Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Pages: 233
Intended Audience: Teens and mature tweens
Genre: Graphic novel / Real life
Notes for parents: Some mature scenes

The Back Cover

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school’s production of Moon over Mississippi, she can’t really sing. Instead she’s the set designer for the drama department’s stage crew, and this year she’s determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she when she doesn’t know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen. And when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier.

What the Back Cover doesn’t tell you:

The main characters are in the upper middle grades – 7 and 8.

What’s good?

This is a middle school drama with high school appeal. The artwork is fabulous – bold and colorful – and very expressive. The storytelling is excellent, with plots and subplots evenly paced and well executed. Characterization is phenomenal. Callie and her friends have real voices, personalities, and gestures that make the characters genuinely believable. The theatre theme permeates the story from beginning to end, and I love that it’s the play’s crew that gets prominently featured. (Anyone who has ever worked on a play knows that 85% of the magic happens backstage!)
Best part: I liked the fleeting romances, the quick-to-forgive friendships, the acceptance of ethnicities, obsessions, and orientations, and the broad-based, quick-paced dramas that are fairly typical of the age group.

What’s not so good?

Many of the reviews I read criticized the author for including too many gay characters (3?) in her story, but I think some people grossly underestimate the number of LGBT students in the average middle school – add to that the number of students who are questioning their sexuality and it’s way more than three. My only criticism would be that the story itself didn’t always feel age appropriate in terms of character maturity, but perhaps that’s just me underestimating the average tween’s capacity for maturity.
Worst part: None.

Recommendations þþþþo

There’s friendship, romance, humor, and the very typical kind of drama you find in the average middle school. The illustrations are well-done and the author is a master storyteller. The only reason I gave this 4 checkmarks and not 5 is because I gave her other graphic novel, Smile, a four and thought Smile was just a little bit better. I thoroughly enjoyed this fast and entertaining read. Highly recommended.

Telgemeier, Raina. Drama. New York: Graphix, 2012.