find a way to apologize.
Created by Svetlana Chmakova, ‘Awkward’ is set in Berrybrook Middle School, where protagonist Penelope navigates challenges in her art club, science class, all while trying to become friends with Jamie Thompson, the kind boy who came to her rescue when everybody else was just staring or laughing at her when she fell.
The biggest problem? They belong to rival clubs and the members are supposed to hate each other. Or well, at least it’s not usual for them to be friendly with each other.
The artwork is inspired by Japanese manga, so the characters have huge expressive eyes, and they are adorably cute. Jamie with his glasses almost reminded me of protagonist Ken Takakura (Okarun) from the hit anime ‘Dan Da Dan’: they’re both nerdy, sweet, slightly asocial, and have a tough time conversing with girls, but are fun to hang out with when they let their guard down. Although Penelope’s character style felt similar to Dora the Explorer, a Latin-American character popular with kids.
One of the best things about ‘Awkward’ is the fact that the author lets kids be kids, retaining their childish innocence through pranks, homework, and regular banter. Romance has almost zero space in the story, instead it’s all about the arts club feuding with the science club over getting a display table at an upcoming school fair.
Penelope loves to draw and her only friends are her fellow art club members, while Jamie is in the more popular science kids, since his club keeps winning awards and accolades. The artsy kids are usually busy doing their own thing, so it comes as a rude shock when they’re denied a table at the fair and find themselves competing for a spot.
A school outing gives many students an opportunity to team up with new faces for the first time, giving them a chance to get to know each other. Jamie and Penelope learn they have a similar spirit of adventure, bringing them a little closer as new friends, who aren’t as awkward as before.
If you’re looking for a fun middle-grade story about team spirit, rivalry, and the importance of both arts and science in a student’s life at school, this graphic novel is a great pick.
Rating: 4 stars on 4. Awkward is on Kindle Unlimited (availability might change)
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