“Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there’s still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly. Raina’s story takes us from middle school to high school, where she discovers her artistic voice, finds out what true friendship really means, and where she can finally…smile.
What is the book about?
This book is a true story based on the life of Raina Telgemeier. Raina seems to have a perfectly normal, drama free life. But one night, everything changes when she trips and falls while running with her friends after a Girl Scouts meeting, and knocks out both her front teeth. The story follows Raina as her dentist, Dr Golden, tries his best to fix her teeth and leave her with a healthy and normal looking mouth. On top of all that dental drama, Raina also has to deal with boys, friendships, a major earthquake and the transition from middle school to high school. Here she is finally able to be her true self and finds true friends and discovers her love of art.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
I have never really liked to read and personally I think it is extremely boring, but my sister is insistent on the fact that books aren’t boring and if I think that then I’m just not reading the right books for me. So, finally after years of trying different types of genres, she found one that she was almost 100% sure that I would love – a graphic novel called Smile. When she handed it to me I wasn’t too sure what I would think of it. It didn’t look like it would be that interesting and I wasn’t really used to graphic novels so I was a bit confused as to why she thought I would like it. But, as soon as I read the first page I knew why she thought I would definitely enjoy this book – it was fast-paced and had so many pictures; it was perfect for me. I whizzed through the book and soon I found myself asking my sister for another book like it.
Who was your favourite character and why?
My favourite character was definitely Raina because she was like what every person feels like on the inside when they are in their teenage years, awkward and weird and out place. She made me feel a little bit more confident in myself because I knew that I was not the only one who was feeling a little bit alone and I think now I feel like I can be more like myself now and not how other people want me to be. I particularly admired her when she finally stood up to her so-called friends, because this is something that I don't think I would ever be able to do myself because of how scary it is to be on your own and, even if they aren’t real friends, at least having someone to make it look like you aren’t a loner, makes secondary school (high school) a whole lot easier. I’m having some friendship issues myself at the moment and seeing that I’m not the only one makes it easier to keep going and to just fight back and make a stand for myself.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
My favourite part of the book was definitely when Riana finally stood up to her friends because it had been bugging me from the first time I saw them being mean to her and I just really wanted to slap them all. This part really showed me that I should have more self-respect and that I don't deserve to be treated badly by anyone and no one should ever have to feel like their own friends or family aren’t there for them. This also showed me that Raina wasn’t just some weird, awkward teen and that she was actually very brave and she had her own views and her own things to say. This really showed me that sometimes you have to leave behind the people who you spend every day with because sometimes they are holding you back and you need to just let them go and see what you can do for yourself. Her friends had been doing terrible things to her and I had to just sit there and read through those parts when I really just wanted to tell her to man up and tell them to stop, and when she finally did it I realised that I should also be able to do that if I was ever put in that situation. It was a really inspirational part of the book and I really enjoyed it.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Smile and I sped through it completely and reached the end far too quickly. One thing that I really liked about it was how fast-paced it was and that it really just went straight in. With most books I read, I find that I get extremely bored after only a couple pages because the author introduces things too slowly or gives me an extremely boring backstory that I really don't care about, but with this book I got none of that feeling of boredom and I just couldn't put it down. Another thing I also liked about it was the incredibly drawn pictures that made it feel like I wasn't really reading at all and I was actually experiencing the story for myself. I never really thought I would feel something like this as I've always believed that books are just words on paper, but I realise now that my sister was right all along and books can make you feel something and can connect with you on a whole different level. This graphic novel really was amazing and I just can't wait to read another book like this. I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy all of Raina Telgemeier’s books, especially if they like Smile.
Would you recommend this book?
I recommend this book to anyone around 9-13 years old who is looking for a book that they will finally not find boring and will actually enjoy. It is perfect for first time enjoyment readers.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
An incredibly well written and drawn graphic novel based on a true story.
Reviewed by Aldara Gutierrez Reviriego
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